Welcome to Odyssey Auxiliary, the ultimate source of Odyssey help, made by students for students.
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Some background information on the book before the Odyssey, The Iliad is helpful to know before reading the Odyssey. The Iliad is about the Trojan War and includes the story about the Trojan horse. The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer who is believed to have lived during the 8th century B.C. During the Odyssey, Odysseus (the protagonist) arrives at many "stops" during his journey home to Ithaka. It is at these stops that Odysseus meets new people, and learns new lessons. The Odyssey is written in an archaic version of Ionic Greek, and can be complicated to comprehend. This website has been created by students as a reference tool for other students who may need some guidance through the difficult sections of the book. The site will include hyperlinks to visuals, definitions, summaries, and other useful tools on existing websites. This site will also include a character list, a summary of each book, a list of the major characters in each book, lists of symbols, and connections to world mythology.
Summary of the Odyssey
| The book starts in media res, with an invocation to the muse of epic poetry, asking for guidance in the telling of Odysseus' story (after the Trojan War). Odysseus is the king of Ithaka, reigning with his wife, Penelope; she has blessed him with a son Telemakhos who Odysseus only saw as a baby. Odysseus has been away from home for twenty years; some believe he is dead, others that he won't return. Penelope's house is overflowing with suitors who are eating all the food and drinking all the wine. Penelope and her son attempt to discourage the suitors, in anticipation of Odysseus' return. Meanwhile, Odysseus is trapped on an island with a bewitching sea nymph, Calypso. The sea nymph is enjoying Odysseus' company; she has been without a male for a long time. This is exactly how it sounds. Athena (an Olympian) has always favored Odysseus and treated him like a pet. She went to Zeus (her father and the head Olympian) to beg of Odysseus' freedom from Calypso. Zeus sent Hermes (the messenger god), down to tell Calypso of the news. Calypso was not happy and offered Odysseus immortality for his captivity. He refused. He built a raft. Poseidon (the god of the sea) tortured Odysseus, but only on water because of a pact he had made with Athena. Poseidon wanted to torture Odysseus, and kill him before he ever returned home. These emotions were a response to Odysseus' actions. He had blinded Poseidon's son Polyphemus (the Cyclops), and bragged about it. From then on Poseidon made Odysseus' voyage full of misery and hardships. Odysseus often lost men at the stops he made on his voyage home, and learned many valuable lessons. Eventually, Odysseus' men were all killed off through accidents. While this was happening, Athena went to Telemakhos disguised as Odysseus' friend Mentor and told him Odysseus was still alive. Telemakhos had his own voyage and did some growing up himself. Eventually Odysseus returns home but is tested by Penelope as a beggar, and then as himself before he gets his life back. |
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Note: These page numbers may not be exact depending on which version of the Fitzgerald translation that you have.
Book I: “A Goddess Intervenes” xi
Book II: “A Hero’s Son Awakens” 17
Book III: “The Lord of the Western Approaches” 33
Book IV: “The Red-Haired King and His Lady” 51
Book V: “Sweet Nymph and Open Sea” 79
Book VI: “The Princess at the River” 97
Book VII: “Gardens and Firelight” 109
Book VIII: “The Songs of the Harper” 123
Book IX: “New Coasts and Poseidon’s Son” 143
Book X: “The Grace of the Witch” 163
Book XI: “A Gathering of Shades” 183
Book XII: “Sea Perils and Defeat” 207
Book XIII: “One More Strange Island” 227
Book XIV: “Hospitality in the Forest” 245
Book XV: “How They Came to Ithaka” 265
Book XVI: “Father and Son” 287
Book XVII: “The Beggar at the Manor” 307
Book XVIII: “Blows and a Queen’s Beauty” 333
Book XIX: “Recognitions and a Dream” 351
Book XX: “Signs and a Vision” 373
Book XXI: “The Test of the Bow” 389
Book XXII: “Death in the Great Hall” 407
Book XXIII: “The Trunk of the Olive Tree” 427
Book XXIV: “Warriors, Farewell” 443
The Mahabharata, a Hindu epic, is the world’s longest epic. This is just like the Odyssey, which is also a VERY long book. The protagonist in this epic is also a king, just like Odysseus. His name is Dhrita-rashtra, and he is blind. This relates to how Odysseus blinds the Cyclops. Both epics have a blind-related story entwined in them. Dhrita-rashtra’s brother, Pandu died early. Dhrita-rashtra was left with his brother’s one hundred sons. He also had his own five sons. Just like Odysseus who has one son, Dhrita-rashtra has no daughters. Duryodhan was the eldest son of Dhrita-rashtra and was jealous of his cousins, the sons of Pandu. A tournament was held, and in the course of the day a warrior named Karna, appeared on the scene and proved himself a worthy rival of Arjun. The rivalry between Arjun and Karna is the leading thought of the Epic, as the rivalry between Achilles and Hector is the leading thought of the Iliad. This relates to the Odyssey because the Odyssey is the sequel to the Iliad. The sons of Pandu are also a lot like Odysseus. They are all godly, and egotistical. Basically, both epics have heroes that are airheads.
This section by: Becca C.
