The Odyssey

The OdysseyThe epic poem of Odysseus begins ten years after the capture of Troy in Ithaca, his homeland. In his palace a

large group of suitors have arrived and taken up residence to court Penelope, Odysseus’s wife. She, however,

does not wish to remarry and makes them wait while her son Telemachus searches for just cause and a good

reason to banish them from their home. All the while, Antinous plots to kill Telemachus and remove his

opposition in the palace.

However, lost in the Mediterranean is Odysseus still trying to return home. Trapped on the island of Ogygia by

the nymph Calypso, he wishes to return to his family but does not have the means to as he has lost his crew

and ship. The Gods of Olympus continue to debate what they shall do about Odysseus, but Athena takes the

initiative to visit and help his son, Telemachus. She arrives and convinces Telemachus to censure the suitors

for their behavior and convinces him to travel to Pylos and Sparta. He learns while there that Odysseus is still

alive and trapped by Calypso. While Telemachus prepares to return, Antinous puts his plans in motion to kill

him.

Zeus finally decides to rescue Odysseus from Calyspo’s island and sends Hermes to convince Calypso to let

him leave. He finally sets sail home, but is quickly shipwrecked again by Poseidon, the God who he had

angered when Odysseus blinded his son Polyphemus, the Cyclops. Athena steps in to save Odysseus and

brings him to the island of Scheria where he is found by Nausicaa, Princess of the Phaeacians. He reveals who

he is to the King and Queen here and they immediately agree to help him return home. They first want to hear

his story though.

Odysseus thus describes the months of travel that led him to the island of Calypso and then to Scheria. He

begins with his trip to the Land of the Lotus Eaters, followed by the trip and battle of wits with Polyphemus,

Poseidon’s Cyclops son. He describes the time he spent with Circe and their love affair as well as the journey

past the Sirens and their tempting call. He continues to describe how he traveled to the underworld to speak

with Tiresias the prophet and the fight with Scylla, the sea monster. Finally, after his tale is complete, Odysseus

returns to Ithaca.

When he first arrives in Ithaca, he searches out Eumaeus, the swineherd. With Eumaeus’ assistance he finds

and reveals himself to Telemachus as well. They then begin plotting to take back the palace and kill the suitors.

Odysseus arrives at the palace as a beggar and is immediately treated poorly. His nurse, Eurycleia recognizes

him but does not reveal that she knows. Penelope also notes the beggar’s appearance and believes he might

be her long lost husband. However, she is not sure, so she puts together an archery contest, the winner of

which will be allowed to marry her. Whoever can string Odysseus’s bow and fire an arrow through twelve axes

will be declared the winner. Only Odysseus was ever able to do so in the past. The suitors all fail before

Odysseus is able to accomplish the feat. He then turns the bow on the suitors and kills every one of them.

Finally, Odysseus reveals his identity and reunites with his family. He then visits his father Laertes and after

successfully repelling the angered families of the suitors he killed, Athena arrives and peace is restored to

Ithaca with the epic coming to a close.

The Odyssey Character Summaries

Odysseus

As the title character and cause for much of the play, Odysseus must fight a slew of angry Gods

on his return trip from the years-long attack of Troy. As the King of Ithaca, Odysseus misses his

wife Penelope and son Telemachus back home. He is incredibly intelligent and powerful, and

after a bad encounter with a Cyclops, draws the ire of Poseidon. However, Athena favors him and

ensures he succeeds.

Telemachus

Odysseu’s son and the Prince of Ithaca. He was a baby when Odysseus left for Troy and is now

twenty years old as the story begins. He does his best to keep the suitors at bay in his home but

grows angrier with age. He eventually travels to visit friends of his father and returns to help his

father remove the suitors.

Penelope

Odysseus’s wife and the Queen of Ithaca. Penelope tries her best to keep the suitors at bay while

she awaits her husband’s return. She uses the excuse of finishing Laertes’ funeral shroud and

unraveling it every night to make them wait.

Athena

The daughter of Zeus and representative of wisdom and intellect as a Goddess. Athena helps

Telemachus and Odysseus throughout the poem, constantly speaking for him on Olympus and

lending help on Earth.

Poseidon

As the God of the Sea, Poseidon takes on the role of the divine enemy when Odysseus blinds

Polyphemus, Poseidon’s Cyclops son. He takes it upon himself to thwart his return journey to

Ithaca, eventually shipwrecking him multiple times.

Zeus

As the King of the Gods, Zeus is the mediated voice of Olympus and must ultimately decide

whether Odysseus shall be permitted to return. He occasionally allows such help by Athena.

Antinous

He is the figurative leader and most obnoxious of Penelope’s suitors, ultimately plotting to have

Telemachus killed. He is the first and most angrily killed when Odysseus takes his revenge.

