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The Odyssey - Summary of all Books
- Book 1
- The story opens with a conclave of the Gods; Athene ask why Odysseus is kept
prisoner by Calypso. Zeus answers that it is because he has blinded
Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon and Poseidon keeps a grudge against him.
- Athene goes to Ithaca and finds the palace of Odysseus full of
a horde of suitors who have refused to leave until Penelope
should chose one of them for her husband.
- Athene meets Telemachus, Odysseus' son in the shape of a
friend of the oikos, Mentes.
- She advises him to call a public meeting to
assert his authority and then go to Pylos in search
of news for his father.
- Telemachus enters the hall and
asserts himself for the first time,
but he has no position of authority
- he is still a boy.
- The Suitors do not feel threatened and see
Telemachus' actions as the actions of a boy.
- The Suitors do not feel threatened and see
Telemachus' actions as the actions of a boy.
- The story opens with a conclave of the Gods; Athene ask why Odysseus is kept
prisoner by Calypso. Zeus answers that it is because he has blinded
Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon and Poseidon keeps a grudge against him.
- Book 5
- The gods hold a meeting and decide to send Odysseus home again.
- Hermes, the messenger is dispatched to
Calypso's island and gives her the message
from Zeus.
- Calypso is distraught at the news and offers
Odysseus immortality to stay, but he refuses and
says that he must leave.
- Odysseus builds a raft out of raw materials and is sent on
his way with parcels of food, wine, nice clothes and a
favourable wind from Calypso
- He voyages over stormy seas and his ship is wrecked when Poseidon
discovers the gods decision about his freedom.
- Ino helps Odysseus by giving him a veil
that would protect him from injury and
death and Athene gives him the
wisdom of deciding to swim into the
mouth of a river near the shore.
- Odysseus is cast ashore on the
island of Phaeacia and falls
asleep in a bush
- The gods hold a meeting and decide to send Odysseus home again.
- Book 6
- Odysseus is awakened by the voice of
girls at play
- Athene appears to Nausicaa in a
dream in the form of Dymas, a friend
and places the idea of washing her
clothes down by the river in the
morning and to take a chariot with her,
so that she can meet Odysseus
- He comes forward to the
king's daughter, but all of
her maids run away and
leave her to question the
stranger
- She offers him food and clothes (xenia) and leads him
to the palace behind her chariot.
- Odysseus is awakened by the voice of
girls at play
- Book 7
- As Odysseus is passing
through the city, Athene
hides him in a cloud of mist
and guides him to the palace
of Alcinous disguised as a
slave girl and gives him
background information on
the Phaecians
- Odysseus
reaches the
palace and
appeals to
Queen Arete
and her
husband. They
recieve him
and give him
xenia and
promise a safe
conduct to his
own country
- As Odysseus is passing
through the city, Athene
hides him in a cloud of mist
and guides him to the palace
of Alcinous disguised as a
slave girl and gives him
background information on
the Phaecians
- Book 8
- Next day the Phaecian games are held in which
Odysseus takes part after being insulted by Euryalus
- The blind bard Demodocus sings the tale
of Ares and Aphrodite's affair
- A comedic element
- A comedic element
- He then sings about the Trojan war
and Odysseus is deeply moved to
tears. Alcinous sees this and asks his
host who he is.
- Next day the Phaecian games are held in which
Odysseus takes part after being insulted by Euryalus
- Book 9
- "I am Odysseus" he answers and tells the
long story of his adventures
- The Lotus-Eaters, The Laestragonians
- The Lotus-Eaters, The Laestragonians
- The escape from the Cyclops
- The lying tale "My name is Nobody"
- The lying tale "My name is Nobody"
- "I am Odysseus" he answers and tells the
long story of his adventures
- Book 10
- Next he describes how he visited
the island of the winds and how
Aelous bottled up all the winds in
a bag (expect the west wind)
which was to blow him home
- However his crew began to be jealous of Odysseus
renown and the lack of appreciation they were
receiving and so, opened the bag which blew them
back to Aelous' land
- Aelous was shocked and sent them away believing they were cursed by the Gods
- Odysseus and his crew then came across the Island of Circe
- Circe turned his crew into pigs but because Hermes gave
Odysseus the 'mole' plant as an antidote he managed to
infiltrate Circe's lair and turn his men back to normal
- Circe turned his crew into pigs but because Hermes gave
Odysseus the 'mole' plant as an antidote he managed to
infiltrate Circe's lair and turn his men back to normal
- Odysseus and his crew then came across the Island of Circe
- They stayed there for a year and then Odysseus asked Circe if they could leave and continue their jouney
- She obliged but said they first had to consult the prophet Tiresias in the underworld and ask him about future events
- Elpenor dies
- Elpenor dies
- She obliged but said they first had to consult the prophet Tiresias in the underworld and ask him about future events
- Next he describes how he visited
the island of the winds and how
Aelous bottled up all the winds in
a bag (expect the west wind)
which was to blow him home
- Book 11
- Odysseus visits the underworld
- He talks to the souls of heroes he fought
against and alongside in the Trojan war and
women of old days
- Heroes like Achilles, Ajax, Agamemnon and Heracles
- Women including Jocasta and Pheadra
- Heroes like Achilles, Ajax, Agamemnon and Heracles
- Tiresias tells him that he will come to die in his homeland when
he is old, happy and surrounded by prosperous people
- Odysseus discovers
the shade of his
mother, Anticleia who
died of longing for her
son to return. She
gives him information
about the events
happening in Ithaca
and pleads him to
return for Penelope's
sake
- Odysseus visits the underworld
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