Originally in its Latin ancestor, the word "complicate" described the folding or turning of physical objects, like letters and knees. But as the word developed in English, complication could denote "folds" outside these physical examples: a psychological conflict or a moral ambivalence, for instance. In today's episode, we consider one of the more famous appearances of this word in modern literature: the opening line of Emily Wilson's celebrated translation of Homer's Odyssey. It's a word that draws out the difficulty of portraying the conflicted, complicated Homeric hero on the silver screen, as we see this summer in Christopher Nolan's new film adaptation of Homer's epic.

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Music: Adapted from Sonatine by Maurice Ravel, performed by Irene Posviatovska (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

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