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Sep 14, 2024 · Odysseus, in Greek legend, the wise and courageous king of Ithaca who is the hero of Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus’s wanderings and the recovery of his house and kingdom are the central theme of the epic, which also relates how he accomplished the capture of Troy by means of the wooden horse.
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- Overview
- The story
- Composition and early translations
The Odyssey is an epic poem in 24 books traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. The poem is the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, who wanders for 10 years (although the action of the poem covers only the final six weeks) trying to get home after the Trojan War.
Where does the Odyssey take place?
The majority of the Odyssey takes place on and around the Aegean Sea before concluding in Odysseus’s kingdom of Ithaca.
How was the Odyssey originally performed?
The Odyssey was intended for oral performance. The poem was likely transmitted through generations of oral poets well before it was written down. It’s been suggested that oral poets performed epics such as the Odyssey in song form.
What are the most popular English-language translations of the Odyssey from the 20th century?
The Odyssey does not follow a linear chronology. The reader begins in the middle of the tale, learning about previous events only through Odysseus’s retelling. The first four books set the scene in Ithaca. Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, and their young son, Telemachus, are powerless before her arrogant suitors as they despair of Odysseus’s return from the siege of Troy. Telemachus is searching for news of his father, who has not been heard from since he left for war nearly 20 years earlier. He journeys secretly to the Peloponnese and seeks out two men who fought with Odysseus in the war at Troy, Nestor and Menelaus, and discovers that his father is indeed still alive.
The second four books (V–VIII) introduce the main character, Odysseus, as he is being released from captivity by the nymph Calypso on the island of Ogygia. He suffers a shipwreck and lands on the shore of Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians. In Books IX–XII Odysseus tells the Phaeacians of the harrowing journey he and his crew endured as they tried to find their way home—including their encounters with the lotus-eaters, Laestrygonians, and the sorceress Circe, their narrow escape from the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, their ordeal navigating between Scylla and Charybdis, and the final shipwreck in which Odysseus is washed ashore on Ogygia alone.
Finally, Books XIII–XXIV, the second half of the poem, find Odysseus back in Ithaca, facing unexpected obstacles and danger. He meets with his protector-goddess Athena and reveals himself first to his faithful swineherd Eumaeus and then to Telemachus before developing a complicated plan to dispose of the suitors. During Odysseus’s absence, Penelope resisted the importuning of more than a hundred suitors—who have stayed in Odysseus’s house, eating, drinking, and carousing while waiting for her to decide among them. In order to reunite with his wife, Odysseus kills them all, with the aid of Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Philoetius (a servant and cowherd).
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Scholars date the writing of the Odyssey to about 725–675 bce. The poem was intended for oral performance. It was composed of 12,109 lines written in dactylic hexameter (sometimes referred to as “Homeric hexameter”)—that is, each line consisted of six feet, or metrical units, and each foot consisted of a dactyl (a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables). The original work may not have been constructed into the 24 books known to the contemporary reader, and the parts were certainly not in codex form. In the ancient world, the poem was likely written in columns on rolls made from papyrus, or possibly some kind of animal skin (such as vellum and parchment). Given its extraordinary length, the poem may have actually occupied 24 individual rolls. Homer’s role in the writing of the poem and whether he was literate have been a source for rich scholarly debate, commonly referred to as the “Homeric Question.”
Until the 15th century all volumes of the Odyssey in circulation were in handwritten Greek. In 1488 the first printed version (still in Greek) was produced in Florence. The earliest vernacular translations of the Odyssey from its original Ionic Greek dialect began to appear in Europe during the 16th century. Applying the ancient Greek metre to contemporary vernaculars, especially to words meant to be spoken aloud rather than read privately, posed a particular challenge, forcing translators to add and invent words in order to make the metre work. Some have translated it into prose and some into verse.
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In Greek mythology, Odysseus is the great-grandson of Hermes, one of the twelve Olympian Gods. He is the son of Laertes, the king of Ithaca, and Anticlea and the husband of Penelope and father of a child named Telemachus. Known for his leadership skills, wit, and intelligence, Odysseus is most famous for his ten-year journey had after the ...
- Laertes
- Anticlea
- Male
- Olysseus, Oulixeus, Oulixes
Odysseús, Odyseús, IPA: [o.dy (s).sěu̯s]), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses (/ juːˈlɪsiːz / yoo-LISS-eez, UK also / ˈjuːlɪsiːz / YOO-liss-eez; Latin: Ulysses, Ulixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer 's epic poem the Odyssey.
Odysseus's trials remind us of the challenges we face in our own journeys, and his ultimate success offers hope that determination and wit can overcome even the most daunting obstacles. The epic's rich tapestry of characters and events continues to captivate readers, affirming its place as a masterpiece of world literature. The Odyssey Sources
Mar 1, 2023 · Overview. The Odyssey —an epic poem made up of 24 books—is one of the earliest works of ancient Greek literature. Together with the Iliad, it is one of two epics said to have been written by Homer, a Greek poet of quasi-mythical status. The Odyssey was probably composed around 750–700 BCE, shortly after the Iliad.
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Aug 30, 2023 · In Greek mythology, the name Odysseus is synonymous with bravery, cunning, and resilience. The epic story of Odysseus chronicled in Homer’s poem Odyssey, has captivated audiences for centuries. From his humble origins to his perilous adventures and triumphant return home, the life of Odysseus is a testament to the strength of the human will ...
