The Odyssey Character List

Odysseus
The epic hero of The Odyssey, Odysseus is a fascinating character full of contradictions.
While he is intent on returning home to his faithful wife, Penelope, and his adult son he has
barely seen, Telemachus, Odysseus also willingly beds down with not one but two beautiful
goddesses during his travels and expresses little remorse for his infidelities - though he rails
against the suitors who are trying to capture his wife.
The contradictions extend to Odysseus' intellect. Blessed with great physical strength (which he
amply demonstrates, despite his years, at several moments), he has an equally keen mind that
bails him out of many dire straits. There is no better "improviser" or "strategist" in Greek
mythology, though the label attached is often "cunning" or "deceiver"; indeed, many Greeks
saw Odysseus' habit of lying as a vice and a weakness. His penchant for disguise complements
his ability to make up plausible stories about his background. Although Odysseus' ingenuity
comes across as his chief weapon, his Achilles' heel of sorts is the frequency with which he falls
victim to temptation and makes grave tactical errors, none more so than when adding insult to
injury to Polyphemus and revealing his true name. Still, Odysseus is aware of this flaw, and bids
his men to tie him up when they pass by the Sirens, the exemplars of temptation. By the end of
his journey, he has learned to resist temptation, willingly suffering abuse by the suitors to meet
his eventual goal of destroying them.

Despite his occasional gaffe, Odysseus is a courageous and just leader who inspires admiration
and respect from his shipmates and servants; the faithfulness of his dog and swineherd after so
many years says as much. The near-constant protection he enjoys from the goddess Athena
seems justifiable for a man who has endured so many hardships, and cast away so many
luxuries, to reunite with his beloved family.
Telemachus
Odysseus' son, Telemachus, undergoes a miniature odyssey of his own. A callow 20-year-old
afraid to challenge the suitors at the start of the poem, by the end, thanks in part to Athena's
grooming, he is an assured, mature young man ready to take on the suitors.

