The Odyssey is an epic poem about the long journey home of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, after the fall of Troy. Years pass while he is held back by storms, monsters, enchantresses and the anger of a god. Meanwhile at home his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus struggle with a crowd of unwelcome suitors who have taken over the household. The poem moves between sea and island, past and present, and celebrates cleverness, endurance, hospitality and loyalty. It is one of the earliest and most influential adventure stories, and its picture of a man longing for home continues to shape literature.
Quotes
The man for wisdom's various arts renown'dLong exercised in woes, O Muse! resound.
Fly, dotard, fly!With thy wise dreams and fables of the sky.
And what he greatly thought, he nobly dared.
Few sons attain the praiseOf their great sires, and most their sires disgrace.