Summary of the Odyssey

Book I
The narrator invokes the Muse to tell the story of the "man of many ways." The gods in Olympus discuss the status of Odysseus in the tenth year of his wanderings after the sack of Troy. Zeus grants his safe passage home to Ithaca from the island of the nymph Calypso, where he is currently stranded. Athena, Odysseus' special guardian, goes down to Ithaca to visit his son Telemachus. Suitors of Odysseus' wife, Penelope, are eating up all the family's resources, and Athena inspires the young man Telemachus to try to do something about it.

Book II
Telemachus calls an assembly to accuse the suitors of improper guest behavior. One of their leaders, Antinous, blames Penelope's failure to chose a new husband. Telemachus asks for a ship to go in search of news of his father among other survivors of the Trojan War, but is rejected. Athena, in disguise, promises support to Telemachus. He thus has the housewife and nurse Eurycleia secretly prepare provisions. Athena provides a ship, and Telemachus sails to Pylos.

Book III
Telemachus reaches Pylos and is warmly received at the palace of Nestor, an older warrior who had fought at Troy. Nestor describes the homecomings of other Greek heroes, including Agamemnon, who was killed upon his return by his wife, Clytemnestra. Nestor knows nothing of Odysseus and sends Telemachus on to Menelaus at Sparta.

Book IV
Menelaus and his wife Helen welcome Telemachus to Sparta. Among other stories, Menelaus describes Odysseus' construction and use of the Trojan horse to end the war and his own difficult homecoming. Menelaus predicts the destruction of the suitors, but can provide no concrete information about Odysseus. Back in Ithaca, the suitors are plotting to ambush Telemachus' ship on his way home.

Book V
Athena calls another council of the gods concerning the fate of Odysseus. Zeus sends Hermes to order Calypso to help the hero leave her island; she reluctantly agrees. Odysseus builds a raft and sets out, but Poseidon sends a storm and the craft is destroyed. Saved by a sea goddess and Athena, Odysseus swims up the mouth of a river on an unknown shore and collapses.

Book VI
Athena visits Nausicaa, princess of Phaeacia, in a dream and tells her to wash clothes in the river. The young woman sets out with a cart and many attendants. In the midst of a game, the women awaken Odysseus, who asks for their help without identifying himself. Nausicaa tells him how to get into the city and approach her royal parents, especially her mother, for help.

Book VII
Nausicaa returns home. Athena directs Odysseus to the palace of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians. Odysseus presents himself as a suppliant to the queen, Arete. He is promised transport home, even though he has still not identified himself.

Book VIII
Alcinous summons an assembly, and the nobles agree to send their guest home by ship. They all stay at the palace for a feast. A bard sings about a contest between Odysseus and Achilles, and Odysseus weeps. Other contests are held, and Odysseus wins them. The bard then sings of the affair between Ares and Aphrodite and how Hephaistos caught them. After feasting and more songs about the Trojan war, Alcinous finally questions Odysseus about his identity and his story.

Book IX
Odysseus begins his tale to the Phaeacians by finally giving his name. He then describes leaving Troy, sacking the town of the Cicones, and being driven off course by a nine-day storm. He tells of his companions' narrow escape from the Lotus Eaters, only to come to the land of the lawless Cyclops. Odysseus, in an attempt to obtain guest-gifts from the monster, gets himself and his companions trapped in the cave of Polyphemos, who begins eating two companions at each meal. Among other tricks, Odysseus organizes his men to blind the monster, and then they all escape the cave by hiding underneath Polyphemos' sheep when he lets them out in the morning. Polyphemos calls on his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus as he and his men row away.

Book X
Odysseus arrives at the island of Aeolus, king of the winds. He gives the hero all the winds except a favorable breeze tied in a bag to help him get home, but Odysseus' companions open the bag out of jealous curiosity and they are blown wildly off course. Many ships are lost in a battle against the cannibalistic Laestrygonians. The last remaining ship lands on the island of the goddess Circe. She changes a scout party into pigs, but, with the help of Hermes, Odysseus evades her spell and saves his men. They all stay and enjoy Circe's entertainment for a year. Odysseus finally demands that they leave, and Circe tells him he must visit the land of the dead and consult the seer Teiresias before he can reach home.

Book XI
Odysseus sails to the land of ghosts. Spirits flock to the sacrificial blood he has poured, but he allows none to drink until Teiresias arrives and prophesies for him. Odysseus also sees the shade of his mother and a succession of heroines. Odysseus then pauses from his story to emphasize to the Phaeacians his eagerness to return home. He then describes other ghosts he met, including Agamemnon, Achilles, and Ajax, and scenes of the underworld. Heracles speaks with him, and he departs to sail back to Circe's island.

Book XII
Circe welcomes back Odysseus' crew and tells him how to survive other dangers before him, including the Sirens, the Clashing Rocks, Scylla and Charybdis and the temptation of the herds of the Sun. They set out, pass the Sirens with wax in their ears, avoid the Clashing Rocks, and lose only six crewmen to Scylla. They reach the island of the Sun, where out of starvation Odysseus' companions kill and eat some of the god's cattle. Zeus promises Helios vengeance. The Greeks depart, and all but Odysseus are drowned in a storm. Odysseus escapes Charybdis and washes up on Calypso's island, where we met him in book one. Here he ends his tale to the Phaeacians.

