The Odyssey (by Homer) & The Odyssey Graphic Novel (by Gareth Hinds) is an epic (a very long poem) of Odysseus' (King of Itaca) 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. While Odysseus battles mystical creatures and faces the wrath of the gods, his faithful wife Penelope and his son Telemachus stave off suitors vying for Penelope's hand and Ithaca's throne long enough for Odysseus to return. The Odyssey ends as Odysseus wins a contest to prove his identity, slaughters the suitors, and retakes the throne of Ithaca. The Odyssey does not follow a linear chronology. The reader begins in the middle of the tale, learning about previous events only through Odysseus’s retelling.
Type of Work: epic poem
Genres: epic; mythology
First Published: probably around 700 B.C.
Setting: The sea and Ithaca
Main Characters: Odysseus; Penelope; Telemachus; Athena (Pallas); Polyphemus (the Cyclops) and King Alcinous; Circe and Calypso
Major Thematic Topics: hospitality; loyalty; perseverance; vengeance; appearance versus reality; spiritual growth
Motifs: mythology; love; disguises
Major Symbols: Laertes' shroud; Odysseus' bow; the sea; Ithaca
Movie Versions: Ulysses (1955); The Odyssey (1997)
Inside the epic: The odyssey
"Inside the epic: The odyssey." Literary Cavalcade, vol. 54, no. 2, 10 2001, pp. 13-17. ProQuest; eLibrary, https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/210467156?accountid=147606.
Welcome to The Odyssey LibGuide. This guide serves as a starting point for your research into and exploration of the book themes. Choose a tab at the top of the page to see a variety of resources you can explore within that topic. Citation information can be referenced on the last page of the guide. If you need additional help please let the Library know.
UN: vero31952 PW: edwards
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