The Odyssey

In Ithaca, Odysseus has been missing for years. His wife Penelope is besieged by arrogant suitors who feast on his wealth and pressure her to remarry. Their son Telemachus is young, uncertain, and overshadowed by their power.

• Athena champions Odysseus, appearing in disguise to guide Telemachus.
• Telemachus calls an assembly (asserting his role as prince) and then sails to Pylos and Sparta.
• He meets Nestor and Menelaus, who recount Troy’s aftermath and hint that Odysseus is still alive.

Meanwhile, the gods debate Odysseus’ fate:

• Poseidon, angered by Odysseus’ blinding of his son Polyphemus, blocks his return.
• Zeus eventually allows Athena to act more openly on Odysseus’ behalf.

We first meet Odysseus on the island of Calypso, a nymph who loves him and keeps him captive. Ordered by the gods, she lets him go; after a storm, he lands among the Phaeacians, who offer ideal hospitality. There, Odysseus narrates his long journey:

• The Cicones and the Lotus-Eaters show the chaos of war and the danger of forgetting home.
• The cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops, where Odysseus’ clever trick (“Nobody”) saves his men but earns Poseidon’s hatred.
• The gift of winds from Aeolus, ruined by foolish crewmen.
• The man-eating Laestrygonians, who destroy most of his fleet.
• Circe the enchantress, who turns men into swine; with Hermes’ help, Odysseus overcomes her and stays a year.
• A descent to the Underworld, where he speaks with Tiresias, his mother, and fallen heroes.
• Encounters with Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and the fatal slaughter of Helios’ cattle, which leads to the loss of all his remaining companions.

Finally shipwrecked again, Odysseus reaches the Phaeacians, who ferry him secretly back to Ithaca.

Disguised as a beggar by Athena, Odysseus tests the moral state of his household and allies:

• He meets loyal swineherd Eumaeus and eventually reveals himself to Telemachus, plotting revenge.
• Penelope, still faithful, sets the bow contest: whoever can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe heads shall marry her.

Only the “beggar” can string it. Odysseus reveals his identity and, with Telemachus and a few loyal servants, kills the suitors and punishes the disloyal. Penelope tests him with a secret about their immovable marriage bed, confirming his identity.

The poem ends with fragile reconciliation and the restoration of order in Ithaca, as Odysseus’ long-delayed nostos (homecoming) is finally complete.