Eumaeus

The swineherd who helps Odysseus when he first returns to Ithaca, helping him get back into his

Palace and reunite with Telemachus. He does not at first realize that the beggar is Odysseus, but

offers him food and shelter anyways.

Eurycleia

The elderly nurse for both Odysseus and Telemachus. She knows of everything that happens in

the Palace and offers advice to the King and Prince constantly. She helps Telemachus visit

Sparta and keeps Odysseus’s secret when he arrives as the beggar.

Calypso

The nymph and purveyor of Ogygia, the island where Odysseus is stranded at the start of the

epic. She is able to keep him there for seven years before Hermes finally arrives and makes her

release him.

Polyphemus

Shortly after leaving Troy, Odysseus arrives on the island of Polyphemus, a Cyclops and son of

Poseidon. After he tries to capture Odysseus and his crew and eat them, Odysseus is able to

trick and blind the Cyclops, enraging Poseidon.

Circe

Circe is a witch and goddess who turns the crew into a herd of swine before taking Odysseus as

her lover and having him by her side.

Laertes

The decrepit, elderly father of Odysseus, Laertes lives just outside the Palace on a farm in Ithaca

and offers advice to his grandson. When Odysseus returns, he regains much of his earlier energy

and helps to kill Antinous’s father.

Tiresias

Odysseus travels to the underworld and meets with Tiresias, the prophet to gain insight into his

return journey to Ithaca and how he should approach it.

Agamemnon

The story of Agamemnon, told in the Illiad is retold when Odysseus travels to the underworld and

meets his spirit. He was murdered by his wife and her lover when he returned from Troy, offering

an inverted version of Odysseus’s current plight.

Nausicaa

The Princess of the Phaeacians, Nausicaa is the one who finds Odysseus when he shipwrecks

on Scherias. She ensures that he is welcomed by her parents and helped after he gives his story.

The Odyssey Book Summaries

Book 1

The epic begins with the invocation

of the Muses, requesting inspiration

and the beginning of Odysseus’s

story. It’s been 10 years since the

conclusion of the Trojan War and

everyone but Odysseus and his

comrades has returned from their

service in Troy. Due to their

devouring of Hyperion the Sun-

god's oxen, his comrades are now

dead and Odysseus is stuck on the

island of Ogygia with Calypso, a

besmirched nymph, Odysseus still

yearns for his wife and home. Back

in Ithaca, Odysseus’s home,

Penelope sits waiting for Odysseus

to return while fending off a palace

full of suitors for her hand in

marriage. Telemachus, hers and

Odysseus’s 20 year old son, can do

nothing to help and has finally come

to believe that Odysseus is dead.

Athena eventually goes to Ithaca to

talk to Telemachus. She tells him, in

disguise as Odysseus’s friend

Mentes, that Odysseus is still alive

and will soon return. She also tells

Telemachus that he should gather

and have the suitors banished from

the Kingdom. She then advises him

to visit Pylos and Sparta to discern

as much as he can about his father.

After Athena departs, Telemachus

sees his mother with the Suitors,

upset by a particular bards’ song.

The song itself is a tale of despair

for those that have returned to

Greece. Telemachus however, tells

her that she should not be upset by

the song, as other men have failed

to return from Troy and that she can

always leave if she does not enjoy

the music; he can deal with the

suitors. He announces to the suitors

that he will hold an assembly the

following day and that he expects

them all to leave the estate.

Antinous and Eurymachus are

unhappy with the announcement

though and demand to know who

Telamachus was talking with, to

which Telemachus only responds

that it was a friend of his father’s.

Telemachus is guided by Eurycleia,

daughter of Ops and granddaughter

of Peisenor, to his room where he

retired to plan his journey

Book 2

The next day, as Telemachus calls

the assembly, an elder of Ithaca

praises Telemachus for his actions

as there has not been a single

assembly since Odysseus left.

Telemachus follows with a speech

that decries the suitors for taking

over his father’s home and mourns

the loss of his father. He speaks

against their rampant use of the

palace’s food and wine and rebukes

them for not simply going to Icarius,

Penelope’s father, to ask for her

hand.

In response, Antinous places the

blame at the feet of Penelope for

seducing them all but not

committing. He describes her use of

the burial shroud for Laertes to

extend her decision. She declared

that she would choose a husband

after finishing, but every night she

would unravel the shroud so as she

never completed it. Antinous

declares that she should be sent to

Icarius so as he can choose a new

husband for her. Telemachus

responds violently, declaring he will

never throw his mother out and that

the Gods must punish those suitors

who wish such a thing upon her. At

that moment, a pair of eagles

appears above and fight, a sign that

the soothsayer reads as meaning

Odysseus will soon return and

massacre the suitors. They declare

such a warning foolish though and

continue to rebuke Telemachus.

