Home : The Odyssey : Study Guide

The Odyssey Study Guide

by Homer

The Odyssey study guide contains a biography of Homer, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Ten years after the fall of Troy, the victorious Greek hero Odysseus has still not returned to his native Ithaka. A band of rowdy suitors, believing Odysseus to be dead, has overrun his palace, courting his faithful‹though weakening‹wife, Penelope, and going through his stock of food. With permission from Zeus, the goddess Athena, Odysseus' greatest immortal ally, appears in disguise and urges Odysseus' son Telemakhos to seek news of his father at Pylos and Sparta. However, the suitors, led by Antinoos, plan to ambush him upon his return.

As Telemakhos tracks Odysseus' trail through stories from his old comrades-in-arms, Athena arranges for the release of Odysseus from the island of the beautiful goddess Kalypso, whose prisoner and lover he…

Read the full The Odyssey Summary

• The Odyssey Summary
• About The Odyssey
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of Books 1-4
• Summary and Analysis of Books 5-8
• Summary and Analysis of Books 9-12
• Summary and Analysis of Books 13-16
• Summary and Analysis of Books 17-20
• Summary and Analysis of Books 21-24
• Related Links on The Odyssey
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• The Odyssey: Major Themes
• The Odyssey: Essays
• The Odyssey: E-Text
• The Odyssey: Questions
• The Odyssey: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Homer: Biography