What is Homer's Odyssey?

The Odyssey is considered the “sequel” story to Homer’s Iliad. It revolves around three main characters: the brilliant king Odysseus; his wife Penelope; and his son Telemachus. There are also other characters, including various Gods and Odysseus’ soldiers. The story spans a whopping 24 books.

Odyssey begins in the kingdom of Ithaca. The kingdom believes that their king, Odysseus, has died because it has been ten years since the end of the Trojan War – which lasted ten years itself – and he has not come home. Odyseeus’ son, Telemachus, was just a month old when his father left to fight the war but he is now 20. However, he is too weak to take his father’s place. Odyseeus’ wife Penelope has remained loyal to her husband but she has many suitors, one of whom plans to assassinate Telemachus.

However, Odysseus is not dead. He has been imprisoned on the beautiful nymph Calypso’s island for seven years because she is in love with him. Odysseus’ protector, Athena, goes in disguise to Telemachus and convinces him to seek news of his father, alerting him to the fact that his father is still alive. The god Zeus instructs Hermes to persuade Calypso to allow Odysseus to make a ship and depart from the island. When Odysseus goes to sea, Poseidon, the sea god, conjures a storm to ruin his ship because Odysseus caused his son to be blind. Athena gets in the act and Odysseus ends up at Scheria. The Phaeacians promise to get him safely home after he tells them about the Trojan War.

Odysseus tells those stories all night long, and the next day he is returned to Ithaca. Athena has turned him into a beggar but he is warmly received by his friend Eumaeus. He soon comes into contact Telemachus as well and reveals himself. The pair makes plans to kill Penelope’s suitors and take back the kingdom.

The following day, disguised again, Odysseus arrives at the palace. Penelope suspects who he is despite that fact that nobody else recognizes him except his nurse. To subdue the suitors, Penelope calls for an archery contest which is to be decided by a feat which was only achieved by Odysseus previously. After Odysseus shoots his arrow through the row of twelve axes, he shoots the suitors, killing them all. Telemachus joins him. Thereafter, he throws his disguise and reunites with his wife. Then Odysseus goes to see his father, Laertes. The party comes under attack but Zeus sends Athena to proclaim peace. The story ends with Odysseus reclaiming his throne and family.

If there is one theme that runs all the way through the Odyssey it’s that cunning will always win out over strength. Odysseus won the Trojan War not by killing all the Trojans, but by tricking them into letting in soldiers behind their walls. He relies on his brain, not his muscle, and he always comes out on top. He knows that he cannot fight his way off Calypso’s island, so he’s patient and persuades her instead. He knows he cannot fight all of his wife’s suitors head-on, so he arranges it in a way that he ends up in a situation where he is the only one armed – and he is able to kill them all without anyone even touching him.

Here’s some interesting trivia about Odyssey. The movie “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” was loosely based on Odyssey. The first line in the movie is the first line of Odyssey – “O Muse, Sing in me, and through me tell the story Of that man skilled in all the ways of contending A wanderer, harried for years on end...” And True Story, written by Lucian of Samosata all the way back in 2^nd century AD, is a parody. There was even a comic book version of the story printed in 1976!

• Translated Odyssey : Offers a word-for-word translation.


• The Odyssey : A downloadable word-for-word translation.


• MythWeb's page on Odyssey : Has the book broken down by characters!


• Literature Page's Information : Summarizes each book in the story.


• Bookrags' Page On Odyssey : Provides a lot of information on the story.


• Themes of The Odyssey : Offers information on the themes of the story. This page offers a different set of themes.


• Character Guide – Homer’s Odyssey : Explores the story’s many layers.


• Characters in The Odyssey : A great page with background info on the story’s characters.


• Hidden Themes from Homer’s Odyssey : Includes a guide on the Gods in the story as well.


• Character Analysis : Has a great page of character analysis.


• Quotes From Odyssey : Offers a long list of quotes from the story, as does this page .


• Enotes Page on Odyssey : Has a lot of useful information for both teachers and students, including criticism of the book.


• Plot Overview : An overview of the story put together by a university.

The Odyssey remains one of the most inspirational stories of all time. It may not be as well-known as the Iliad but its lessons are just as important.

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