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The Iliad & The Odyssey annotated
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Published October 12, 2021
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March 12, 2026
The Iliad
Keywords: Ancient Greece, Epic poem, Homer, Mythology, Classic Literature
Premise: The Iliad is a collection of 24 epic poems from Ancient Greece (670 BC) chronicling the war for Troy, before the concept of history was invented. The story focuses on the great Achaean (Greek) warrior Achilles’ emotional journey as he experiences the tragic cost of conflict, offering a timeless reflection on honour, rage, and empathy within the human condition.
Thematic Vision: The Iliad presents a stark yet compassionate view of mortal life: humans are flawed, transient beings trapped in cycles of conflict and flawed divine manipulation, yet are still capable of profound dignity and empathy.
Plot(s): These poems pre-dates traditional plot and narrative structures. However, there are elements of the Quest and Tragedy plot types, with minor elements of Voyage and Return and Rags to Riches
Short Summary: The Iliad dramatizes part of the final year of Trojan War, following the journeys of the greatest warriors on each side, Achilles for the Achaeans (Greeks), and Hector for the Ilions (Trojans). Achilles has withdrawn from the war, upset at his own King Agamemnon for seizing away Achilles’ trophy wife, Bribeis, for himself. As Achilles is believed to be a descendant of Jove (Zeus), the Olympians redirect their favor from Achaean to Iliad, and many Achaeans are subsequently slaughtered in battle with little resistance. Only Jove’s wife, Juno (Hera), his daughter, Minerva (Athena), and his brother, Neptune (Poseidon), are able to contain Jove’s wrath and prevent complete obliteration of the Achaean army.
Word gets back to Achilles that his dear comrade, Patroclus, has fallen in battle and his corpse is being mutilated by the Ilions, denying him a proper burial. This drives Achilles into a rage, finally allowing himself to put aside his differences with Agamemnon and to direct his efforts into seeking revenge by hunting down Hector, which would devastate Trojan forces. As Achilles is a descendant of Jove and a potential heir to royal lands, his return to battle also sways the will of the Olympians back in favor of the Greeks. Divine armor and shield are crafted for Achilles who gives chase to Hector. Hector is convinced to face off against his rival, after having been tricked by the gods to do so in order to spare other innocent lives. Achilles wins the duel handedly and rather than returning Hector’s body to the Trojans, he attaches the corpse to the back of his chariot and takes many victory laps around the battlefield.
Despite being dragged around face-first behind Achilles’ chariot for weeks, Hector’s body and head remain clean and undamaged, which is a sign of divine protection. As Achilles parades the corpse around Patroclus’ sepulchre, the corpse’s divine resilience prevents Achilles from getting the satisfaction he desires. Achilles is convinced by his mother to allow Hector’s father, King Priam, to ransom back Hector’s body, which Achilles agrees. Moved by Priam’s sorrow, humanity, and tears which echoed his own, Achilles relents and releases the corpse. The two enemies share a moment of mutual grief, acknowledging the universal toll of war. Achilles agrees to a 12 day ceasefire to allow the Trojans to grieve their fallen prince.
Characters:
Achilles - Achilles is the protagonist of the story, however he is largely inactive for the first dozen poems. He has withdrawn himself from battle after his own King had taken away his prized woman, Briseis (not his wife), even though this means that many of his own countrymen are being killed on the battlefield without his help. His pride is quickly overpowered by rage when he finds out that his best friend, Patroclus, is slain on the battlefield and will not be given a property burial if his body is not recovered. With the help of the gods, Achilles jumps back into battle and easily defeats Hector, claiming both corpses.
Unable to be the better man, Achilles vows to mistreat Hector’s corpse even worse than the Trojans had been doing to Patroclus’. However, the same gods that helped Achilles in battle are now protecting the corpse and not allowing Achilles to get the satisfaction that he so desires. As Achilles is faced with Hector’s crying father, he realizes that war has driven him to inflict the same pains to Priam, that he himself found to be inhumane. In a profound moment of empathy and growth, Achilles agrees to return Hector’s body and even allows the Trojans 12 days to appropriately mourn.
Jove (Zeus) - Jove is the most powerful of all Olympians and his temperament is as fickle as the winds he commands. He starts off the story strongly favouring the Trojans in order to cause suffering to the Greeks and King Agememnon, who had dishonored Achilles. His stance caused so much bloodshed that his own family had to work against him in order to avoid total annihilation of the Greek side. Jove’s mind is only changed when Achilles himself, one of Jove’s favored grandchildren, returns to battle.
