The epic The Odyssey by Homer is set in the Aegean seas and Greece in 12th century B.C. It begins in media res, in the midst of events, at the end of the Trojan War and the fall of Troy which are depicted in Homer’s other epic The Illiad. The plot of The Odyssey revolves around the main character Odysseus who survives adverse situations by using his intellect. Even though Odysseus is a warrior and a war hero, he relies more on his wits to overcome his enemies which is evident in his encounters with characters such as the giant Polyphemus, the monsters Scylla and Charybdis and his wife Penelope’s many suitors. The themes explored in The Odyssey illuminate the importance of brains over brawn, resisting the temptation and the toils of a journey. Odysseus has to overcome the temptations of the Lotus-Eaters, the witch Circe, the beautiful Sirens and the nymph Calypso in order to achieve his objectives. An intriguing part of the epic is the presentation of Odysseus’s meeting with the prophet Tiresias who foresees the future, and provides him with directions on how to reach his destination.
The Odyssey takes the reader on a tumultuous journey with Odysseus as he wonders through lands and seas, and the underworld in order to reach the final destination of his home Ithaca and re-unite with his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus.
Reviewed by Ryhanna Salie