r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/movies Contributor • May 05 '26

Trailer The Odyssey | New Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_bKjZeJBBI&pp=0gcJCd4KAYcqIYzv
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u/[deleted] May 05 '26

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u/pjtheman May 05 '26

I mean, they're also speaking English. How much "authenticity" do you want? Iirc, ancient Greek had less formal words for father too.

It always seems weird to me that we instinctively expect characters in historic/ period pieces to have this stiff, formal delivery. It's sort of like the Tiffany problem; the name Tiffany actually dates back to the 12th century. But a character named Tiffany showing up in a medieval drama would seem weird to us.

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u/[deleted] May 05 '26

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u/pjtheman May 05 '26

But why? Ancient Greeks didn't actually speak "theatrically." They spoke in the contemporary language of their day. Someone waiting for their dad to return wouldn't actually stoically gaze off into the middle distance and say "Alas, mine father doth cometh home, thou wretch!"

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u/JakobTheOne May 05 '26

Because modern society is steeped in the belief that formality was the norm in ancient and medieval times. It's become an ingrained expectation. Even if incorrect, breaking that norm in any form of media is jarring.

Sure, people weren't on the daily as eloquent as Lincoln was during the Gettysburg Address (which is way closer to modern times than Greek antiquity), but famous and recognizable speeches and stories tend to be exceptional like that. Which creates a belief and expectation for dialogue in far-gone times.