The Northman Combines Elements Of Hamlet And The Odyssey With A Star-Studded Cast, Including Nicole Kidman and Anya Taylor-Joy
"You must choose between kindness for your kin, or hate for your enemies."
That seems to be the crux of the problem for the main character in Robert Eggers' upcoming film The Northman, which tells the story of a young prince who vows revenge after seeing his father murdered in front of him by his own uncle.
The boy runs straight from the murder scene to a boat, frantically rowing away while chanting to himself: "I will avenge you father; I will save you mother; I will kill you Fjolnir."
When we see him again as an adult, he has transformed into Alexander Skarsgård, and he has been placed in chains, but he is still vowing to return to his home and do all those things - this time flanked by a cunning and seemingly unhinged young woman played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
"You have the strength to break men's bones; I have the cunning to destroy their minds."
The plot elements of this story allude to many of the classics - the inciting action is rather like that of the inciting action in Hamlet, while the promise to return from a long journey to reclaim his rightful throne is evocative of The Odyssey.
The whole film is set against a norse backdrop, with characters traversing a cold, barren, icy landscape as they fight for supremacy and the right to take the throne.
The all-star cast also includes Nicole Kidman as the queen, as well as Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.
The Northman hits theaters in April 2022. Watch the trailer here:
