From the Invocation
Begin when all the rest who left behind them
headlong death in battle or at sea
had long ago returned, while he alone still
hungered
for home and wife. Her ladyship Calypso
clung to him in her sea-hollowed caves—
a nymph, immortal and most beautiful,
who craved him for her own.
And when long years and seasons
wheeling brought around that point of time
ordained for him to make his passage homeward,
trials and dangers, even so, attended him
even in Ithaca, near those he loved.
Yet all the gods had pitied Lord Odysseus,
all but Poseidon, raging cold and rough
against the brave king till he came ashore
at last on his own land. . . .
Calypso’s Island
The first books of the epic (Books 1-4) tell about
Odysseus’ son, Telemachus. Telemachus has been
searching the Mediterranean world for his father,
who has never returned from the ten-year Trojan
War. (Today, Odysseus would be listed as missing in
action.)
When we first meet Odysseus, in Book 5 of the epic,
he is a prisoner of the beautiful goddess Calypso. The
old soldier is in despair: He has spent ten years
(seven of them as Calypso’s not entirely unwilling
captive) trying to get home.
The goddess Athena has supported and helped
Odysseus on his long journey. Now she begs
her father, Zeus, to help her favorite, and Zeus
agrees. He sends the messenger god Hermes
to Calypso’s island to order Odysseus released.
It is important to remember that although
Calypso is not described as evil, her seductive
charms—even her promises of immortality for
Odysseus—threaten to keep the hero away
from his wife, Penelope.
“I am Laertes’ Son”
Odysseus is found by the daughter of Alcinous, king of the
Phaeacians. That evening he is a guest at court (Book 6-8).
To the ancient people of Greece and Asia Minor, all guests
were godsent. They had to be treated with great courtesy
before they could be asked to identify themselves and state
their business. That night, at the banquet, the stranger who
was washed up on the beach is seated in the guest’s place
of honor. A minstrel, or singer, is called, and the mystery
guest gives him a gift of pork, crisp with fat, and requests a
song about Troy. In effect, Odysseus is asking for a song
about himself.
Odysseus weeps as the minstrel’s song reminds him of all his
companions, who will never see their homes again. Now
Odysseus is asked by the king to identify himself. It is here
that he begins the story of his journey.
Land of the Dead - 1
As part of the quest, a hero must often “face the
darkness.” Sometimes it is something about
himself he doesn’t like, a bad memory or
mistake from his past he would like to forget,
or something equally unpleasant.
Whatever the situation, the hero WILL NOT be
able to move forward without “facing this
darkness.”
Land of the Dead – 2
Circe insisting that Odysseus visit the Land of
the Dead is a way of testing him. If he can
hear Tiresias’ predictions for the future and
still be brave enough to continue the journey,
then Odysseus is worthy of her help.
Because Tiresias had lost his natural sight,
people believed that he gained the ability to
“see the future, ” so he can tell Odysseus what
lies ahead on his journey and later in Ithaca.
Land of the Dead - 3
Tieresias is kind of a celebrity in ancient Greece;
his prophecies were famous for coming true,
so what he tells Odysseus would be taken
seriously.
You’ll see him in other Greek tragedies such as
Antigone, a play you will read next year in
PreAP 2.
Coming Home – intro 1
Odysseus is returned in secret to Ithaca in one of
the magically fast ships of King Alcinous.
Upon arrival in Ithaca (which Odysseus
doesn’t recognize), Athena appears to the
hero and tells him that he is really back.
Because his home is full of enemies, she
advises him to go to the house disguised as a
beggar. Odysseus will have to rely on his
intelligence and wits instead of his physical
power.
Coming Home – intro 2
Once he finds his home, Odysseus goes not to
the main house but to the hut of the swineherd Eumaeus, a faithful and trusty servant
who has looked after Telemachus during
Odysseus’ time away. It is unusual for an epic
to include members of the servant class as
important characters, which indicates Homer’s
originality. Odysseus does not reveal his
identity to Eumaeus just yet…
Coming Home – intro 3
Meanwhile, Athena has appeared to Telemachus
and urged him to return home. She tells him
of the troubles with the suitors, which have
grown while Telemachus has been gone.
Plotting to kill him, the suitors wait for
Telemachus to return, so Athena advises him
to return in secret. Once on Ithaca,
Telemachus goes to visit his old friend, the
swineherd…
 now we read 
After meeting Telemachus and Argos…
In the hall, the “beggar” is taunted by the evil
suitors, but Penelope supports him. She has
learned that the ragged stranger claims to
have news of her husband. Unaware of who
the beggar is, she invites him to visit her later
in the night to talk about Odysseus.
In Book 18, Penelope appears among the suitors
and reproaches Telemachus for allowing the
stranger to be abused. She certainly must
have warmed her husband’s heart by doing
this and by singing the praises of her lost
Odysseus.
Later that night…
In Book 19, the suitors depart for the night, and
Odysseus and Telemachus discuss their
strategy. The clever hero goes as appointed to
Penelope with the idea of testing her and her
maids. (Some of the maids have not been
loyal to the household and have even slept
with the suitors.) The faithful wife receives her
disguised husband. We can imagine the
tension the audience must have felt. Would
Odysseus be recognized?
Stories about Odysseus
The “beggar” spins a yarn about his origins,
pretending that he has met Odysseus on his
travels. He cannot resist praising the lost hero,
and he does so successfully enough to bring
tears to Penelope’s eyes. We can be sure that
this does not displease the beggar. The
storytelling beggar reveals that he has heard
that Odysseus is alive and is even now sailing
for home.
Book 19 – applied practice #9
• Penelope tells the beggar about her dream…
Ah-HA!
Penelope calls for the old nurse and asks her to
wash the guest’s feet, a sign of respect and
honor. As Eurycleia does so, she recognizes
Odysseus from a scar on his leg, one that he
got from a hunting accident long before
leaving for Troy. Quickly, Odysseus swears the
old nurse to secrecy. Meanwhile, Athena has
cast a spell on Penelope so that she has taken
no notice of this recognition scene.
Clever Penelope
Until now, Penelope has managed to put off
picking a husband with a simple trick. She has
set up her weaving in the hall, saying to the
suitors that she is weaving a shroud for
Laertes, her father-in-law. She has promised
that she will choose a husband when she has
completed the work. “So every day I wove on
the great loom, but every night by torchlight I
unwove it…”
With this simple trick she has been able to
deceive the suitors for THREE YEARS.
However, the unfaithful maids have
discovered Penelope’s trick and have told the
suitors, who are now angry and demanding
that she pick a husband.
Penelope adds to the suspense by deciding on a
test for the suitors for the next day involving
Odysseus’ most prized weapon: his bow.
Without realizing it, she has now given
Odysseus a way to defeat the men who
threaten his wife and kingdom.
In Book 20, Odysseus, brooding over the
shameless behavior of his maidservants and
the suitors, longs to destroy his enemies but
fears the revenge of their friends. Athena
reassures him. Odysseus is told that the
suitors will die.
After the battle
Use the blue book for Odysseus and Penelope’s
chapter.