During his short journey to learn about the father he does not know, Telemachus is the
beneficiary of "xenia," the Greek term for hospitality. He repays the favor to others who need
help and is a respectful traveler. Though he has not inherited his father's gift for cunning, The
Odyssey ends with the promise that Telemachus will one day make a fine ruler of Ithaca.
Penelope
The beautiful wife of Odysseus, Penelope has always given critics difficulty. Does she refrain
from expelling the suitors only because she fears their retribution, as she claims, or does she in
some ways enjoy the attention? Though she weeps for Odysseus nightly, she does not even
force the suitors to act with proper decorum.
However, her faithfulness to her husband does remain steadfast, and she even shares his
proclivity for trickery, promising to remarry once she has finished weaving a shroud for Laertes,
but unraveling it each night (the suitors catch on after a few years). Penelope is also fiercely
protective of Telemachus, and speaks out against the suitors when she hears of their plans to
murder him. After Odysseus' disguised arrival, Penelope's loyalty to her husband is more
evident, as is her sadness over his presumed death.
Athena
Daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom and battle (and of the womanly arts, though this is
barely touched upon), Athena is Odysseus' most powerful ally. Frequently appearing
throughout The Odyssey in disguise, she offers instructions, encouragement, and magical
protection to Odysseus and Telemachus, whom she grooms in the ways of a prince. Yet she also
tests Odysseus at times; when he is disguised as a beggar, she provokes the suitors to abuse
him to see, ostensibly, if Odysseus will give in to temptation and fight back. She also does not
intervene in the climactic battle until the end, once Odysseus has proven his mettle.
The suitors
Led by the manipulative Antinous, the hotheaded Eurymakhos, and the rational, somewhat
decent Amphinomos, the suitors, numbering over one hundred, ungratefully live off Odysseus'
estate in their pursuit of the beautiful and wealthy Penelope. They revel nightly with Odysseus'
food and his willing female servants and bully around Telemakhos, defying the sacred Greek
value of "xenia" (hospitality). Homer's unsympathetic portrait of them ensures that the
audience enjoys the suitors' extremely violent end.
Poseidon
God of the sea, Poseidon is Odysseus' central antagonist for the middle section of The Odyssey.
Enraged over Odysseus' blinding of his Cyclops son Polyphemus, Poseidon is directly
responsible for most of Odysseus' troubles at sea.
Servants of Odysseus
Odysseus' servants are split into two camps according to loyalty. His swineherd Eumaeus and
old nurse Eurkyleia epitomize the loyal servants, while the siblings Melanthius and Melantho
lead the backstabbing group that sides with the suitors.
Odysseus The central figure in the epic, he employs guile as well as courage to return to Ithaca,
defeat the suitors, and resume his proper place as king.
Penelope Wife of Odysseus and mother of their son, Telemachus, she is shrewd and faithful in
fending off the suitors.
Telemachus Son of Odysseus and Penelope, the prince struggles to gain his own maturity while
attempting to deal with the problems of the palace.
Laertes Odysseus' father, the old king lives humbly and in solitude on a small farm where he
mourns the absence of his son; once reunited with Odysseus, he is restored to dignity.
Anticleia Odysseus' mother, she dies grieving her son's long absence and sees him only during
his visit to the Land of the Dead.
Eurycleia Faithful old nurse to Odysseus (as well as Telemachus), she identifies her master
when she recognizes an old scar on his leg.
Eumaeus and Philoetius Odysseus' loyal swineherd and cowherd, they assist him in his return
to Ithaca and stand with the king and prince against the suitors.
Argos Trained by Odysseus some twenty years before, the discarded old dog, dying on a dung
heap, recognizes his master as Odysseus and Eumaeus approach the palace.
Antinous and Eurymachus The two leading suitors, they differ in that Antinous is more
physically aggressive while Eurymachus is a smooth talker.
Eupithes Father of Antinous, he leads the suitors' families and friends who seek revenge for the
slaughter and is killed by Laertes.
Melanthius and Melantho Odysseus' disloyal goatherd and an insolent palace maidservant,
these two are representative of those who serve their master poorly, and each is rewarded
with a grisly death.
Agamemnon King of Mycenae and commander of the Greek expedition to Troy, he was
assassinated by his wife and her lover upon his return home. Homer frequently refers to him,
comparing Penelope favorably to Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra. Odysseus sees him in the
Land of the Dead.
Tiresias The blind seer of Thebes, he meets Odysseus in the Land of the Dead, warns him of
impending dangers, offers advice, and foretells a later quest and a long life.
Alcinous King of the Phaeacians, he encourages Odysseus to tell the story of his wanderings and
helps the hero return to Ithaca.
Nausicaa Daughter of Alcinous and Queen Arete, she finds Odysseus when he washes ashore
on Phaeacia and expresses an attraction toward him.
Gods, Monsters, and Supernatural Beings
Zeus King of the gods, he is somewhat unpredictable but usually supports wayfaring suppliants,
hospitality, and his daughter Athena in her concern for Odysseus.
Athena Sometimes called "Pallas Athena" or "Pallas," she frequently intervenes on Odysseus' or
Telemachus' behalf, often in disguise and sometimes as Mentor, the prince's adviser.
Polyphemus Also known as "the Cyclops," the one-eyed cannibal giant who traps Odysseus and
a scouting party in his cave and is blinded when they escape.
Poseidon God of the sea and father of Polyphemus, he seeks revenge on Odysseus for blinding
his son.
Calypso A goddess-nymph, she holds Odysseus captive for seven years, sleeping with him,
hoping to marry him, and releasing him only at Zeus' order.
Circe A goddess-enchantress who turns some of Odysseus' crew into swine, she reverses the
spell and becomes Odysseus' lover for a year, advising him well when he departs.
Aeolus Master of the winds, he helps Odysseus get within viewing distance of Ithaca but later
abandons the voyager, concluding that anyone so unlucky must be cursed.

ODYSSEY SUMMARY
Years after the end of the Trojan War, the Greek hero Odysseus still hasn't come
home to Ithaka. Most people figure he's dead. But we don't: Homer lets us know
right away that Odysseus is being held as a (willing) sex captive on the island of the
goddess Kalypso. Oh, and sea god Poseidon is ticked off at Odysseus, and sees no
reason to let him get home.

