Brief Summary of Homer’s Odyssey Dr. Alan J. M. Haffa

Beginning in Ithaka 10 years after the other Greeks have come home from Troy and 20 years after leaving for the war, Odysseus and the men of Ithaka have yet to return The nobles of Ithaka and surrounding area are wooing his Queen, Penelope, eating his food, drinking his wine, and abusing his servants and son Telemachus is visited by Athena in disguise and the question of his succession and the future kingship of Ithaka is raised

Telemachus’ Journey The boy outfits a ship and sails to Pylos to seek out news of his father and is entertained by Nestor He goes by chariot to Sparta and is entertained by Menelaos and the reunited Helen He learns of the homecoming of the other Greeks; Agamemnon and Clytemnestra and Orestes; Aias dead in an earthquake from Poseidon; Odysseus is still alive, but a castaway on the island of Calypso The suitors plan an ambush on the sea for Telemachus’ return

Odysseus with Calypso (year 9) He has spent 7 years, shipwrecked on the island of Calypso after Poseidon sunk his ship Counsel of the God’s decides O.’s homecoming—on a raft for 20 days he is to land on the island of the Phaeacians and they are to bear him home with gifts Hermes tells Calypso she must help O. and she agrees but is not happy

Phaeacians After another storm, O. washes up on the island of the Phaeacians—a semi-divine people Supplication of Nausikaa; Queen Arete and King Alcinoos. Hospitality: Games and feasting Storytelling: First by the aiodos Demodokos, then Odysseus tells his own story

Odysseus’ story (books 9- 12) Kikones’ battle Cyclops—Polyphemus; capture in cave and then escape; Angered Poseidon, father of Cyclopes; Zeus rejects the offerings made to him from the sheep of Polyphemus; plans for the destruction of the ships Aeolus, the Wind God treats them hospitably; good winds blow them, but the men open the bag and the bad winds blow them back

Kirke the Witch, Two years there Men turned to Swine Odysseus with the help of Hermes saves the men They are treated hospitably Finally them men beseech him to go home; he supplicates Kirke to give him advice He must sail to the land of the dead and get advice from the dead Prophet, Teiresias

The Dead and Prophecy Sacrifice to the dead, which enlivens them to speak Dead companion—Elpenor, begs for burial Agamemnon and Achilles speak to him His mother and other famous women The Prophet tells him that P. plans punishment: Self Denial and Restrain of his shipmates is the only way to get home; he must avoid the oxen of the sun god, Helios, or he alone will come home; At home he must kill the suitors and then journey inland to where men do not know an oar and plant it

Return Journey Failed Return to Kirce; burial of Elpenor; She warns him of the Sirens and Scylla and Charybdis The Sirens tempt but they escape; they sail through the narrows and Scylla eats some of his men They land in Africa and starving, with no wind, the men eat the Oxen of Helios Helios appeals to Zeus; He sends a lightening bolt to Shipwreck and only Odysseus survives on the island of Calypso

Homecoming The Phaeacians return O. to Ithaka in disguise as a beggar; Poseidon goes to Zeus to complain about O’s homecoming; in punishment the ship of the Phaeacians is turned to stone by Poseidon just outside the harbor, hiding the city from the ocean; in future they will not receive guests or give them transport

The Beggar Odysseus receives hospitality from his Swine Herd, Eumaios He meets Telemachus there He reveals himself and they plan his return in disguise The suitors treat him badly He fights another beggar He speaks to Penelope about “Odysseus”

The King Revealed Penelope proposes a competition with O’s bow No one can string it Telemachus strings it but doesn’t shoot it Odysseus shoots the arrow through the rings and the battle begins He, Telemachus, and his two servants kill some 50 suitors in the Hall

Justice? He refuses the supplications of most and kills them all Except the Singer and the Herald Telemachus vouches for both The slave girls who slept with the suitors and disrespected Penelope are hung

Husband and Wife Penelope refuses to believe it is Odysseus—she has been fooled too many times She orders his bed to be moved and set outside the chamber He gets angry—the bed could not be moved unless some other man has been there and uprooted it—carved from a single tree They embrace in love and tell each other their stories

Final Battle The family of the suitors organize and attack Odysseus, father Laertes, son Telemachus, and his loyal servants and people fight them off They would have killed all the rebels if Athena had not stopped it; Peace is made with Athena’s help