The Odyssey by Homer: Story Chart
Climax: Odysseus returns, reveals
himself, reclaims his household, and
takes vengeance on the suitors;
Telemachos discovers in his father the
example and encouragement he needs to
become heroic himself.
SETTING
A Greece of the
mythic past,
from the heights
of Olympus to
the depths of
Hades, from the
breadth of the
wide ocean to the
warmth of
Ithaka’s hearth.
CHARACTERS
Dénouement: The unfaithful
servants are punished; Odysseus
proves his identity to his wife
and they reunite; Odysseus goes
to his father and they feast.
Rising Action: Telemachos sets
out to find news of his father;
Odysseus must encounter all of
the temptations and dangers of a
decade-long heroic journey; the
suitors grow impatient.
THEME:
Exposition: Years after the sack
of Troy, Odysseus has yet to
appear at home. Meanwhile,
suitors court his wife and have all
but consumed his household.
Telemachos appears to be the
lone man in Ithaka still longing
for his father’s return.
The greatest journey is the journey
home; A strong marriage is the
root of the home and the bedrock
of society; intellect subdues force
and strength; Hospitality to
strangers = a just heart and a godly
mind.
PLOT
CONFLICT
Will resourceful Odysseus at last achieve his
longed-for homecoming despite the wrath of
Poseidon, and will he be able to rescue his
marriage and household from the grasp of the
reckless suitors? Will Telemachos prove himself a
man worthy of his Father’s heritage?
Odysseus the ever
resourceful farwanderer, his
faithful wife
Penelope, their
coming-of-age son
Telemachos, the
haughty suitors, a
vast array of
peoples, monsters,
heroes, and gods.
Conclusion: Athene halts a
final battle between Odysseus
and the suitors’ fathers, and
peace is made in Ithaka at last.
The Odyssey by Homer: Story Chart
Climax:
SETTING
CHARACTERS
Dénouement:
Rising Action:
THEME:
Exposition:
.
Conclusion:
PLOT
CONFLICT