The Odyssey by Homer | Summary & Analysis

Welcome to a world of mythology and history, a crazy epic fueled by imagination from which we can learn a lot. I'm Russell Jaffe, of course, Hyrum, come with me on a journey we call The Odyssey, although The Odyssey has stood the test of time. Quite incredibly, very little is actually known about its author, Homer, we know that it was written approximately 2700 years ago and is a sequel to the Iliad. Some scholars suggest that Homer may have been blind. Some think that Homer was actually a group of Some people and one scholar even suggest that perhaps Homer was a woman according to the tradition of oral storytelling.

What we do know is that the Odyssey is a true epic in every sense, filled with literary devices such as similes, metaphors and mythology to tell a story divided into 24. The book's key themes in this book include arrogance, pride or arrogance, worst case scenario, stupidity that actually drives action. The temptation that develops the characters. The hospitality. The return home. It's the journey. The deception is false. Where the will of the gods meets the ability of the characters. Sweet revenge, so much revenge. Now breaking down such a massive epic text into a

summary

is quite challenging, but the most important thing might be to remember that there are three main sections of the book.

The first section is about what is happening in Ithaca, the home. about Odysseus, our main character and his family, the second part is about what happened that led Odysseus to where he is now trapped on an island and still trying to return home after 20 years away. The third section is about Odysseus as a journey home. to seek revenge, claim his throne, and reunite with his family at last, so the book begins with the god of gods Zeus and his favorite daughter, Lena, discussing Odysseus's situation and wondering if he would. will they help or not now. quite upset with Odysseus and so is the god Poseidon, who is the sea, but Athena takes pity on Odysseus and really wants to help him and especially his family.

We see what is happening with this family throughout this section. He is in Ithaca and his son Telemachus is there. He is 20 years old and hasn't seen his father since he was a baby. Penelope Odysseus's wife has basically been in mourning for about four years with these suitors drinking wine and generally. causing chaos Penelope has denied that Odysseus will not return and is hoping that he will return Penelope has locked herself away and has been weaving a death shroud for Odysseus's elderly father, Laertes, and continues to unravel this shroud so as not to. She doesn't have to make a decision about which suitors she will choose.

The suitors hope that she will choose one of them. She marries them and moves on. Telemachus with a little help from Athena in disguise, which is a recurring theme that the gods love disguises and they love deception. Telemachus creates a plan to find his father and bring him home now, in the next part of the book, Odysseus tells us everything about what brought him to this island, a jjigae, where Calypso, a nymph who is a god, keeps him captive. minor who really adores him. We hear all about his exploits in the Trojan War and then his long 10-year journey home.

Now the main theme here is probably arrogance because even though he is incredibly strong, he is incredibly brave and he is a natural leader, the boasting of him and in some cases the bragging of him. Really letting those insults fly and the mocking fly have gotten him into these situations in the first place, particularly involving the Cyclops, the giant one-eyed monster who ends up trapping Odysseus and his men when Odysseus blinds him and his men escape the Cyclops. . cave Odysseus lets loose and says if anyone asks who blinded you, say it was Odysseus of Ithaca, well all the Cyclops has to do is pray to his father about Sidon, ruler of the seas, and the next thing you know that Odysseus is stranded on this island and can't get enough in part three Odysseus is finally able, with a little help from the gods, to escape this island and begin his journey home to seek revenge and win back his family, his home and his throne.

Now Odysseus began his journey with 600 men. but now he is the only one left, but this was also telegraphed to him by the gods and this is where we really see the theme of destiny come up a lot, the things that are beyond the characters' controls, the gods favor them, They help them, but they Not only are they on cruise control, the gods need you, mortals like Odysseus, even though he really is above average to get involved and make things happen, even though the things have been predicted to Odysseus and even though he and his family know it. the gods are favoring him, he still has to work hard, be virtuous and not fall victim to the same fate that so many others have fallen victim to, which frankly is death.

Odysseus finally arrives home and, in disguise, meets Athena also in disguise. He reunites with his family, who do not know it is him, returns to his palace, impresses his family with a series of tests that prove that it is him after all, eliminates all suitors, and finally reunites with his old man. father. This book really ends with some important themes: the relationships between parents and children, destiny itself and the role of mortality when it comes to the gods, being favored or being seen in a positive light and things that are beyond your control and therefore Of course, the return home and what it means to return home. a virtuous person now you may know the general plot, but the journey is much greater than the destination, come with me and I will guide you through all the sea monsters, finding the Lotus eating the land of the dead and disguise after disguise after disguise tests. the tribulations the pure madness that is the Odyssey