Although Jove plays a large part in the story, he does not have much character. Actions attributed to him are dictated by what he believes to be “right” or “wrong” and has children on either side to carry out his will. Often his will seem to be fates that humans refuse to believe were just or deserved.
Juno, Neptune & Pluto (Hera, Poseidon, Hades) - Zeus’ wife, along with his two brothers, are three Olympians powerful enough to stand up against the King of the Gods. Their involvement in the story, along with many minor Olympians, create a dynamic hierarchy of divine powers over all things perceived to be outside of human control. Having numerous gods with varying temperaments and availabilities allows for the possibility for mortals not always being subject to the will of any single all-powerful entity. This contradictory structure allows for convenient uncertainty among acts of divinity, and in so doing, allows hope to take root on Earth.
Favourite Moments/Quotes:
Priam negotiates with Achilles: Even three thousand years ago, Homer knew that stories needed a climax before their conclusions. Although not privy to Achilles’ thoughts until after his transformation, we can see that Homer recognized the impact that this revelation would have on the audience. This shows some resemblance to modern storytelling techniques such as character growth and development, through Achilles’ ultimate reversal of emotions, and presentation of a conclusion that ties into the story’s themes of tragedies of war being inflicted on both sides and the resulting necessity of human compassion. Without this moment, much of the first 20+ poems may never have become much more than embellished recounting of historical events.
Juno tricks Jove: This scene was necessary to scale back Jove’s influence on the world. Being in full control of an all-powerful being would remove the meaning of the story, as well as in life itself. This was the scene that really illustrated the complexity behind the Olympians and creates the nuance that the gods don’t always get their way. It was very interesting to see how much of the telling of historical events had been attributed to Gods. This is an idea that resonates with me as I often contemplate on the concept of history and its mirroring of how human memories are perceived.
Opinion/Analysis:
I rated this book a 2.0/5.0. Although the story has a great climax and the narrative provides a fascinating perspective on the presence of the Ancient Greek Gods, the book is dragged down by its outdated writing techniques and prose. There are over 1,000 named characters in the book, which made the first 15 or so poems extremely difficult to get through.
My takeaways from this book tie into my two favourite moments listed above; early forms of modern writing and storytelling techniques, and the casual mingling of gods amongst men. Other storytelling techniques I noticed included warriors exchanging monologues in the heat of battle to establish stakes and character, and the repeated perfect relaying of information between humans vs trickery and deception from and amongst the gods to emphasize the contrast. I will continue to examine these ideas further in reading Homer’s next epic poem, The Odyssey, and watching the movie adaptation set to come out in 2026.
The Odyssey
Keywords: Ancient Greece, Epic poem, Homer, Mythology, Classic Literature
Premise: The story follows Odysseus’ 10 year journey home to Ithaca after the war of Troy, highlighting not only the hero’s perseverance but also that of his family who has been eagerly preparing for his return.
Thematic Vision: The epic affirms the enduring value of home, family, and cultural traditions as the foundations of a meaningful life along with the cunning, loyalty, and perseverance required to make it last.
Plot(s): Voyage and Return, Quest
Short Summary: Prince Telemachus sees that his home has been oppressed by suitors vying for his mother Penelope’s hand as it is widely believed that his father, Odysseus, has been lost at sea after the Trojan War. Penelope is holding out hope that her husband is still alive, and does everything in her power to postpone a second engagement. However, this approach results in a significant drain on the family’s finances. Guided by his visits from the Olympian, Minerva (Athena), Telemachus journeys to nearby allied cities of Pylos and Sparta to see if he can find any new information. Although he is unlikely to be successful in actually bringing his father back, Minerva states that it is important for Telemachus to be seen taking action in service of his father.
Meanwhile, Odysseus has been stranded for seven years by the nymph, Calypso, who wishes to marry the hero herself. It is not until Minerva is finally able to convince Zeus to intervene that Odysseus is able to escape. On his journey home, Odysseus must overcome several dangerous trials. Odysseus proves his strength in overpowering and blinding the great Cyclops, which incurs Poseidon’s wrath and makes travelling by sea ever more dangerous. He proves his mental resolve in journeying through even more dangerous paths through the Underworld and the deadly straits of Charybdis, guarded by the seductive sirens. Odysseus also proves his vitality by withstanding the trials of the mythical beings Circe and Helios, who claim the lives of the rest of his crew. After having been granted a magical disguise from Minerva, Odysseus finally arrives in the land of the Phaeacians, who grant him a ship, crew, and passage back to Ithaca.
