SPOILERS for “THE ODYSSEY”

Why did Christopher Nolan want to make “The Odyssey”? The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who recently got his first dog, Charlie, told Stephen Colbert in May, “I decided to do ‘The Odyssey’ because it’s the ultimate dog story.” Initially, the film’s working title was “Charlie’s Tale.” Argos, the dog who belongs to Odysseus (playe by Matt Damon), is one of the most famous dogs in literature, with an incredibly emotional story that Nolan expanded for the movie.

What happens to Argos in the movie?

Like Penelope (Anne Hathaway), the king’s wife, Argos has been waiting 20 years for Odysseus to return.

In the movie, which moves fluidly from past to present, we see Odysseus choose Argos from a litter of pups, taking the young dog onto his lap as it sniffs him. Perhaps one of the reasons the king selects Argos is because Eumaeus (John Leguizamo), his swineherd, apparently tossed the first puppy over the cliff, deeming it not worth keeping. We hear a surprised yelp, but that dog’s actual death isn’t shown. When Odysseus picks Argos, he’s saving him from the same fate.

We also see Argos as a senior dog, who’s remarkably still alive after waiting two decades for his beloved master. The dozens of of suitors who feast and drink at the palace, all hoping to marry Penelope and take the throne for themselves, mistreat the elderly dog. We see Polybus (Corey Hawkins) kick the dog as it lays under the banquet table. The cruel Antinous (Robert Pattinson) beats Eumaeus when he tries to defend the dog. Prince Telemachus (Tom Holland), is not yet skilled enough in combat to prevent Antinous from carrying Argos outside and placing him on a dung heap. The villain declares that no one can let the dog back into the palace or remove it from it from the heap and, as Homer wrote, this is where Argos lives out the rest of his sad life.

When Odysseus finally returns, in disguise as a beggar after saving Telemachus from assassins, Argos remembers him and begins wagging his tail pitifully, although he is too weak to get up to greet him. The dog lives just long enough for Odysseus to pet him before dying. Seeing the dog’s reaction to the beggar, Telemachus realizes that the beggar is actually his father.

The death of Argos has been called one of the most emotional death scenes in Western literature, particularly because the disguised Odysseus cannot openly express his grief for fear or revealing his true identity.

Do Antinous and Polybus pay for mistreating Argos?

Yes, Odysseus kills them both.

Why is Argos so important in literature?

According to Dogs in History, Argos was the first dog in Western literature to be given a name. In the Iliad, we learn that Achilles’ horses are named Xanthus and Balius, but none of the dogs in the poem are mentioned by name.

What kind of dog was Argos?

Homer described Argos as a swift, keen-nosed hunting dog, but did not specify its exact breed. Experts believe it was a Laconian (or Spartan) dog.

What role did Nolan’s own dog have in making the movie?

Nolan’s dog Charlie inspired the filmmaker to make the film in the first place. The Oscar-winning director explained that he hadn’t grown up with dogs and only got Charlie after his own children were grown. And he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tell the “ultimate dog story” about Argus’ devotion to Odysseus.

Who was the dog trainer for the film?

Carolina Brasile of DogStudios in Italy is credited with training. According to her Instagram, she also trained the dogs in Ridley Scott’s upcoming thriller “The Dog Stars.”

Do any other dogs die in “The Odyssey?”

Eumaeus is attacked by men that Antinous has hired to kill Telemachus. He is badly beaten, and the men kill his two dogs. These deaths occur offscreen: When Odysseus finds him, Eumaeus is mournfully burning the dogs’ bodies. Being almost completely blind, he also does not recognize Odysseus at first.

Are any other animals killed in “The Odyssey?”

Yes, two sheep are sacrificed as an offering to the gods at one point. And on the island of Circe the sorceress Odysseus brings down a fawn with his arrows, only to find that the body is now that of a young man. We also see Odysseus hunting a wild boar before being sent to fight the Trojan War.

“The Odyssey” is now playing in theaters.