Odyssey

The Odyssey is the story of the journey of the Greek hero, Odysseus, to his island home of Ithaka (Ithaca) after the Trojan War.

The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer are the epic poems which form the basis of the Epic Cycle which, in their totality, describe the sack of Troy and the return of the Greek heroes to their various homes.

The story is divided into twenty-four books and is presented in the form of a poem which dates from circa 700 BCE and is presumed to have been recited or sung for hundreds of years before it was ever written down.

Odysseus left Troy with his crew and plunder but offended Poseidon (lord of the Sea) and was prevented from sailing directly home to his wife and kingdom; despite Odysseus’ bravery and cleverness, he is unable to save his crew or the riches he had been awarded as part of the spoils of war; each obstacle he encounters results in the loss of more crewmen and ships; the Trojan War lasted ten years and Odysseus’ voyage home took another ten years.

The story of Odysseus is augmented by two subplots:

1. The search by Odysseus’ son, Telemakhos (Telemachus) for his long overdue father; and
2. The misery and doubt of Odysseus’ wife, Penelope as she tries to fend off the numerous suitors who have invaded her house waiting for her to choose a new husband.

I have not attempted to retell the story here because it is a “must read” for all students regardless of your major interests; there are numerous translations of The Odyssey but many of them are flawed beyond reclamation; I personally recommend the translations by either Richmond Lattimore (ISBN 0060931957) or Robert Fitzgerald (ISBN 0385059418); both translations are different in their details but the transliterations of the Greek text are very readable and thoroughly engaging; the Lattimore translation has the lines numbered but fails to put the book numbers at the top of each page which makes easy reference difficult; the Fitzgerald translation has the opposite problem, i.e. he puts the book number at the top of each page but fails to number the lines.