Introduction

The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey through life. The poem centers on the Greek hero Odysseus and his long journey home after the fall of Troy.

Journey Details

It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. Odysseus survives storm and shipwreck, the cave of the Cyclops and the isle of Circe, the lure of the Sirens' song and a trip to the Underworld, only to find his most difficult challenge at home, where treacherous suitors seek to steal his kingdom and his loyal wife, Penelope.

Relation to Homer’s Works

The Odyssey is Homer's sequel to the Iliad.