full title The Odyssey
author Homer; some critics argue for multiple authorship
type of work Poem
genre Epic
language Ancient Greek (Ionic dialect mixed with archaic forms
and other dialects)
time and place written Unknown, but probably mainland Greece,
approximately 700 b.c.e.
date of first publication Unknown
narrator The poet, who invokes the assistance of the Muse; Odysseus narrates
Books 9–12.
point of view The narrator speaks in the third person and is omniscient.
He frequently offers insight into the thoughts and feelings of even minor
characters, gods and mortals alike; Odysseus narrates Books 9–12 in
the first person. Odysseus freely gives inferences about the thoughts
and feelings of other characters.
tone Celebratory and nostalgic; the poet views the times
in which the action is set as glorious and larger than life.
tense Past; large portions of the poem (especially Books 9–12)
are narrated in flashbacks.
setting (time) Bronze Age (approximately twelfth century b.c.e.); the Odyssey begins
where the Iliad ends and covers the ten years after
the fall of Troy.
setting (place) Odysseus’s wanderings cover the Aegean and surrounding
seas and eventually end in Ithaca, in northwestern Greece; Telemachus
travels from Ithaca to southern Greece.
protagonist Odysseus
major conflict Odysseus must return home and vanquish the suitors
who threaten his estate; Telemachus must mature and secure his own reputation
in Greek society.
rising action The return of Odysseus to Ithaca; the return of Telemachus
to Ithaca; their entrance into the palace; the abuse Odysseus receives;
the various omens; the hiding of the arms and locking of the palace
doors; Penelope’s challenge to the suitors; the stringing of the
bow
climax The beginning of Book 22, when
the beggar in the palace reveals his true identity as Odysseus
falling action Odysseus and Telemachus fight and kill the suitors;
they put to death the suitors’ allies among the palace servants.
themes The power of cunning over strength; the pitfalls of
temptation; the tension between goals and obstacles; the misery
of separation; maturation as a journey
motifs Disguises; storytelling; seductresses
symbols Food; the wedding bed; the great bow; symbols of temptation (Circe,
the lotus, the Sirens’ song, the cattle of the Sun)
foreshadowing Agamemnon’s fate at the hands of his wife and his
vindication by his son foreshadow the domestic troubles and triumphs
Odysseus faces when he returns to Ithaca; Odysseus is nearly recognized
by his wife and servants several times in Books 18–19,
foreshadowing the revelation of his identity in Book 22.
