The Odyssey Major Work Data Sheet
Title/Author: The OdysseyBy: HomerDate of Publication/Genre: unknown; epic poem | Biographical information about the author: Next to nothing is known about Homer. He probably lived in the late eighth and early seventh centuries. He was blind and he also composed Iliad. | Historical information on the period of publication: The time was very influential to the story. During this time, all stories were passed on by word of mouth. People who were gifted with a silver tongue were held in high regard at that time. Songs were told almost as though they were singing them. Some people of high power would blind people that had a knack for telling so that the story teller would keep telling stories to them. Also, people didn’t have many explanations for things today, such as how the sun moved, why the weather changes, etc., so a lot of people back then believed this. It was basically a religion to them. | Characteristics of the genre: An epic poem is a lengthy narrative poem that usually tells about a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. | Plot Summary: Ten years have passed since the fall of Troy, and the Greek hero Odysseus still has not returned to his kingdom in Ithaca. A large and rowdy mob of suitors who have overrun Odysseus’s palace and pillaged his land continue to court his wife, Penelope. She has remained faithful to Odysseus. Prince Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, wants desperately to throw them out but does not have the confidence or experience to fight them. One of the suitors, Antinous, plans to assassinate the young prince, eliminating the only opposition to their dominion over the palace. He plans to ambush him. Unknown to the suitors, Odysseus is still alive. The beautiful nymph Calypso, possessed by love for him, has imprisoned him on her island, Ogygia. He longs to return to his wife and son, but he has no ship or crew to help him escape. On Mount Olympus, Zeus sends Hermes to rescue Odysseus from