Athena arrives once more while

Telemachus is preparing to leave

for Pylos and Sparta and gives him

encouragement for the ensuing

journey. She helps him gather a

crew for his ship and Telemachus

departs without telling any of his

servants or his mother.

Book 3

When Telemachus and Mentor

arrive in Pylos, they witness a ritual

sacrifice of twelve bulls to Poseidon

and though he is unsure of himself,

Mentor gives Telemachus

encouragement to go forward and

speak with Nestor about Odysseus.

Nestor has no news to relay though

and recounts the fates of

Agamemnon and Menelaus after

the fall of Troy. The two broke apart

after an argument and went their

separate ways, Nestor with

Menelaus and Odysseus with

Agamemnon. He speaks kind words

for Telemachus but cannot offer any

more information about Odysseus.

He does however explain more

about what happened to

Agamemnon. After returning from

Troy, he finds Aegisthus who had

remained in Greece while everyone

went to Troy married to his wife,

Clytemnestra. The two plot and

carryout the murder of Agamemnon

and attempts to take over the

kingdom. Orestes however returns

from exile and takes revenge

against both Aegisthus and

Clytemnestra. Nestor compares

Orestes’ situation to that of

Telemachus and sends Pisistratus

along with Telemachus to Sparta to

beseech Menelaus for more

information. Athena then reveals

herself as a goddess and remains

behind in Pylos to protect

Telemahus’s crew and ship.

Book 4

When Telemachus and Pisistratus

arrive in Sparta, they find Menelaus

and Helen celebrating the

marriages of their son and

daughter. The King and Queen hold

a feast hat night and recount for

Telemachus the many instances of

Odysseus’ cunning during the war.

Helen recounts the time when

Odysseus dressed as a beggar and

infiltrated Troy and Menelaus

describes the final victory of the

Trojan Horse, masterminded by

Odysseus himself. The next day,

Menelaus describes how he

returned from Troy. He was trapped

in Egypt for a time and was forced

to capture Proteus, the Old Man of

the Sea who then gave him the

directions back to Sparta as well as

revealing the fates of Agamemnon

and Ajax. Ajax’s own fate was

similar to how Agamemnon finally

returned home, only to be killed.

Proteus also reveals to Menelaus

that Odysseus is imprisoned on the

island of Calypso and has been for

years. Telemachus and Pisistratus

take this information and return to

Ithaca. Back in Ithaca, the suitors

begin to plot the assassination of

Telemachus. A herald overhears

the plot and reports it back to

Penelope who becomes distraught.

However Athena sends her own

message to Penelope and relays

that Telemachus has the goddess’s

protection.

Book 5

Back on Olympus, the gods

convene without Poseidon to

discuss what shall be done with

Odysseus. Athena is able to

convince Zeus to step in and so

Hermes is dispatched to Calypso to

inform her that Odysseus must be

allowed to leave. She is unhappy,

railing against the male gods of

Olympus for their selfishness and

hypocrisy. She does eventually

relent though as it is by the decree

of Zeus. Odysseus is alone with his

crew and ship both long since

destroyed after leaving Troy.

However, with Hermes’ interjection,

he is finally permitted to build a new

boat and prepare it for his final

voyage home.

After leaving, Odysseus spends

only eighteen days at sea before

spotting Scheria, the location

pointed to him via Hermes by the

gods. Poseidon has returned

though from his trip to Ethiopia and

sees that the other gods have

helped Odysseus escape Calypso.

In retaliation he sets a storm upon

Odysseus and attempts to drown

him. Ino arrives and saves

Odysseus, bestowing upon him a

veil meant to keep him safe from

the sea after the ship sinks. With

Athena also at his side, Odysseus is

able to survive the storm and

eventually fights his way to shore

and the forest of Scheria. After

tossing Ino’s veil back into the

water, he is finally safe from

Poseidon.

Book 6

Athena appears in the dreams of

Nausicaa, Princess of the

Phaeacians as one of her closest

friends. She coaxes Nausicaa to

visit the river the following day and

wash her clothing so that the men

courting her will find her more

attractive. She does as informed

and while she and her maids are

naked and playing beside the river,

Odysseus awakes and encounters

them. He himself is naked, but does

not reveal his true identity, instead

taking the time to clean the dirt and

muck from the ocean clean. Athena

imbues him with exceptional

physical appearance and Nausicaa

begins to fall in love with him upon

seeing him once more. She informs

Odysseus that he must approach

the palace on his own so as not to

draw attention to her bringing a man

back with her to the city. She

informs him to approach Arete, her

mother and the Queen and gives

him instructions on how to do so.

Book 7

On the trip to the palace to meet

with the King and Queen of the

Phaeacians, Odysseus encounters

Athena, in disguise as a young girl.

