O Brother Where Art Thou Mise en Scene Analysis

The scene shown above is the scene where the three escaped prisoners pull over to find three beautiful women who appear to be washing clothes in a river bed. In the foreground, there is a basket holding the jug of "XXX" water that the women use to drug the men. Only the top of the jug can be seen, and the viewer does not yet know at this point that the jug is drugged. In the middle of the scene are the three women. who are all attractive and are all wearing wet, white clothes. The women are all singing the same song in sync and do not speak otherwise. The important part of this scene lies below the women and behind them. Below them, there is a river bed that they are washing their clothes in. This is significant because the women here are clearly meant to represent sirens, which are characters from greek mythology, specifically the Odyssey. In Odyssey and greek mythology, sirens are beautiful women who lure sailors into shallow/rocky waters (to their deaths) via beautiful singing. Here, we notice that the women are beautiful, sing beautifully, and are luring the men into shallow, rocky waters and could end their journey abruptly. The quite, beautiful, and peaceful background are in place here to suggest that everything that happens in this scene will be good and that nothing could be wrong with the situation at hand. However, the men are deceived by the scenery and the women here.