Upon his arrival back in his homeland, Odysseus learns of the goings on in his home by meeting up with a loyal swineherd. The swineherd is able to covertly recruit Telemachus into the frey, allowing father and son to hatch a plot to not only take back their home, but to root out any disloyal countrymen. Telemachus and Minerva convince Penelope to host an archery contest for her hand, which Odysseus wins easily as the other suitors are not worthy of using his prized bow. After proving himself in archery, Odysseus and Telemachus slaughter the suitors and Odysseus is able to prove his identity to Penelope with a thorough description of their marital bed which she had not shared with any other man. Odysseus also orders the hanging of any housemaiden that sided with any of the suitors. After reuniting with his family and weeding out the suitors that were looking to take his place, Odysseus reconciles with the remaining families and restores peace to his homeland.
Characters:
Odysseus: Odysseus is the only character in the story that has any real character arc. He begins the story having been away from home for 20 years and desperately wanting to return. By the will of the Olympians, he is released from Calypso’s grasp and now must overcome many grueling trials and lose all his companions before he can find the way home. These trials test Odysseus’ strength, cunning, fortitude, and perseverance. When he finds his home, he realizes that it is not enough just to physically return. Under a divine disguise, he decides that he must test the loyalty of both his Son and his Wife to ensure that they have done their part in preserving the kingdom, mirroring the attributes that Odysseus showed through his own trials on the way home. Once this has been established, he comes up with a plan to root out all disloyal noblemen and housemaidens and have them killed. Upon succeeding, Odysseus himself then must prove his loyalty back to his wife to show to her that the perseverance has been reciprocated. With the royal family back together, they are able to reconcile with the remaining families and bring peace back to Ithaca.
Favourite Moments/Quotes:
Journey to the Underworld: Homer’s depiction of Odysseus’ journey through the underworld is laden with symbolic, psychological, and thematic significance that is still imitated in modern stories today. Odysseus descends to consult the dead and blind prophet Tiresias, to find more information of what is going on in his home of Ithaca. However, he soon learns that the prophecies of the dead cannot be trusted and realizes more than ever that he requires divine guidance, taught to be most valued in Ancient Greek society, which he seeks in the form of Minerva. Odysseus also encounters the spirits of his dead comrades, as well as his mother, who are lamenting on regrets that were made in their lives, inspiring Odysseus to re-evaluate his life values. This was a very interesting chapter to read as it shows the first iteration of our idea of the afterlife and how strongly those themes have endured for thousands of years.
Disguised as a beggar in his own kingdom: This part of the story shows that Odysseus’ resolve is not satisfied simply from physically returning home. In order for his house to be a home, it must maintain a certain standard of loyalty, strength, dignity, etc that Odysseus himself proved through his trials. It seemed at first that Odysseus may have been cavalier in not revealing himself right away, however it is this high standard that he has set up for his house that will ensure that it will endure further hardships and last beyond his own lifetime.
Penelope’s tests: After Odysseus wins his wife’s archery contest and reveals his true identity to Penelope, she further tests him by demanding of him to move their marriage bed, a task that only her husband would know would be impossible. Her tests work to reveal that Penelope has also been enduring her own trials of loyalty, cunning, and perseverance over the past twenty years, the same traits that Odysseus had been proving to the Gods throughout his odyssey. She accepts Odysseus as her true husband and his homecoming marks the culmination of the story’s central themes of the enduring values of family and home.
Opinion/Analysis:
I rated The Odyssey 3.5/5.0. The story was much easier to follow than the Iliad, however did not have as great of an emotional impact. Through the use of stories within the story (flashbacks), Homer is able to include more large-scale action moments, however they were never directly tied into Odysseus’ growth as a character.
Before the story even introduces Odysseus’ point of view, we see the impact of his absence on his son, Telemachus. Without knowing his father, Telemachus struggles with his own identity, worth, and concept of home. He is sent by the Gods on a journey to find his father and bring him home. This story echoes one of the core concepts of Greek mythology of the Paternal spirit (Zeus) possessing the father, and the son not being able to become a man until he either destroys this spirit, or rescues his father from its consuming nature. In my previous writings, I have shown appreciation for how this idea has become a foundational trope in the hero’s journey and it is always enlightening to see just how old these ideas are.