She protects and hides him from the

populous and guides him to the

Palace. She tells him to ask for help

from Arete and not Alcinous, the

King as she is kind and wise and

will help him. She then leaves

Scheria to return to Athens.

When Odysseus arrives, he finds

the palace worshipping Poseidon in

a festival designed for him. He

notes the beauty and

excessiveness of the Palace and

the King’s celebration and as

Odysseus enters, the King himself

questions whether or not Odysseus

might be a god. However,

Odysseus relates that he is indeed

a mortal and with a bit of explaining

is able to describe his situation

without revealing his identity and

secure a promise of assistance from

the King and Queen; they will help

him return home the following day.

That evening, Arete finally

recognizes Odysseus’s clothing as

belonging to her daughter, Nausica

and questions him more regarding

his identity. He still keeps his name

to himself, but relays his story of the

journey from Calypso to the

beaches of Scheria and Nausicaa

that morning. Odysseus calmly

takes responsibility for arriving at

the palace alone and does not give

away any of what Nausicaa said or

did, eventually impressing Alcinous

enough for him to offer her hand to

Odysseus in marriage.

Book 8

The following day, an assembly of

the Phaeacian counsel is called with

Athena ensuring maximum

attendance by carrying word to

each counselor of the visitor to the

island who appears as a god.

Alcinous presents his plan to offer

Odysseus a ship to return home

and the counselors agree, after

which everyone convenes at the

Palace for a feast and games in

honor of their incredible guest. A

bard relays the story of Odysseus

and Achilles quarrelling in Troy,

causing Odysseus to weep in

memory of those horrendous times.

The king, noting Odysseus’s

response ends the meal and

announces the commencement of

the games.

At first unwilling to participate

because of the physical strain of his

journeys, Odysseus is goaded into

participating in the discus throw by

a young athlete jabbing at his

abilities. Overcome by pride,

Odysseus out throws everyone and

challenges the rest of the

Phaeacians to any sport they might

choose. Eventually, before anyone

else can become upset, Alcinous

announces that they shall have

another feast with further song and

dance. The bard sings this time a

tale of gods and goddesses in love

instead. After the feast, the

Phaeacians offer their gifts to

Odysseus to return home with.

Later that night when Odysseus

requests a song about the Trojan

Horse and the end of the war, he

eventually loses control of his

emotions again, prompting Alcinous

to demand he reveal his name and

purpose.

Book 9

Without much of a choice,

Odyseeus relents and begins to tell

his story. After first setting sail from

Troy, they arrived at the home of

the Cicones, Ismarus. They plunder

the city but ultimately spend too

much time there as the Cicone

forces return and chase them back

to their ships, killing almost six men

per ship. After a storm that lasts for

nine full days, they arrive in the

Land of the Lotus Eaters.

Upon landing, Odysseus’s men are

offered fruit by the Lotus Eaters and

immediately fall victim to the

intoxicating effect of it. They refuse

to leave and eventually are taken

back to the ship by Odysseus by

force. When they finally leave the

Land of the Lotus Eaters, the men

securely locked up, they arrive soon

in the land of the Cyclops. It is here

that they encounter a herd of wild

goats. However, eventually they

decide they will cross the straight

and visit the main land to acquire

more supplies.

While on the main land, they

discover a large supply of sheep,

milk and cheese in a large cave.

The men urge Odysseus to hurry

but they spend a bit too long in the

cave and Polyphemus, the cave’s

resident returns and immediately

eats two crew members and

imprisons the rest for future meals.

Trapped behind the giant rock

blocking the entrance, Odysseus is

forced to think of a plan to escape.

He waits for Polyphemus to leave

the cave and finds a particularly

good piece of wood to temper in the

fire, hardening it. When

Polyphemus returns with his flock,

Odysseus uses the wine they

brought with them to get him drunk.

While drunk, Polyphemus inquires

of Odysseus’s name, to which

Odysseus responds “Nobody.”

Shortly afterwards, Polyphemus

collapses under the effects of the

wine and Odysseus and his men

attack with the staff, blinding the

Cyclops. When he calls for help, all

he can say is “Nobody is killing me”,

forcing the other Cyclops to

abandon his strange cries for help.

The following day, the men cling to

the bottom of the sheep and leave

the cave when Polyphemus leads

them out. They steal the sheep and

as they are departing, Odysseus

calls his name back to the Cyclops.

With Odysseus’s name in hand,

Polyphemus calls for his father,

Poseidon, to curse Odysseus at

sea.

Book 10

The next stop for Odysseus and his

men is the land of Aeolus, keeper of

the winds. He offers Odysseus the

gift of a bag, containing all of the

winds. He then stirs up the Westerly

wind to guide them home. After only

10 days, they are within sight of

Ithaca. However, because the men

are greedy, they tear open Aeolus’s

bag, thinking it contains gold and

silver. The winds, loosened as they

are, form a terrible storm and blow

the ships back to Aeolus who then

refuses to help him as he believes

them to be cursed by the gods.

