The Odyssey by Homer: A Book Review – Story, Characters, and Adventures

Homer's Odyssey is one of the oldest and most influential epics in Western literature. Written around the 8th century BCE, it tells the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his long, perilous journey home after the Trojan War. But the Odyssey is more than just an adventure—it's also a sequel to the Iliad, a tale of loyalty and cunning, and even the first novel of civilization. In this blog post, I explore the structure of the epic, Odysseus's famous adventures, key characters like Penelope and Telemachus, and the role of the gods. Whether you're new to Homer or revisiting the classics, this review will guide you through the world of the Odyssey.

Homer’s Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic, believed to have been written in the 8th century BCE. The book recounts the adventures of Odysseus, but it can also be seen as a sequel to the Iliad. That’s because it tells what happened to some of the key figures after the Trojan War (Ilium).

How the Odyssey Differs from the Iliad

We’ve called the Odyssey a sequel to the Iliad, but the two books differ from each other in many ways. The Iliad is an epic that describes a ten-year war, whereas the Odyssey is the epic of a single individual. There are also differences in narrative style between the two works. 

For my review of the Iliad, see here: Book Review: Homer – The Iliad

Azra Erhat, the translator of both the Iliad and the Odyssey into Turkish, also draws attention to the stylistic differences between the two epics in her introduction to the book. She writes:

“We are far removed from the world of events in the Iliad, where even the smallest details were decided in advance on the peaks of Mount Olympus or Mount Ida, and merely carried out on earth. The epic comes to life before our eyes not as a two-tiered stage, but as a sequence of events unfolding on the single level of the human world. Only by examining the structure of the Odyssey and its technique of a story within a story, an episode within an episode, from this perspective can we truly understand and appreciate it. The Odyssey is not an epic that reflects a god-human duality, one in heaven and one on earth; it is a novel told from a human perspective, seeking new meanings, images, and symbols for humanity’s relationships with superhuman and non-human beings. It is the first novel of our civilization. We said ‘film,’ and we say ‘novel’ — both are true: the Odyssey is a film to the eye, and a novel to the mind.” 

“If one thing is clear, it is that while the Iliad tells of man’s war against man, the Odyssey gives voice to man’s struggle against nature. The Odyssey is the great human epic that first gave voice to this timeless theme.”

One of the ongoing debates about the Odyssey concerns its authorship. Erhat also touches upon these debates in her introduction to the book. I won’t go into them here. However, what she says about the process of the epic’s formation is noteworthy.

“At the time the Odyssey was written down, there were sailors venturing into the Western Mediterranean. The adventures they told were passed from mouth to mouth, embellished with many legendary and folkloric elements, and became the stuff of epics. The poet we call Homer is the one who gathered all these epic fragments, transmitted through oral tradition, into a single great epic, and chose as its hero the cunning Odysseus, one of the leaders of the Trojan War. … In this form, the Odyssey is a book that brings together all the known knowledge of the Mediterranean basin at that time. Odysseus, whether Cretan, Phoenician, or Greek, emerges as the prototype of the Mediterranean-roving sailor and, in this sense, the world’s first explorer.” 

Homer – The Odyssey – Plot Summary

The Odyssey is the epic of Odysseus, king of Ithaca. Odysseus takes part in the Trojan War. The Iliad tells us that this war lasted ten years. When the war ends, Odysseus, together with his own ship and the other ships that had come with him from Ithaca, experiences a series of adventures across the Mediterranean. Of course, these adventures do not end well for Odysseus and his comrades.

Naturally, his long absence from home also leads to certain events unfolding in Ithaca. Back in Ithaca are Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus. Since Odysseus does not return for a long time, some people assume he is dead. As a result, a number of young men from both Ithaca and other kingdoms come forward as suitors for Penelope’s hand. The first reason is Penelope’s beauty; the second is that these suitors aim to possess Odysseus’s wealth and property by marrying his wife.

Penelope, however, keeps them at bay. For years, this crowd of suitors stays in Odysseus’s house, eating, drinking, and behaving arrogantly. The epic describes their numbers as follows:

"We cannot fight, the two of us, against

such strong men, and so many—there are dozens,

not just a handful. Let me tell you quickly

the number of the suitors. Fifty-two

came from Dulichium, all top-notch fighters,

who brought six henchmen. Twenty-four men came

from Same, twenty more from Zacynthus,

and from right here on Ithaca came twelve,

all strong young men." 

The Structure of the Odyssey

The Odyssey begins by describing the events taking place in Ithaca. It then continues with Telemachus setting out on a journey to seek news of his father. For this reason, the Odyssey can be divided into five distinct parts:

• Telemachus's Journey (Books 1–4)
• Odysseus on Calypso's Island (Book 5)
• Odysseus in the Land of the Phaeacians (Books 6–8)
• Odysseus Tells His Adventures (Books 9–12)
• Odysseus's Return and the Events in Ithaca (Books 13–24)

Who is Odysseus?

We can say that this epic introduces Odysseus in many aspects. First of all, as we mentioned, he is the king of Ithaca. Beyond that, he is strong and powerful, and he demonstrated his courage by taking part in the Trojan War. He was also one of those who entered the city inside the Trojan Horse and played a role in its capture.

