More people are learning Greek because of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

The Odyssey has sparked an increase in people learning Greek, it has emerged. READ MORE: Every actor in ‘The Odyssey’ and who they’re playing Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek classic recently hit cinemas, proving to be a huge hit with critics and at the box office, becoming the biggest live-action film of the year so far. The story depicts the tale of Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, and his years-long journey home from the Trojan War. It has now been revealed that there has been a spike in people searching for “learn Greek”, according to Google Trends (via Preply and The Times), with a rise of 550 per cent in a month and 6,000 monthly searches. This is likely due to audience interest in connecting with the mythology, landscapes, and history of the new film, experts have said. “Homer’s Odyssey was composed in ancient Greek, which differs significantly from the language spoken in Greece today,” said Preply language trends expert Madeline Enos. “Ancient Greek offers the opportunity to engage more closely with Homer’s original text and the wider classical world, while modern Greek can help people connect with contemporary Greek culture and communicate with sp...