Without the winds to guide them,

Odysseus and his men row to

Laestrygonia, the home of giants

who immediately kill and eat

Odysseus’s scouts. The

Laestrygonians toss boulders

towards the ships and sink them,

leaving only Odysseus’s ship to

escape in. After barely escaping,

Odysseus and his men arrive in

Aeaea where the witch-goddess

Circe lives.

She immediately turns Odysseus’s

men into pigs. Odysseus is given

advice by Hermes to eat an herb

known as Moly to protect him from

the spell and that when she draws

her sword, he should lunge towards

her. After defeating Circe and

forcing Circe to return his men to

human, Odysseus becomes Circe’s

lover, living on Circe’s island for

more than year in absolute luxury.

The men finally convince Odysseus

to leave though and Circe offers

instructions that will send Odysseus

to Hades to speak with Tiresias, the

blind prophet, to learn the way

home.

When they awake and prepare to

leave the following morning,

Odysseus learns that yet another of

his men has perished, having fallen

from the roof after drinking too

much and breaking his neck. The

remaining men are not happy about

the news that they will be traveling

to the underworld instead of directly

home.

Book 11

Odysseus travels with his men to

the river of Ocean in the Land of the

Cimmerians to perform the

necessary tasks outlined by Circe to

reach the land of the dead. He

pours his libations and offers

sacrifices designed to attract dead

souls and eventually is able to

reach and speak with the young

crewman who fell from Circe’s roof.

He begs for Odysseus to return and

properly bury his body. Next, he

speaks to Tiresias the Prophet, who

relates the reason for their poor

luck. Poseidon is angered by the

blinding of Polyphemus and

impedes Odysseus’s return. He

offers his vision of the future to

Odysseus, that he will eventually

return home to his wife and son. He

also warns Odysseus that he must

not touch the flocks of the Sun in

Thrinacia or he will suffer greater

hardship and lose his crew. After

Tiresias departs, Odysseus speaks

with his mother, Anticleia. She

relates the current state of affairs in

Ithaca and how she died in grief

waiting for him to return. He speaks

with numerous other perished

heroes while in the underworld.

After attempting to end his story and

sleep, Odysseus is pressed on by

the Phaeacians to relay if he met

with any of the great Greek Heroes

who fell in Troy. Odysseus relays

his meeting with Agamemnon who

relates his murder at the hands of

his wife Clytmenestra. He also

meets with Achilles who asks after

his own son, Neoptolemus. He also

attempts to contact Ajax, the warrior

who killed himself after failing to win

a contest with Odysseus to retain

the arms of Achilles. He mentions

that he saw Heracles, King Minos,

Orion and many other great Greek

heroes.

He describes Sisyphus pushing his

boulder up the eternal hill and

Tantalus, eternally punished with

hunger and thirst, surrounded by

water and tempted by grapes. He is

eventually rushed by the many

souls wishing to learn more about

the living world and is forced to flee

for his ship, sailing away

immediately.

Book 12

Following his return from the Land

of the Dead, Odysseus returns to

Circe’s island and buries his dead

crew member. She offers advice for

the remainder of his trip on how to

handle the ensuing trials as well.

The first trial turns out to be the

Sirens. Odysseus has each of his

men plug their ears with bee’s wax

and then tie him down to the mast

of the ship and hold him there no

matter what. Despite their calls,

Odysseus is able to withstand the

Sirens with the help of his crew.

The next trial is the straight of Scylla

and Charybdis. Here, they

encounter the six-headed monster

Scylla, who will eat one crew

member for each of its six heads.

On the other side is Charybda, the

infamously dangerous whirlpool that

takes any ship foolish enough to

come within range. According to

Circe’s advice, they navigate

towards Scylla’s lair and are forced

to sacrifice six men to survive the

straights.

Finally, they arrive in Thrinicia,

where they encounter the Cattle of

the Sun. Despite his desire to move

on, his men convince Odysseus to

stop and rest on the Island of the

Sun. After a full month of waiting out

storm after storm, the men begin to

exhaust their rations and decide

they would like to kill and eat the

Cattle on the island. Against

Odysseus’s orders, they wait until

he is asleep and slaughter the

Cattle for food. The Sun is enraged

and asks Zeus for assistance in

punishing Odysseus and his men.

After they leave the island, Zeus

does just that by throwing a storm

toward them that immediately sinks

the ship and kills every man aboard

except Odysseus. It is after this

ordeal that he eventually makes his

way, aboard flotsam from his

sunken ship, to Calypso’s island

where he’ll spend the next seven

years.

Book 13

The next day, after having

completed his tale, Odysseus

prepares to leave for Ithaca.

