Who is Sinon? Elliot Page's Greek mythology character in 'The Odyssey' explained
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ has got everyone talking about his adaptation of the epic story. Before the film was released, there was a lot of discussion about the characters set to appear in the iconic project. One of the cast members, Elliot Page’s character, was among the most talked-about characters. While some fans believed he might be playing Achilles, his portrayal of the Greek spy Sinon surprised everyone. The rest of the characters are from Homer’s 'The Iliad' or 'The Odyssey,' but Sinon comes from Virgil’s 'The Aeneid,' a Roman epic poem. In classical mythology, Sinon is portrayed as a cunning and deceitful Greek soldier who was deliberately left behind on the shores of Troy. He was the one who convinced the Trojans that the Trojan Horse was a harmless gift to Athena and persuaded them to bring it inside the city walls.
Interestingly, Sinon’s portrayal in Christopher Nolan’s film turned out to be quite different from that. From a cunning liar, Sinon, played by Elliot Page, was shown as a noble soldier. He himself was unaware that the Trojan Horse was a trap, believing it was an honorable gift to Athena; he told the Trojans the same. In addition, he volunteered to stay on the beach to deliver the message. In the film, he is portrayed as the son of a poor servant who works for the wealthy Antinous (played by Robert Pattinson). Later in the storyline, Antinous makes a secret deal with Sinon, according to which the latter takes Antinous’s place in the Trojan War. As a reward, Sinon’s family will receive financial compensation. King Odysseus (played by Matt Damon) also allowed the swap so that Antinous’ family could be saved from embarrassment. However, things did not go as Sinon expected because Antinous' family broke their promise. While he was fighting the war, his father died a poor and homeless beggar.
Sinon also shares a close bond with Odysseus, who later calls him the greatest soldier he has ever known. It was because Sinon volunteered to stay behind when the Greeks left. Despite already knowing that he might face death, Sinon chose to stay behind and showed unmatched bravery. His only wish was for his father to know about his heroics. He later found out that his father was already dead. Later, when Sinon also died from Trojan spears, Odysseus buried him on the shores of Troy. His was the only soldier's grave that the King visited before returning home.
However, that was not the end for Sinon. When Circe told the King about traveling to the Land of the Dead to speak with Tiresias, the prophet noted that Odysseus must listen to Sinon. Tiresias explained that Sinon could speak to Odysseus after drinking the sacrificial blood offered in the underworld. Soon, Sinon emerged from the ground covered in mud and questioned Odysseus about the lie. He told the King that he would have died for him, anyway. The King responded that he wanted Sinon to believe the lie; otherwise, it wouldn’t have worked. On the contrary, Homer’s epic doesn’t feature Sinon among the ghosts Odysseus spoke with.