Much like the Iliad, there are some early versions of storytelling techniques that are introduced in The Odyssey. Although there is still very little development of character, the plot still builds to a climax and ends with the characters standing up for what they believe in and re-establishing their home. The story begins in media res (in the middle of the story) and uses flashbacks at opportune times to both recall key events and reveal more about Odysseus’ character. The Odyssey also uses multiple points of view (first Telemachus and then Odysseus) to add depth to the world by showing the impact of limited information to other perspectives.
Similar to the Iliad, the story of the Odyssey is rife with divine intervention, this time primarily from Minerva (Athena) and Neptune (Poseidon). These gods play a much smaller role than they did in the Iliad, however are still given credit for acts that were perceived to be beyond human control. Neptune’s role is to add to the struggles of Odysseus’ journey home, while Minerva shepherds both Telemachus and Odysseus to continue to do what they already believed to be right. The greatest turning points in the story (release from Calypso, killing of the suitors) are approved by Jove (Zeus) himself, which serve to explain the seemingly random will of the world.
Keywords: Ancient Greece, Epic poem, Homer, Mythology, Classic Literature
Premise: The Iliad is a collection of 24 epic poems from Ancient Greece (670 BC) chronicling the war for Troy, before the concept of history was invented. The story focuses on the great Achaean (Greek) warrior Achilles’ emotional journey as he experiences the tragic cost of conflict, offering a timeless reflection on honour, rage, and empathy within the human condition.
Thematic Vision: The Iliad presents a stark yet compassionate view of mortal life: humans are flawed, transient beings trapped in cycles of conflict and flawed divine manipulation, yet are still capable of profound dignity and empathy.
Plot(s): These poems pre-dates traditional plot and narrative structures. However, there are elements of the Quest and Tragedy plot types, with minor elements of Voyage and Return and Rags to Riches
Short Summary: The Iliad dramatizes part of the final year of Trojan War, following the journeys of the greatest warriors on each side, Achilles for the Achaeans (Greeks), and Hector for the Ilions (Trojans). Achilles has withdrawn from the war, upset at his own King Agamemnon for seizing away Achilles’ trophy wife, Bribeis, for himself. As Achilles is believed to be a descendant of Jove (Zeus), the Olympians redirect their favor from Achaean to Iliad, and many Achaeans are subsequently slaughtered in battle with little resistance. Only Jove’s wife, Juno (Hera), his daughter, Minerva (Athena), and his brother, Neptune (Poseidon), are able to contain Jove’s wrath and prevent complete obliteration of the Achaean army.
Word gets back to Achilles that his dear comrade, Patroclus, has fallen in battle and his corpse is being mutilated by the Ilions, denying him a proper burial. This drives Achilles into a rage, finally allowing himself to put aside his differences with Agamemnon and to direct his efforts into seeking revenge by hunting down Hector, which would devastate Trojan forces. As Achilles is a descendant of Jove and a potential heir to royal lands, his return to battle also sways the will of the Olympians back in favor of the Greeks. Divine armor and shield are crafted for Achilles who gives chase to Hector. Hector is convinced to face off against his rival, after having been tricked by the gods to do so in order to spare other innocent lives. Achilles wins the duel handedly and rather than returning Hector’s body to the Trojans, he attaches the corpse to the back of his chariot and takes many victory laps around the battlefield.
Despite being dragged around face-first behind Achilles’ chariot for weeks, Hector’s body and head remain clean and undamaged, which is a sign of divine protection. As Achilles parades the corpse around Patroclus’ sepulchre, the corpse’s divine resilience prevents Achilles from getting the satisfaction he desires. Achilles is convinced by his mother to allow Hector’s father, King Priam, to ransom back Hector’s body, which Achilles agrees. Moved by Priam’s sorrow, humanity, and tears which echoed his own, Achilles relents and releases the corpse. The two enemies share a moment of mutual grief, acknowledging the universal toll of war. Achilles agrees to a 12 day ceasefire to allow the Trojans to grieve their fallen prince.