Alcinous loads the gifts from the

night before onto the ship Odysseus

will use and the next day Odysseus

sets sail with a full Phaeacian crew.

He sleeps on the ship until he

arrives at Ithaca, where the

Phaeacians unload him and his gifts

on shore before sailing home.

Poseidon, however, is unhappy that

the Phaeacians, a people who

traditionally worship him, would help

someone he so dislikes. For that

reason, he takes his vengeance

upon them by waiting for the ship to

arrive in Scheria and turning it to

stone, sinking it to the bottom of the

harbor. The Phaeacians recall a

particular prophecy warning them

against helping strangers and

decide never to help a traveler

again.

Odysseus awakes and finds himself

in a strange land. Though he is in

Ithaca, Athena keeps it hidden until

she is sure what to do next. He is at

first angry at the Phaeacians, but

Athena arrives in the disguise of a

shepherd and tells him he is in

Ithaca. After a game of wits with

Athena over their identities, Athena

relays that he must use his

intelligence to punish the suitors

who have been misusing his home

and wife. She tells him to seek out

Eumaeus and take refuge in his hut.

She also relays news of

Telemachus and disguises

Odysseus as a beggar to keep his

identity a secret.

Book 14

Upon approaching his hut,

Odysseus finds Eumaeus who

invites him inside for a meal of pork.

Eumaeus recalls the glory days of

his old master, who he worries is

long dead and gone, and speaks ill

about the suitors who have turned

the once proud Palace into a horrid

place. Odysseus pretends to predict

the return of Eumaeus’s old master,

but Eumaeus grows wary as many

beggars have arrived trying to get a

hot meal by offering news of

Odysseus to Penelope. Eumaeus

likes the beggar though and offers

him a cloak and a place to sleep.

Odysseus then relates the lie that

he is from Crete and was at

Odysseus’s side in Troy before

returning home. However, a later

trip to Egypt proved fatefully bad

and he became the beggar that

Eumaeus sees in front of him. He

reveals that during the trip to Egypt

he heard Odysseus was alive.

Book 15

In Sparta, Athena arrives to find

Telemachus and Pisistratus asleep

in the palace of Menelaus. She

relays to Telemachus that he must

hurry home to deal with the suitors

and warns him of the plot to

assassinate Telemachus when he

returns and how to avoid it. She

tells him to seek out Eumaeus when

he returns who will relay his return

to Penelope.

When Telemachus is preparing to

leave the following day an eagle

appears with a goose in its claws, a

sign that Helen interprets as the

return and triumph of Odysseus.

Telemachus arrives back in Pylos

and immediately returns to his ship,

stating that he has no time to spend

with Nestor. The descendent of a

prophet, Theoclymenus, who is

pursued by the law for a crime

committed in Argos, arrives and

requests passage with Telemachus,

who offers him ample hospitality.

Eumaeus refuses to allow

Odysseus to leave and seek

employment with the suitors,

instead offering his own further

hospitality. They continue to swap

stories. Eumaeus describes how he

first arrived in Ithaca. He describes

how he was kidnapped by pirates

and sold to Laertes, and eventually

raised by Odysseus’s mother as

one of her own.

When Telemachus arrives the next

day, he disembarks and sends his

crew ahead to the city.

Theoclymenus sees a hawk fly

above with a dove in hand that he

interprets as a good sign for

Odysseus and his family line.

Book 16

Telemachus arrives at the hut of

Eumaeus and finds Odysseus and

the swineherd talking. Eumaeus at

first suggest that Telemachus take

Odysseus to the palace with him,

but Telemachus is afraid of the

suitors and their actions, so sends

Eumaeus ahead instead to inform

his mother of his return.

Athena then calls Odysseus outside

the hut where she removes the spell

she had cast upon him, revealing

who he really is. He reenters the hut

and, standing as Odysseus the long

lost King of Ithaca, embraces his

son and two weep. Odysseus

describes his trip to Ithaca with the

Phaeacians and begins to outline

the plot which will eventually

overthrow the suitors.

He will enter the palace disguised

as a beggar, while Telemachaus

hides the excess arms away from

the access of the suitors. When the

time is right, father and son will take

the hidden arms and slaughter the

suitors.

Eumaeus is unable to give

Penelope the news of Telemachus’s

return before the ships messenger

arrives. The suitors are duly upset

at their failure and begin to plan

their next move against him.

Antinous wants to kill Telemachus

before he has a chance to call

another assembly and reveal the

plans of the suitors. Amphinomus,

the nicer of the suitors, is able to

waylay such talk though and

convince his brethren to await a

sign from the gods. Penelope later

denounces Antinous for his plot

against Telemachus before being

calmed by the lies of yet another ill-

mannered suitor, Eurymachus.