Book XIII
The Phaeacians give Odysseus many gifts and prepare a ship for his return to Ithaca. Our hero falls asleep on the journey home, and the Phaeacians thus leave him on the shore, sleeping, with his many treasures, and turn around for home. In anger, Poseidon turns the Phaeacians' ship into stone. Athena, in disguise, meets Odysseus, and they try to outwit each other. Well pleased with her hero, Athena helps Odysseus hide his treasure and informs him about the problems with the suitors. She disguises him as a beggar, then goes to Sparta to encourage Telemachus to come home, too.

Book XIV
Odysseus is warmly received in the hut of his swineherd, Eumaeus, who tells him more about the evil suitors and generally proves his loyalty. Odysseus lies about his identity and crafts an elaborate story about himself as a wandering Cretan.

Book XV
In Sparta, Athena tells Telemachus to avoid the suitors' trap on his way home to Ithaca. He bids farewell to Menelaus, travels back to Pylos, and rejoins his ship. Back in Ithaca, Eumaeus tells his guest about the death of Odysseus' mother and his father's withdrawal from society. Telemachus arrives safely in Ithaca.

Book XVI
Eumaeus welcomes Telemachus to his hut and then runs to tell Penelope of her son's sate return. Athena changes Odysseus back into his natural form, and father and son are reunited. They plot the destruction of the suitors. The suitors, learning of their failure to catch Telemachus, plan other means of killing him. Penelope accuses the suitors of plotting against her son. Eumaeus returns to his hut and finds Odysseus as a beggar again.

Book XVII
The next day, Telemachus is welcomed home at the palace. While the suitors are entertaining themselves, Eumaeus and Odysseus as the beggar arrive. Telemachus sends the beggar food, but various suitors and servants mistreat him. Penelope sends for the beggar to ask if he has news of her husband. Odysseus puts off the interview with Penelope until the others have gone to bed. Eumaeus returns to his hut.

Book XVIII
Odysseus and another beggar fight. Athena inspires Penelope to dress up and present herself to the suitors, who give her many presents. In the evening, a maidservant insults Odysseus, who threatens her with terrible punishments. One of the suitors throws a stool at Odysseus. Telemachus persuades everyone to go home for the night.

Book XIX
Odysseus, Telemachus and Athena remove all the arms decorating the main hall. Penelope comes down to interview the beggar, who pretends he is a Cretan who met Odysseus while he was traveling to Troy. Penelope refuses to believe his claims that Odysseus is nearing home, but orders the beggar to be kindly treated. Odysseus lets the old nurse Eurycleia bath his feet; however, she recognizes an old scar on his leg and nearly gives him away. Penelope describes the contest she will set for the suitors in the morning to pick her new husband.

Book XX
Sleeping on the porch, Odysseus sees some of the maidservants going to bed with the suitors. Athena calms his anger and makes him sleep. Odysseus prays to Zeus for vengeance, and the god grants it. In the morning, Telemachus and Eumaeus witness more rowdy feasting by the suitors. A seer warns of imminent disaster.

Book XXI
Penelope brings out Odysseus' bow and promises to marry whoever strings it and shoots through twelve axe heads. Telemachus sets up the contest, but Odysseus signals him not to try the bow himself. Many suitors try and fail to string the bow. The beggar asks to try. Eumaeus and the cowherd have the women removed from the hall and the doors locked. Odysseus strings the bow and shoots through the axe heads. Telemachus takes up arms, as well.

Book XXII
Odysseus shoots the head suitor and reveals his identity. Odysseus and Telemachus proceed to slaughter the unarmed suitors, with Athena urging them on. The bard and the messenger are spared, but all the suitors are killed. The nurse Eurycleia is summoned, and she has the disloyal maidservants clean the bodies out of the hall. Odysseus then hangs them. Odysseus purifies the house and then sends for Penelope.

Book XXIII
Penelope does not believe Eurycleia's story about the killing of the suitors. When she comes down to the main hall, Telemachus is angry with her for not receiving Odysseus as her husband immediately. Odysseus defends her reserve. Odysseus tries to prevent rumors about the death of the suitors from spreading outside the palace. Cleaned and finely-dressed, Odysseus seems to convince Penelope he is her husband. However, she tests him, saying that she will have their bed set out in the hallway for him, when in fact the bed is built into the tree/foundation of the house. Odysseus is furious that someone cut the tree supporting the bed, and Penelope recognizes her husband. They go to bed together, and he tells her of his adventures. The next morning, Odysseus goes to see his father.

Book XXIV
Hermes leads the souls of the suitors to Hades. Agamemnon and Achilles are seen talking, and when they hear of Odysseus' return, Agamemnon praises Penelope's fidelity in contrast to that of his own wife, Clytemnestra. In Ithaca, Odysseus first tells his father a false story, but then reveals himself and is reunited with his dad. Odysseus, his father and his son then arm themselves to meet the angry relatives of the dead suitors. Odysseus' father kills their leader, but then Athena intervenes and re-establishes peace on the island.

Return to Schedule of Assignments

Ancient World I Homepage ~ Classics Department ~ Macalester College