On the other hand, the Odyssey uses a series of epithets for its main character. Let us look at a few of these epithets to see how Odysseus is described:

• Odysseus, the hospitable
• Godlike Odysseus
• Noble Odysseus
• Odysseus, the very cunning
• Much-enduring, godlike Odysseus
• Odysseus, the very clever
• Odysseus, who has suffered greatly
• Zeus-born Odysseus
• Godlike Odysseus, sacker of cities

All these epithets introduce Odysseus to the reader in many ways. For instance, the term "sacker of cities" probably refers to his participation in the Trojan War. Moreover, he is frequently called "very cunning"—sometimes, to conceal his identity from people he meets, he uses his cunning and invents stories as if he were someone else. The goddess Athena even addresses him on this account:

The Adventures of Odysseus

One of the features that makes this epic so interesting is the adventures of Odysseus. We see that after the Trojan War, Odysseus wanders the Mediterranean to every corner. Sometimes he sacks a city on one island; sometimes he becomes the captive of a goddess on another. These goddesses want to make him their husband. Meanwhile, Odysseus has lost his men, his ships, his spoils, and everything he had.

“And I will answer

your questions frankly, and tell what I learned

from the old Sea God, who can tell no lies.

He said he saw him in distress: the nymph

Calypso has him trapped upon her island,

inside her house. He cannot come back home

to his own country, since he has no fleet

or crew to row across the sea’s broad back.’” 

Encountering numerous dangerous events and creatures at sea, Odysseus even goes to the land of the dead. He also arrives in the land of the Cyclopes. There, because he blinds a Cyclops who is the son of Poseidon, he incurs the wrath of that god and cannot return home for years. In short, these adventures are endless to describe; the reader must discover them for themselves.

One of the most intriguing of these adventures is Odysseus's journey to the land of the dead. There, he sees the spirits of figures such as Agamemnon and Achilles.

What Happened After the Trojan War?

The Odyssey also occasionally mentions what happened after the Trojan War. When Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, seduced Helen, the wife of Menelaus, a ten-year war ensued. King Agamemnon, son of Atreus, had come with a great army, which included warriors such as Achilles. As is well known, the city was sacked, and the Achaeans (Greeks) emerged victorious. The Trojans had themselves dragged the horse that would be their doom into the city.

“Meanwhile,

Odysseus brought in a gang of men

into the heart of Troy, inside the horse.

The Trojans pulled the thing up to the summit,

and sat around discussing what to do.

Some said, “We ought to strike the wood with swords!”

Others said, “Drag it higher up and hurl it

down from the rocks!” But some said they should leave it

to pacify the gods. So it would be.

The town was doomed to ruin when it took

that horse, chock-full of fighters bringing death

to Trojans.” 

In the Odyssey, Odysseus's son Telemachus visits Menelaus. We see Helen there, beside her husband. After the war, Menelaus had indeed taken his wife back. Helen of Argos, wife of Menelaus, says:

“The day the Greeks marched off to Troy, their minds

fixated on the war and violence.

They made my face the cause that hounded them.”

The epic also tells us what happened to Agamemnon. Agamemnon returns home, but this time his wife conspires with another man against him, and King Agamemnon is killed. Odysseus meets him in the land of the dead. In this respect, the Odyssey sheds some light on what followed the events of the Iliad. The end of Agamemnon (son of Atreus) is described as follows:

“Meanwhile at home, Aegisthus had been plotting.

He killed the son of Atreus and seized

control of rich Mycenae, where he reigned

for seven years. But in the eighth, Orestes

came to destroy him. He returned from Athens,

and killed his father’s murderer, then called

the Argives to a funeral, a feast

for clever, scheming, cowardly Aegisthus

whom he had killed, and his own hated mother.

That very day, rambunctious Menelaus

arrived with all his ships crammed full of treasure.”

An Epic Within an Epic, a Tale Within a Tale…

The Odyssey is written in a way that creates an epic within an epic, a tale within a tale. At the very beginning, there is a narrator. We can call this narrator the poet of the epic, or Homer. From time to time, the word is also given to another poet, who then recites an epic of his own.

Furthermore, when someone is telling a story, within that story there are people who narrate multiple events, resulting in layered, interwoven narratives. As an example, here is a three-layered narrative:

1. The author of the Odyssey tells us about Telemachus's journey and his arrival at Menelaus's court.
2. There, Menelaus tells Telemachus about being trapped on an island near Egypt.
3. Then, the god Proteus, whom Menelaus captures on that island, tells Menelaus what happened to Agamemnon.

The Role of the Gods, Zeus and Athena, in the Odyssey

Homer's epics also include the Greek gods. In the Odyssey in particular, they frequently intervene in the events that take place. First and foremost, they make plans for Odysseus to finally return home after all those years. Then, Pallas Athena herself appears in human form among the characters, directs events, and helps Odysseus.

Title: The Odyssey

Author: Homer

Translation: Emily Wilson

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Year: 2018

Pages: 592