Book 17

Leaving his father behind,

Telemachus enters the palace and

meets back up with his mother and

Eurycleia, his nurse. He meets with

Theocylmenus and his crew chief in

the hall and requests that the gifts

given to him by Menelaus remain on

the ship for now, lest the suitors

steal them. He later reveals the

news he has gathered from Sparta

and Pylos about Odysseus but does

not reveal that Odysseus is in fact

waiting in Eumaeus’s hut.

Theocylmenus however,

pronounces that Odysseus is in

Ithaca at that moment.

After Telemachus has entered the

palace and spoken with Penelope,

Odysseus and Eumaeus set out for

the palace on their own. One of the

suitors’ companions sees them and

physically assaults Odysseus (in the

disguise of a beggar once more).

When they arrive at the palace,

Odysseus is treated similarly poorly

and is barely able to receive food,

insulting him repeatedly. Antinous

hits Odysseus with a stool after he

insults him in turn and even the

other suitors are upset. Penelope

then requests to see the beggar

who has been beaten to ask of

news regarding Odysseus.

Odysseus does not want to be seen

going to Penelope though.

Book 18

A different beggar known as Irus

arrives and with his fair share of

insolence challenges Odysseus to a

boxing match. With the extra

strength of Athena on his side,

Odysseus is able to quickly dispatch

the other man. The suitors watch on

all along, shouting to keep the fight

going.

After receiving praise from the

suitors for his actions, Odysseus is

toasted and given food by one of

the more moderate suitors,

Amphinomus. This suitor causes

Odysseus to pull him aside to ask

him to leave the city. His request is

such that he hopes to keep the man

from being killed when Odysseus

returns. However, Amphinomus

does not comply as Athena has

already marked him for death.

Driven by the careful nudging of

Athena, Penelope appears before

the suitors with the extra beauty

bestowed upon her by a goddess.

She relays that Odysseus had

instructed her to take a new

husband if Telemachus grew facial

hair before he had returned. She

plays her own clever tricks on them

as well, requesting the suitors to

bring her gifts rather than take from

her to woo her properly. The suitors

offer numerous gifts to Penelope

and Odysseus attempts to send her

maids to her. They also insult

Odysseus though and so he

threatens them to scare them away.

Athena continues to enflame

relations with the suitors by

prompting Eurymachus to insult

Odysseus, leading to a volley of

insults and thrown stools. The room

is about to erupt into a full riot when

Telemachus finally steps in and

settles them all down.

Book 19

That night, Telemachus and

Odysseus hide away the arms while

Athena keeps the rooms lit for them.

Telemahus lies to the Eurycleia and

tells her that they are keeping them

from damage. After their task is

completed, Telemachus leaves for

his chambers and Penelope arrives

to speak with Odysseus. She is

curious of his knowledge of her

husband and questions him to

describe the King. He therefore

describes himself in absolute detail,

brining Penelope to tears in the

process. He tells his recounting of

how he met Odysseus and how he

came to be in Ithaca. He tells her

that Odysseus is alive and well and

will return within one month.

He refuses an offer by Penelope for

a bed to sleep in and very

reluctantly allows Eurycleia to wash

his feet. She notes the scar on his

foot he received while boar hunting

as a young man with his

grandfather. She immediately

recognizes Odysseus and hugs

him. Athena does her part to keep

Penelope distracted though so that

Odysseus can maintain his secret

identity and extract a promise of

silence from Eurycleia.

Penelope describes a dream before

she sleeps to Odysseus about an

eagle which kills all twenty of her

pet geese and then reveals itself as

her husband killing her lovers.

Odysseus explains the dream to her

and Penelope announces that she

will choose a new husband by

demanding the suitors to attempt to

shoot an arrow through twelve axes

in a line, something only Odysseus

has been known to accomplish.

Book 20

Because of the task ahead of them,

Odysseus has trouble sleeping.

Athena assures him of his future

success though, even against such

incredible odds. Penelope on the

other hand is distraught that her

husband is still lost and that she has

just committed to a new husband.

She awakes and prays for death at

the hands of Artemis. Odysseus

responds with a prayer of his own to

Zeus for an omen. Zeus replies with

a thunder clap, coinciding with

maids nearby cursing the suitors.

The following morning, Telemachus

and Odysseus meet up with

Eumaeus, a still loyal herdsman,

and a swarm of suitors arriving with

murder on their minds. Another

eagle appears with a dove in its

claws and Amphinomus requests

that they call of their plot against

Telemachus. Athena keeps the

suitors riled up though so as

Odysseus does not relinquish any

of his rage. One of the suitors

throws a cow’s hoof at Odysseus

and another threatens to kill him.

They laugh at Odysseus and miss

the obvious omen of blood covering

the walls, an imminent promise of

their doom.