Introduction
After an invocation to the Muse of poetry, the epic begins in medias res ("in the middle of
things"). Odysseus has been gone from Ithaca for about 20 years — the first 10 spent fighting
the Trojan War, the last 10 trying to get home.
Meanwhile, Odysseus' wife, Penelope, tries to fend off over 100 suitors who have invaded the
royal palace, seeking her hand in marriage (and a chance of ruling Ithaca), and indulging in great
amounts of food and wine at the hosts' expense. Telemachus, son of Odysseus and Penelope, is
just coming of age (he is approximately 21) and is at a loss as to what to do about the suitors.
Mother and son yearn for Odysseus' return.
Books 1-4
The first four books deal with Telemachus' struggle (in fact, Odysseus does not appear in the
epic until Book 5). A secondary plot in The Odyssey is Telemachus' coming of age, his own
quest, which scholars sometimes refer to as the "Telemacheia."
The goddess Athena appears to the young prince in disguise and advises him to gather an
assembly of the island's leaders to protest the invasion of the suitors. Soon after, he is to visit
King Nestor of Pylos and King Menelaus of Sparta, old comrades of his father's, to gather from
them any new of Odysseus.
At the assembly, the two leading suitors — the aggressive Antinous and the smooth-talking
Eurymachus — confront the prince. They accuse Penelope of delaying too long in her choice of
a new husband. Telemachus speaks well but accomplishes little at the assembly because the
suitors are from some of the strongest families in the area and are impatient with Penelope's
delays.
As Telemachus secretly sets off for Pylos and Sparta, the suitors plot to assassinate him. At
Pylos, Telemachus learns little of his father but is encouraged to visit Sparta where King
Menelaus reports that Odysseus is alive but held captive by the goddess nymph Calypso.
Books 5-8
Homer leaves the story of Telemachus as the suitors are about to ambush his ship on its return
to Ithaca. At Athena's urging, the gods have decided to free Odysseus from Calypso. Hermes,
the messenger god, delivers the order to Odysseus' captor. Odysseus has spent seven years
with the goddess, sleeping with her at night and pining for his home and family during the day.
Calypso is a beautiful, lustful nymph who wants to marry Odysseus and grant him immortality,
but he longs for Penelope and Ithaca. Reluctantly, Calypso sends Odysseus on his way.
Poseidon, the sea god, spots the wayfarer and, seeking revenge because Odysseus blinded
Poseidon's son Cyclops, shipwrecks Odysseus on Phaeacia, which is ruled by King Alcinous. The
Phaeacians, civilized and hospitable people, welcome the stranger and encourage him to tell of
his adventures. Through Odysseus' narration, the reader goes back 10 years and hears his tale.
Books 9-12
Known as "The Wanderings of Odysseus," this section is the most famous of the epic. At the
end of the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men sail first to the land of the Cicones. The Greeks
succeed in raiding the central city but linger too long and are routed by a reserve force. Hoping
to sail directly home, the flotilla instead encounters a severe storm, brought on by Athena, that
blows them far off course to the land of the Lotus-eaters. These are not hostile people, but
eating the lotus plant removes memory and ambition; Odysseus is barely able to pull his men
away and resume the journey.
Curiosity compels Odysseus to explore the land of the Cyclops, a race of uncivilized,
cannibalistic, one-eyed giants. One of them, Polyphemus (also known simply as "Cyclops"),
traps Odysseus' scouting party in his cave. To escape, Odysseus blinds the one-eyed monster,
incurring the wrath of the giant's father, Poseidon.
Aeolus, the wind god, is initially a friendly host. He captures all adverse winds and bags them
for Odysseus, who is thus able to sail within sight of Ithaca. Unfortunately, his men suspect that
the bag holds treasure and open it while Odysseus sleeps. The troublesome winds blow the
party back to Aeolus, who wants no more to do with them, speculating that they must be
cursed by the gods.
The next hosts, the cannibalistic Laestrygonians, sink all the ships but Odysseus' in a surprise
attack. The remaining Greeks reach Aeaea, home of the beautiful enchantress Circe, who turns
several of them into pigs. With advice from Hermes, Odysseus cleverly defeats Circe and
becomes her lover. She lifts the spell from his men and aids in the group's eventual departure a
year later, advising Odysseus that he must sail to the Land of the Dead. There, he receives
various Greek heroes, a visit from his own mother, and an important prophecy from the seer
Tiresias. Odysseus resumes his journey.
Barely surviving the temptations of the Sirens' songs and an attack by a six-headed monster
named Scylla, Odysseus and his crew arrive at the island of the Sungod Helios. Despite severe
warnings not to, the men feast on the cattle of the Sungod during Odysseus' brief absence. Zeus
is outraged and destroys the ship as the Greeks depart, killing all but Odysseus, who is washed
ashore at Calypso's island, where he stays until released seven years later.
Books 13-24
The story of his adventures finished, Odysseus receives the admiration and gifts of the
Phaeacians who follow their tradition of returning wayfaring strangers to their homelands by
sailing him to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Athena helps Telemachus avoid the suitors' ambush and
arranges for him to meet his father at their pig farm not far from the palace.
Reunited with his son and with the assistance of Athena and his faithful swineherd Eumaeus,
Odysseus returns to his home palace disguised as a beggar. For the time, he resists striking back
at the suitors who insult and assault him. Penelope seems at least suspicious that he is her
husband, but it is Eurycleia, a loyal nurse who cared for Odysseus when he was a child, who has
no doubt of his identity as she discovers an old scar on his leg when she bathes him.
Penelope arranges a contest, vowing to wed any man who can string the great bow of Odysseus
and shoot an arrow through a dozen axes as he used to do. The suitors all fail; only Odysseus
himself can perform the feat. With deft planning and more help from Athena, he and
Telemachus and two faithful herdsmen slaughter the suitors. Odysseus and Penelope are
reunited, as are Odysseus and his aging father, Laertes. Athena makes peace with the suitors'
vengeful friends and families, avoiding civil war. Odysseus is home at last.