After ten years of war, Odysseus begins a journey home that will last another ten years and test every measure of his courage, intelligence, endurance, and loyalty. Homer's The Odyssey is one of the foundational epics of Western literature-a sweeping tale of adventure, temptation, divine intervention, and the longing to return home.
Following the fall of Troy, Odysseus sets sail for his kingdom of Ithaca, but the anger of the sea god Poseidon drives him far from his course. His wanderings bring him face-to-face with the one-eyed Cyclops, the enchantress Circe, the deadly Sirens, the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, and the seductive promise of immortality. While Odysseus struggles across the seas, his wife, Penelope, holds their household together against a growing company of suitors who believe him dead and seek to seize his throne.
Blending mythology, action, tragedy, humor, and psychological insight, The Odyssey explores the meaning of heroism beyond the battlefield. Its enduring themes of identity, perseverance, hospitality, family, and homecoming have influenced storytellers for nearly three thousand years and continue to make it one of the most widely read works of world literature.
