The Odyssey
Homer (-800)
“The original adventure story — a hero trying to get home for ten years — and still the definitive text on what it means to be human.”
Short Summary
After the fall of Troy, the hero Odysseus spends ten years trying to sail home to Ithaca. The gods argue about his fate: Poseidon blocks him, Athena champions him. He survives monsters, enchantresses, the land of the dead, and divine temptations. Meanwhile, his wife Penelope fends off over a hundred suitors who have invaded his palace, and his son Telemachus grows up searching for news of his father. When Odysseus finally reaches Ithaca in disguise, he tests everyone's loyalty, reveals himself at the right moment, and massacres the suitors with a bow only he can string.
Detailed Summary
The Odyssey opens ten years after the fall of Troy. Odysseus is stranded on the island of Ogygia, where the nymph Calypso has kept him captive for seven years — comfortable but imprisoned, longing for home. The gods assemble on Olympus while Poseidon is absent, and Athena argues for Odysseus's relea...