The Odyssey by Homer Attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer, The Odyssey is one of the foundational works of Western literature, composed around the 8th century BCE. It recounts the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he returns home after the Trojan War. Facing monsters like the Cyclops, enchantresses like Circe, and the wrath of Poseidon, Odysseus relies on cunning (metis) rather than brute strength. Meanwhile, his wife Penelope fends off suitors, and his son Telemachus seeks news of his father. The poem explores themes of hospitality, loyalty, identity, and the tension between civilization and chaos. Structurally innovative, it uses flashbacks and multiple perspectives long before modern narrative techniques. More than an adventure, The Odyssey is a meditation on what it means to be human: resourceful, flawed, longing for home. Its archetypes—the trickster hero, the faithful spouse, the testing journey—influence countless stories today. From James Joyce’s Ulysses to modern films, its legacy endures. The Odyssey reminds us that the greatest battles are often internal, and that home is not just a place, but a state of belonging earned through perseverance.
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