Kaos has become a hit with its use of Greek mythology, but what does the show look like through the eyes of a historian of ancient Greece?
Dr. Ellie Mackin Roberts, a research fellow at the University of Bristol and an ancient Greece historian, gave her take on Kaos in an interview with Greek Reporter. In the interview, she made in-depth comparisons of ancient source material to the show and theorized what could happen if the show continued on Netflix.
How accurate is the show Kaos and its characters according to a historian?
Roberts says that Jeff Goldblum’s Zeus and a few others are accurate compared to ancient Greek legends. However, she also noted that a few characters are slightly off the mark compared to their mythic counterparts.
Roberts said, “All the gods are both accurate and inaccurate in many ways in comparison to the ancient source material. I think the most accurate all-around is Zeus, who is egotistical, quick to anger, and perhaps takes himself more seriously than the other gods take him.”
“I particularly liked the representation of Hera,” said Roberts in speaking of Zeus’ wife, “except for the Poseidon affair. I think they did a really good job capturing her power and authority.”
The iconic Fates stood out to Roberts and are among her favorites. When talking about them, she said, “I think the three actors did a good job at portraying this sort of 3 in 1 thing, where they are separate beings but connected.”
The gods weren’t the only highlight of the show for Roberts. In her perspective, the mortals Riddy (Eurydice) and Orpheus were also standouts throughout the season.
“In terms of mortal characters, I really liked Riddy,” she said. “I think she represents how I personally see Eurydice in the ancient sources as well, as kind of silenced by Orpheus’s story—as I said, I think that’s done well regarding how egocentric Orpheus is in Kaos.”
Roberts cited some examples when comparing the source material to Orpheus’ Kaos interpretation.
“His song about Riddy is actually all about himself; all the refrains start with ‘I,’” she said. “He is uncurious about Riddy’s actions unless they directly impact himself. For example, he doesn’t ask why she was in front of the temple of Hera when hit by the bus but rather is overly concerned that she will be at his concert.”
All-important prophecies in the mythology of ancient Greece and Kaos
Perhaps nothing is more prevalent in Greek mythology than prophecy. Prophecies are often central to stories, and characters are driven to action based on them. Kaos is no different, as prophecy drives the main story throughout the first season.
Roberts was a fan of how the show’s creators handled prophecy. She was impressed with how the show captured the essence of mythology.
“One of the things I like most about the way that prophecies are handled in the show is that there is an emphasis on the idea that they are shaped through mortal interpretation,” she said. “This is accurate both to ancient mythology and the way that prophecy is used in historical sources.”
Roberts cites several examples to back her claim through two ancient source material examples.
“Themistokles and the ‘wooden wall’ prophecy that he interprets as meaning that Athens should build ships to defeat the Persians, and they do indeed win a decisive naval victory against the Persians,” she said. “Or the King of Lydia, Croesus, who incorrectly interprets his oracle that if he goes to war against the Persians, a great empire will fall—he thinks it’s theirs, but when he is defeated, he realizes actually it was his own.”
Creative liberties in Kaos —a historian’s perspective
Every re-telling of a mythological story takes its creative liberties. For example, Greek mythology has many different interpretations of the same stories.
Roberts felt some creative spins in Kaos were fantastic, while others were too far removed from the ancient source material.
“I am not a fan of the Hera and Poseidon affair; I think that didn’t add very much to the show, and the Hera/Poseidon/Dionysos keeping each other secret could have been brought about differently,” she said.
While the affair between Hera and Poseidon didn’t go over well for Roberts, she does appreciate that they took a shot at trying something new.
“At the same time, I really appreciate that the show does take these kinds of risks and liberties,” she said. According to Roberts, one of the most creative twists in the show was Riddy’s return from the Underworld at the end of the world.
“I really liked that Riddy does come back, but at the same time, there are clever nods to the original versions,” she stated. “For example, when they are back in the mortal world, Orpheus is facing away from Riddy, and she asks him to look at her. In one sense, he has lost her to the Underworld/death. She does not return with him. She has found love in the Underworld; she has found a sense of purpose that she lacked before she died—and because of all these things, she can’t return with Orpheus, so he has lost her.”
What could next season’s Kaos look like?
According to the show’s creators, the season was meant to stand alone in case Netflix didn’t want to renew it. However, they left the ending open-ended on the off chance that Netflix would continue with the show.
Roberts said she would like to see certain relationships and stories from mythology explored on the show.
“Dionysos and Ariadne forming some kind of close relationship—in Ariadne’s mythology, she is abandoned on an island by Theseus after she helps him to defeat the minotaur, and is then found by Dionysos, whom she marries—she is then deified, and has this real happy-ever-after kind of story,” she said. “I think that’s also interesting for Dionysos, who is asking for more responsibility in the show.”
Roberts also said the show is moving towards an Underworld versus Olympia thread. She gave examples of what she wanted to see when discussing this theory.
“I would also like to see Dionysos take Hades and Persephone’s side, and perhaps some of the Orphic mythology being played with, in which Dionysos Zagreus, who is not the same figure as Dionysos in Greek myth, who is the child of Persephone and Zeus, killed by Titans and then brought back to life,” she said.
She also added that she would like to see Dionysus and Orpheus’ friendship grow if the Underworld versus Olympia theory plays out.
“There’s also an interesting thing with Dionysos and Orpheus’s friendship in the show, given that Orphism (Orphic Mystery Cult) is centered around the idea that Orpheus wrote the hymns and stories of Dionysos Zagreus and that there might be a connection to his journey to the Underworld,” she said.
