Homer’s The Odyssey – Brief Summary & Character Analysis

But then, when the wheeling seasons brought the year around, that year spun out by the gods when he should reach his home, Ithaca-though not even there would he be free of trials, even among his loved ones-then every god took pity, all except Poseidon. He raged on, seething against the great Odysseus till he reached his native land.

But my heart breaks for Odysseus,
that seasoned veteran cursed by fate so long-
far from his loved ones still, he suffers torments
off on a wave-washed island rising at the center of the seas.

Nine years we wove a web of disaster for those Trojans, pressing
them hard with every tactic known to man, and only after we
slaved did Zeus award us victory. And no one there could hope
to rival Odysseus, not for sheer cunning-
at every twist of strategy, he excelled us all. Your father, yes,
if you are in fact his son...I look at you and a sense of wonder takes me.
Your way with words-it's just like his-I'd swear no youngster could ever
speak like you, so apt, so telling. As long as I and Great Odysseus
soldiered there, never once did we speak out at odds, neither in open
muster nor in royal council:
forever one in mind, in judgment balanced, shrewd,
we mapped our armies' plans so things might turn out best.

Such memories
stirred in the young prince a deep desire to grieve for Odysseus. Tears streamed down his cheeks
and wet the ground when he heard his father's name, both hands clutching his purple robe before his eyes.

But now Poseidon, god of the earthquake, saw him— just returning home from his Ethiopian friends, from miles away on the Solymi mountain range he spied Odysseus sailing down the sea and it made his fury boil even more.
He shook his head and rumbled to himself,
"Outrageous! Look how the gods have changed their minds about Odysseus while /was off with my Ethiopians. Just look at him there, nearing Phaeacia's shores where he's fated to escape his noose of pain that's held him until now. Still, my hopes ride high-
I'll give that man his swamping fill of trouble!"

The wind drove me out of Ilium onto Ismarus, the Cicones' stronghold. There I sacked the city and killed the men, but as for the wives and plunder, that rich haul we dragged away from the place we shared it around so no one, not on my account, would go deprived of his fair share of spoils.

Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point, straight into the monster's eye they rammed it hard- I drove my weight on it from above and bored it home as a shipwright bores his beam with a shipwright's drill that men below, whipping the strap back and forth, whirl and the drill keeps twisting faster, never stopping-

 

'Away from my island-fast-most cursed man alive! It's a crime to host a man or speed him on his way when the blessed deathless gods despise him so. Crawling back like this-

 

After being thrown out by Aeolus, Odysseus and his men encounter the Laestrygonians. After a narrow escape from the cannibalistic giants, they chance upon Aeaea, where he manages to escape the goddess Circe only due to the assistance of Hermes.

Book 11 is about his journey to the Land of the Dead, where he speaks to the spirits of Elpenor, Anticleia, Tiresias, Agamemnon, Achilles, and some more notable figures.

Also Read: Character Analysis Of Jem Finch 

Before Odysseus sets sail for Ithaca, Circe warns him of the dangers that lay ahead – the Sirens, the Clashing Rocks, Scylla, and Charybdis. He must also avoid the temptations of the island of Thrinacia.

Once Odysseus has completed recounting his journey, King Alcinous promises him safe passage to Ithaca and offers more treasures for him to take home. After landing in Ithaca, Odysseus takes on the disguise of a beggar following Athena’s suggestion. This helps him to gain information without giving away his identity.

While lodging with Eumaeus, Odysseus learns of the suitors vying to assassinate Telemachus and win Penelope’s hand in marriage. He also learns of Eumaeus’ story and the hardships he has had to go through in his life.

Meanwhile, Telemachus, with the help of Athena, manages to escape the ambush planned out for him by Penelope's suitors and arrive at Ithaca. Athena suggests he go to Eumaeus's hut, where he learns of the true identity of the beggar, while Eumaeus rushes to inform Penelope of Telemachus' return.

"No, I am not a god,"
the long-enduring, great Odysseus returned. "Why confuse me with one who never dies?
No, I am your father—
the Odysseus you wept for all your days,
you bore a world of pain, the cruel abuse of men."
And with those words, Odysseus kissed his son
and the tears streamed down his cheeks and wet the ground, though before he'd always reined his emotions back.

Telemachus finally reunites with his mother, Penelope, in Book 17.

He recounts his entire journey to his mother, though he keeps Odysseus' disguised identity a secret.

On the other hand, Odysseus and Eumaeus take a stroll into town, where they encounter a bully but manage to avoid confrontation. The two of them, however, are hassled by Antinous, one of Penelope's suitors, at the banquet.

Towards the evening, another beggar named Irus appears at the banquet and is goaded by the suitors to duel Odysseus. However, he soon ends up regretting his decision.