Book 21

Penelope arrives with the

announcement that she will choose

a suitor, so long as he is able to

string Odysseus’s bow and shoot an

arrow through the line of twelve

axes. Telemachus quickly sets up

the axes and attempts the feat

himself, failing to even string the

bow. The suitors themselves fail at

the task of warming and stringing

the bow, one by one.

Odysseus retreats outside with

Eumaeus and the loyal herdsman

and ensures they are still loyal to

him before revealing his true

identity. He asks that they fight at

his side and he promises to treat

them as sons in repayment.

Upon returning they find that the

suitors are still failing to even string

the bow. Antinous tries to retire for

the day so that they can make

sacrifices to Apollo and try again the

next day. However, Odysseus steps

forward and requests to try the task

himself. They fear his success and

refuse him the opportunity.

Telemachus silences them though

and demands that Odysseus be

given the bow and a chance. He

quickly and easily strings the bow

and shoots the arrow through all

twelve axes.

Book 22

As quickly as he shoots the first

shot, Odysseus puts an arrow

through the throat of Antinous and

reveals himself as the long lost

King, driving fear into the hearts of

the remaining suitors. The doors are

locked, keeping them from escaping

and despite the pleas of the suitors

to let them live, Odysseus declares

that they will all die and the battle

ensues.

Telemachus retrieves swords and

shields from the storeroom and

arms Eumaeus and the herdsman,

but forgets to lock the room as he

exits. One of the suitors is able to

enter the room and retrieve arms for

the others, though on the second

trip to the storeroom he is captured

and locked inside.

Athena arrives as Mentor and

encourages Odysseus, trying to

measure how strong he truly is. A

few of the suitors are felled with

spears with only small wounds for

Odysseus and his side. However,

as soon as Athena joins in as

Mentor, the battle is quickly

finished. Odysseus kills everyone

who was with the suitors with the

exception of the minstrel and the

herald who he deems as innocent

victims.

Odysseus then calls Eurycleia out

to help remove the dead suitors. At

first she is excited at their deaths,

but Odysseus quiets her for

rejoicing over the dead. They gather

the servants who were disloyal and

have them clean and dispose of the

bodies before they are themselves

taken outside and killed.

Telemachus decides they will be

hanged, a much more disgraceful

way to die. Finally, after everyone is

dead, Odysseus orders a fumigation

of the house to cleanse it.

Book 23

Having slept through the entire

battle, Penelope is finally

awakened. She does not believe

Eurycleia at first and does not

accept the truth until she goes

downstairs and sees Odysseus with

her own eyes. The family reunites

and Telemachus chastises her for

not showing more open excitement.

However, Odysseus is more worried

about having just killed every young

nobleman in the country, something

their parents will not appreciate. He

decides to take his family to their

farm and hide for a bit until things

settle.

Wary that she is being tricked,

Penelope is not quite willing to

believe that her husband has

returned. She requests that the

bridal bed be moved, to which

Odysseus explodes, explaining that

such a thing cannot be done. It was

carved from the solid trunk of a

single olive tree, around which the

house was built. She knows from

these details that it must truly be her

husband and finally she rejoices.

They spend time getting caught up

and Odysseus recounts his

journeys thus far. The next day, he

leaves to see Laertes and warns his

wife to remain in her room and not

take any visitors. Athena assists

once again by hiding Odysseus and

Telemachus in darkness.

Book 24

The scene changes to the

procession of the suitors’ souls to

Hades, led by Hermes. Here,

Agamemnon and Achilles argue

over whose death was better,

describing Achilles’ funeral in detail.

They meet the suitors as they arrive

and inquire as to how they all died.

They blame Penelope for her

treachery, which Agamemnon

compares to the actual treachery of

Clytmenestra, knowing that

Penelope is a better person.

On Laertes’ farm, Odysseus arrives

and meets with his father alone. He

finds his father much older than

when he left, having grieved for the

death of his wife and loss of his son.

Odysseus delays revealing himself

to his father, but after Laertes

begins to weep in memory of his

lost son, Odysseus reveals himself

and shows the scar on his foot to

prove his claim along with certain

memories of childhood. He

describes the previous night’s battle

with the suitors and their messy

end.

After their discussion, they have

lunch. During their meal, the

Goddess Rumor spreads the news

of the massacre in the palace. The

suitors’ parents gather and decide

how they will respond. Halitherses,

an elder of the group describes the

just punishment they received, while

Eupithes, Antinous’s father wants

revenge against Odysseus.

Eventually, they track down

Odysseus on Laertes’ farm. Athena

appears once more as Mentor and

stops the procession though, with

only one more man dying,

Antinous’s father. Under the careful

manipulation of Athena, the

Ithacans are able to forget the

massacre and Odysseus is able to

reclaim his throne and peace is

restored.