The Odyssey

The Odyssey, by Chagall

Homer’s Odyssey is a nostos, or an epic of return, and asks can one come home again, especially after years of bloody war? In fact, an odyssey is now meant generally as a long journey home, much like Odysseus’ after the fall of Troy. The Odyssey attempts to remake order after the chaos of war. Odysseus, a young man when Agamemnon and Menelaos recruited him for the campaign against Ilium, is now a middle-aged survivor and veteran of that war who must be smarter than the champion Achilles and the leader Agamemnon in order to return home and set his lands in order. War almost seems easy in the light of Odysseus’ journey — at least in war, he knew his enemies. Enemies during peacetime wear many masks; Odysseus must do the same if he is to survive.

Summary

The Odyssey’s action is spread over twenty-four books, generally half before Odysseus returns home, and half after. For a synopsis of each book, see The Odyssey Summary.

List of Characters

Human Beings

• Telemakhos
• Odysseus
• Penelope
• Nestor
• Helen
• Lotus-eaters

The Women of the Odyssey

• Circe
• Clytemnestra
• Kalypso
• Helen
• Penelope

The Supernatural Beings of the Odyssey

• Athena
• Circe
• Kalypso
• Polyphemos
• Poseiden
• Zeus

Internal Links

• Homer
• The Odyssey: Questions for Consideration

Commentaries

• Odysseus — A background on the Odyssey and Odysseus
• A Study Guide by David Claudon
• Myth and the Odyssey
• The Odyssey: General Notes
• The Telemachiad (books 1-4 of the Odyssey)
• Odysseus and the Poet: Notes on Book VIII
• The Odyssey: Notes on Book IX
• The Odyssey: Notes on Book X
• Poor Confusing Elpenor
• The Odyssey: Notes on Book XI
• The Odyssey: The Lessons of Hell (more on Books XI and XII)
• The Odyssey: Odysseus’ Return