Epic: The Musical

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What does it mean to be a hero when your actions haunt you?

Epic: The Musical is a contemporary, sung-through adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey by Jorge Rivera-Herrans. Released in serialized “sagas” between 2022 and 2024, it reframes the ancient Greek epic through modern musical styles, digital community engagement, and genre-blending influences from anime and video games.

In this exploration, we will examine how Rivera-Herrans navigates six central themes—heroism and hubris, mentorship and disillusionment, trauma and redemption, fate and free will, love and queer subtext, and modern mythmaking.

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Literary Foundations and Adaptation Process

Rivera-Herrans’s EPIC reframes Homer’s Odyssey into nine distinct musical sagas, preserving key plot points—such as the murder of Astyanax, the encounter with Polyphemus, and the wanderings among gods and monsters—while compressing timelines and reshaping character motivations for emotional immediacy.

A pedagogical analysis highlights the musical’s value in the classics classroom: by replacing dense Homeric prose with lyrical storytelling, EPIC introduces students to the hero’s journey in digestible segments, employing graphic organizers and reflection worksheets to reinforce understanding of Greek myth and narrative structure.

Rivera-Herrans’s decision to focus solely on the Odyssey rather than both Homeric epics mirrors educational best practices: narrowing scope facilitates depth of analysis. His senior thesis origin, documented on TikTok, through the #epicthemusical tag, underscores the interplay between academic rigor and digital outreach in modern reception studies. The article “From Thesis to TikTok Sensation” (non-affiliated) outlines how Rivera-Herrans used social media to transform his academic work into a global phenomenon.

Musical Language and Character Leitmotifs

Borrowing from Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, each principal character in EPIC is represented by a unique instrument. Odysseus’s theme unfolds through electric guitar, Athena’s wisdom resonates in piano motifs, and Poseidon’s wrath echoes with brass and trumpet flourishes.

This orchestration serves two pedagogical functions: first, it links musical timbre to character psychology; second, it offers students an aural mnemonic for following multiple narrative threads. A classroom unit plan recommends listening exercises that map leitmotifs to plot developments, strengthening both musical literacy and literary analysis skills.

Heroism and Hubris

Homeric Context

In Homer’s Odyssey, hubris—excessive pride toward the gods—leads to tragic consequences, most famously when Odysseus reveals his name to Polyphemus, inviting Poseidon’s vengeance. Heroism is celebrated, but punished if it exceeds mortal bounds.

EPIC’s Emotional Lens

Rivera-Herrans transforms hubris into a moment of raw vulnerability. In “Remember Them,” Odysseus spares Polyphemus out of grief and guilt over Polites’s death, only to confess his identity in an emotionally charged act of defiance. Athena rebukes him, declaring his mercy reckless, and the musical reframes hubris as a complex, grief-driven impulse rather than mere vanity.

Key song snippets:

  • “Just a Man”: Odysseus wrestles with killing Astyanax, highlighting moral ambiguity.
  • “Remember Them”: His admission of self to the Cyclops becomes a haunting refrain on the weight of leadership.

This reinterpretation shifts the ask from “How far can a hero overreach?” to “What does it mean to be a hero when your actions haunt you?”, inviting audiences to empathize with the hero’s interior struggle.

Mentorship and Disillusionment

Athena and Odysseus

Athena’s relationship with Odysseus begins in “Warrior of the Mind,” where she challenges young Odysseus with a magical boar hunt, forging him into her protégé. Subsequent sagas dramatize their schism: Odysseus’s choices—spared mercy, defiance of divine orders, and eventual self-doubt—lead Athena to abandon him until Act II’s “I Can’t Help but Wonder” restores empathetic reconciliation.

Comparison to Meg in Love Never Dies

In Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, Meg Giry evolves from Christine’s protégée to a disillusioned artist, resentful of her mentor’s neglect. Both Meg and Odysseus navigate mentorship that morphs into betrayal—Meg by Erik’s emotional distance, Odysseus by Athena’s withdrawal. Each character’s arc underscores the pain of outgrowing one’s guide and redefining self-worth outside their shadow.

Trauma and Redemption

Internal Battles in Song

EPIC’s “Monster” and “Thunder Bringer” delve into psychological trauma. Odysseus confronts his guilt over fallen comrades, envisioning himself as the very beast he must become to ensure survival. These numbers echo therapeutic narrative techniques: externalizing inner turmoil and reenacting pain for catharsis.

Redemption Through Confrontation

In “My Goodbye,” the fracture between Athena and Odysseus reaches its nadir, only to be mended when Odysseus reclaims empathy as strength rather than weakness. This trajectory mirrors redemption arcs in classical tragedy, where acknowledgment of flawed humanity paves the way for renewed purpose.

Fate and Free Will

Divine Manipulation

Homeric fate—embodied by Zeus’s decree and Poseidon’s wrath—frames human agency as limited. In EPIC, Zeus’s vision forcing Astyanax’s death and Athena’s “game” among the gods dramatize this cosmic power struggle.

Odysseus’s Agency

Yet Odysseus relentlessly asserts free will: he spares the Lotus Eaters, defies Athena’s counsel, and rejects Circe’s temptations. Songs like “Open Arms” and “Luck Runs Out” showcase Odysseus’s insistence on self-determination, even when it courts divine ire.

This dialectic highlights an educational takeaway: understanding ancient concepts of moira (fate) alongside modern notions of autonomy enriches discussions on moral responsibility.

Love and Queer Subtext

Penelope and Telemachus

While Penelope’s steadfast loyalty resonates with Homeric fidelity, EPIC deepens her interiority. Her “I Can’t Help but Wonder” moment rues both past losses and uncertain future, adding emotional complexity.

Queer Resonance

Certain fan analyses posit queerness in the bond between Odysseus and Athena—two immortal figures grappling with identity beyond mortal constraints—and in Antinous’s unreciprocated longing for Telemachus, reflected in “Would You Fall in Love with Me Again.” Though never explicit, these readings align with contemporary queer theory, reimagining ancient myths as spaces for diverse love narratives.

Modern Mythmaking

Rivera-Herrans’s release strategy on TikTok and streaming platforms exemplifies participatory mythmaking. By sharing composition drafts, soliciting auditions via social media, and nurturing a 400,000-strong Discord community, EPIC becomes a living collaboration between creator and audience.

An educational lesson plan encourages students to compare this digital phenomenon to oral traditions, where communal retellings shaped myths across generations. EPIC’s saga-by-saga rollout echoes ancient bards unveiling heroic tales in episodic performances.

Conclusion

Epic: The Musical bridges ancient epic poetry and twenty-first-century storytelling, inviting audiences to explore heroism’s moral complexity, the pain of abandoned mentorship, the echoes of trauma, and the tension between fate and freedom. Its nuanced portrayal of love—platonic, familial, and queer—reflects a modern commitment to inclusivity, while its community-driven creation exemplifies how myth can thrive in digital spaces.

In classrooms and living rooms alike, EPIC stands as a testament to narrative’s enduring power to reframe our past, challenge our assumptions, and chart new frontiers of emotional resonance.

References

Want to own a piece of Epic: The Musical?
Check out the Epic: The Musical stickers, get a vintage Epic: The Musical t-shirt, look perfect with an Odysseus Makeup Mirror, or even a Crossbody Bag, all available from Amazon.

And while you’re at it, why not just watch it here?

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