For all practical purposes, the Odyssey is the "sequel" to the earliest well-known surviving work in Western literature, the Iliad. (The Epic of Gilgamesh, while at least 1,000 years older, is neither as well-known nor as influential as Homer's work.) Unlike many sequels in the present era, however, the Odyssey actually seems to be an improvement, in some respects, on the original, and stands quite well as an independent work.
Odysseia—the poem's name in Greek since Herodotus called it that in the fifth century BC—means simply "the story of Odysseus." The word "odyssey" that derives from this name has come to mean any significant and difficult journey. Although the poem is technically about one particular man's journey, as Horace observed in his first Satire, "mutato nomine, fabula de te narratur," "just change the name and the story could be told about you."
If we were to call the Iliad the world's first adventure story, the Odyssey could be called its first opera: certainly some of the plot twists along the way would be at home in that extravagant genre. In the context of Odysseus' s voyages and troubles, the poem touches on a number of significant topics such as loyalty, heroism, creativity, and order. Where the Iliad is noteworthy for its similes and epithets, the Odyssey is justly famous for its use of symbolism and for the pace and variety of its action.
For more than 1,500 years the Iliad and the Odyssey set the standard by which epic poetry, if not all poetry of any kind, was judged. The epic form in poetry has not been widely practiced since the appearance of John Milton's Paradise Lost in 1667, but the story of Odysseus's wanderings has remained a perennial favorite to the present day.
The Odyssey Summary
The Background to the Story
After ten years, the Trojan War is over and the Achaeans head for home—with varying results. Some, like Nestor, come home quickly to find things pretty much as they left them. Others, like Agamemnon, arrive home to find things considerably changed. Still others, like Menelaus, wander for a time but eventually return home safely and little the worse for wear.
Odysseus, on the other hand, has been having no end of trouble getting home. As the story opens, we find ourselves in the tenth year since the end of the war, a full 20 years since Odysseus first left his home and wife Penelope to sail off for Troy with the rest of the Achaean forces.
Book 1: Athena Inspires Telemachus
In a council of the gods, Athena asks her father Zeus why Odysseus is still stuck on Calypso's island ten years after the end of the war. Zeus responds that Poseidon is angry at Odysseus for having blinded his son, Polyphemus. But since Poseidon is temporarily absent, Zeus gives Athena permission to begin arrangements for Odysseus's return. Athena goes to Ithaca in disguise and inspires Odysseus's son Telemachus to go in search of news of his father. Heartened by her words, Telemachus announces his intention to sail to the mainland.
Book 2: Telemachus Sails to Pylos
Telemachus calls an assembly and asks for assistance in getting to the mainland. His independent attitude does not sit well with his mother Penelope's suitors, who oppose him in the assembly so that he does not receive the aid he sought. After making secret preparations, Telemachus and the disguised Athena depart for Pylos that same evening.
Book 3: Nestor Tells What He Knows
Telemachus and Athena arrive in Pylos, to find Nestor and his family offering sacrifice to Poseidon. After joining in the ritual, Telemachus introduces himself to Nestor and explains his purpose in coming. Nestor has heard news of the returns of both Menelaus and Agamemnon, which he relates to Telemachus, but has had no news of Odysseus since all of the Achaeans left Troy ten years previously. Nestor sends Telemachus, accompanied by one of his own sons, Pisistratus, to visit Menelaus in Sparta.
Book 4: In the Home of Menelaus and Helen
Telemachus and Pisistratus arrive at Menelaus's home during a celebration, and are warmly entertained by Menelaus and Helen. Menelaus tells a long story of his adventures on the way home from Troy, including news that he got from Proteus in Egypt that Odysseus was alive on Calypso's island. Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, the suitors learn of Telemachus's secret departure and are not pleased. They plot to ambush and kill him on his way home. Penelope also learns of her son's departure.
Book 5: Odysseus Sets Sail for Home— and is Shipwrecked
At another council of the gods, Zeus orders Hermes to go to Calypso and tell her to let Odysseus leave for Ithaca. Calypso is unhappy, but obeys the order. She offers Odysseus a chance to become immortal and to live with her forever; which he declines. Odysseus builds a raft with tools and materials she provides, and sails off. Poseidon comes back from feasting with the Ethiopians and wrecks the raft in a storm. Odysseus, with the help of a sea goddess, is washed safely ashore in the land of the Phaeacians.
Book 6: Nausicaa Encounters a Stranger
The Phaeacian Princess Nausicaa finds the shipwrecked Odysseus asleep behind a bush. Odysseus asks Nausicaa for help. She gives him some clothing to wear and sends him into town to find the palace of her father, Alcinous.
Book 7: Odysseus and the King of Phaeacia
Odysseus arrives at the palace and begs the assistance of King Alcinous and Queen Arete. He gives an edited version of his "adventures" to date, but does not disclose his identity. He deftly turns aside Alcinous's suggestion that he should remain in Phaeacia and marry Nausicaa.
Book 8: The Phaeacians Entertain Odysseus
The Phaeacians treat Odysseus to a day of feasting, song, and athletic events. When Odysseus begins weeping during Demodocus's tale of the Trojan War, Alcinous cuts the banquet short. At dinner that evening, Odysseus speaks highly of Demodocus's skill and offers him a prime cut of his own portion. When Demodocus sings the story of the Trojan Horse, Odysseus begins crying again,... » Complete The Odyssey Summary
Source: Epics for Students, ©2012 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
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