Athena sweeps in to grant Odysseus additional strength and Penelope more beauty in preparation for their reunion. Meanwhile, Odysseus learns of the illicit affair between Penelope’s maidservant and Eurymachus, one of Penelope’s suitors. This information leads Odysseus to fight Eurymachus, which is broken only upon the insistence of Telemachus.

Upon being given an opportunity of a private audience with his wife Penelope, Odysseus introduces himself as Aethon and provides staggering proof of him having known Odysseus.

escorting Atreus' sons. My own name is Aethon. I am the younger born;
my older brother's a better man than I am.
Now, it was there in Cnossos that I saw him ... Odysseus and I traded gifts of friendship.

Though suspicious about the true identity of the stranger, Penelope doesn’t suspect Aethon to be her husband. However, the old nurse Eurycleia soon discovers his true identity after recognizing the scar on his left knee. Odysseus swears her into secrecy.

The next day, Penelope reveals her plan of selecting a husband through a trial that only her husband had performed to date, which Odysseus gladly accepts.

However, still worried about the results of the impending battle with the rest of the suitors, Odysseus sends a prayer to Zeus for support.

Meanwhile, on the day of the challenge, the suitors continue aggravating Odysseus and ignore the warnings from Theoclymenus of their impending doom.

As the fight for Penelope’s hand in marriage begins, the Queen brings out Odysseus’ back-sprung bow. However, the suitors fail dismally to string the bow. When Antinous suggests postponing the challenge to another day, Odysseus, still bearing the disguise of the beggar, requests to be given a chance.

He ends up succeeding in the challenge, thereby revealing his true identity as Penelope’s real husband. And in the final part of Book 21, he stands with his son facing the suitors.

Book 22 dives into the ensuing battle between Odysseus and the suitors. He swiftly kills Antinous and Eurymachus while Telemachus slays Amphinomus. Melanthius, who had assaulted Odysseus twice while he was in disguise, is caught and tortured to death. The blessings of Athena bear fruition as Odysseus slays all suitors and bestows justice on all.

Penelope refuses to believe Eurycleia’s account of how Odysseus had vanquished all her suitors and returned from the dead. So, she decides to test him. She orders the nurse to take out her bedstead from her chamber and spread blankets over it.

However, this is the same bedstead that Odysseus had carved with his own hands. Therefore, only the real Odysseus would know that the queen's bed-chamber was made around a tree and hence, could not be moved.

Odysseus thought Penelope had destroyed the bedstead he had made and expressed anguish at the thought. This, in turn, clears Penelope of her earlier suspicions that the beggar was indeed her husband.

The final book wraps up the story perfectly. It begins with Hermes guiding the slain souls to the Land of the Dead. While in the land of the living, Odysseus reunites with his old father, Laertes.

But trouble brews on the horizon when Antinous' father, Eupithes, calls forth for revenge upon learning about the massacre of the suitors. However, only Athena’s intervention helps the men avoid another bloody battle and civil war.

Main Characters of The Odyssey

The Odyssey has numerous characters. But, the three significant characters are Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus.

Odysseus is Homer’s epic hero, the valiant Greek warrior whose cunning and bravery earned him glory in the Trojan War. However, like most epic heroes, Odysseus is not a flat character. Nor is he without any flaws. Keeping that in mind, let’s dive into the notable points of Odysseus as an epic hero.

Odysseus’ distinguishing traits are his strength, loyalty, desire for glory, and wittiness. We see an instance of his cunning when he fights the cyclops, Polyphemus. Odysseus introduces himself as “Nobody” to the Cyclops:

So, when Odysseus and his men attack the Cyclops, he shouts for help but is misunderstood by his friends when he says that "Nobody" is attacking him.

Odysseus’ loyalty is also a central highlight in the epic. Even though, like all other Greek heroes, the King of Ithaca longs for kleos (glory through majestic deeds), he does not forfeit notos (homecoming) for it. After the Battle of Troy, he longs to be home beside his wife and his son. That’s why he does not think twice about leaving Calypso’s land. Even though he admits that his mortal wife Penelope’s beauty falls short of the goddess, he must return home.

Penelope has been dismissed by critics to be nothing more than a maternal figure waiting for her son and husband to return. But modern analysts view her as a strong feminist character who is trying to do her best given her unfortunate situation.

As various suitors take advantage of Penelope’s hospitality and kind nature to settle in Odysseus’ palace and vie for her hand in marriage, she does all she can to stall them.

She promised to marry one of the suitors after completing weaving a shroud for the eventual death of her father-in-law Laertes. However, after working on the shroud in the morning, Penelope would secretly unravel the shroud at night.

This proves that Penelope is worthy of being Odysseus’ wife in terms of intellect.

Telemachus