Characters:
Achilles - Achilles is the protagonist of the story, however he is largely inactive for the first dozen poems. He has withdrawn himself from battle after his own King had taken away his prized woman, Briseis (not his wife), even though this means that many of his own countrymen are being killed on the battlefield without his help. His pride is quickly overpowered by rage when he finds out that his best friend, Patroclus, is slain on the battlefield and will not be given a property burial if his body is not recovered. With the help of the gods, Achilles jumps back into battle and easily defeats Hector, claiming both corpses.
Unable to be the better man, Achilles vows to mistreat Hector’s corpse even worse than the Trojans had been doing to Patroclus’. However, the same gods that helped Achilles in battle are now protecting the corpse and not allowing Achilles to get the satisfaction that he so desires. As Achilles is faced with Hector’s crying father, he realizes that war has driven him to inflict the same pains to Priam, that he himself found to be inhumane. In a profound moment of empathy and growth, Achilles agrees to return Hector’s body and even allows the Trojans 12 days to appropriately mourn.
Jove (Zeus) - Jove is the most powerful of all Olympians and his temperament is as fickle as the winds he commands. He starts off the story strongly favouring the Trojans in order to cause suffering to the Greeks and King Agememnon, who had dishonored Achilles. His stance caused so much bloodshed that his own family had to work against him in order to avoid total annihilation of the Greek side. Jove’s mind is only changed when Achilles himself, one of Jove’s favored grandchildren, returns to battle.
Although Jove plays a large part in the story, he does not have much character. Actions attributed to him are dictated by what he believes to be “right” or “wrong” and has children on either side to carry out his will. Often his will seem to be fates that humans refuse to believe were just or deserved.
Juno, Neptune & Pluto (Hera, Poseidon, Hades) - Zeus’ wife, along with his two brothers, are three Olympians powerful enough to stand up against the King of the Gods. Their involvement in the story, along with many minor Olympians, create a dynamic hierarchy of divine powers over all things perceived to be outside of human control. Having numerous gods with varying temperaments and availabilities allows for the possibility for mortals not always being subject to the will of any single all-powerful entity. This contradictory structure allows for convenient uncertainty among acts of divinity, and in so doing, allows hope to take root on Earth.
Favourite Moments/Quotes:
Priam negotiates with Achilles: Even three thousand years ago, Homer knew that stories needed a climax before their conclusions. Although not privy to Achilles’ thoughts until after his transformation, we can see that Homer recognized the impact that this revelation would have on the audience. This shows some resemblance to modern storytelling techniques such as character growth and development, through Achilles’ ultimate reversal of emotions, and presentation of a conclusion that ties into the story’s themes of tragedies of war being inflicted on both sides and the resulting necessity of human compassion. Without this moment, much of the first 20+ poems may never have become much more than embellished recounting of historical events.
Juno tricks Jove: This scene was necessary to scale back Jove’s influence on the world. Being in full control of an all-powerful being would remove the meaning of the story, as well as in life itself. This was the scene that really illustrated the complexity behind the Olympians and creates the nuance that the gods don’t always get their way. It was very interesting to see how much of the telling of historical events had been attributed to Gods. This is an idea that resonates with me as I often contemplate on the concept of history and its mirroring of how human memories are perceived.
Opinion/Analysis:
I rated this book a 2.0/5.0. Although the story has a great climax and the narrative provides a fascinating perspective on the presence of the Ancient Greek Gods, the book is dragged down by its outdated writing techniques and prose. There are over 1,000 named characters in the book, which made the first 15 or so poems extremely difficult to get through.
My takeaways from this book tie into my two favourite moments listed above; early forms of modern writing and storytelling techniques, and the casual mingling of gods amongst men. Other storytelling techniques I noticed included warriors exchanging monologues in the heat of battle to establish stakes and character, and the repeated perfect relaying of information between humans vs trickery and deception from and amongst the gods to emphasize the contrast. I will continue to examine these ideas further in reading Homer’s next epic poem, The Odyssey, and watching the movie adaptation set to come out in 2026.
The Odyssey
Keywords: Ancient Greece, Epic poem, Homer, Mythology, Classic Literature
Premise: The story follows Odysseus’ 10 year journey home to Ithaca after the war of Troy, highlighting not only the hero’s perseverance but also that of his family who has been eagerly preparing for his return.
Thematic Vision: The epic affirms the enduring value of home, family, and cultural traditions as the foundations of a meaningful life along with the cunning, loyalty, and perseverance required to make it last.
Plot(s): Voyage and Return, Quest
Short Summary: Prince Telemachus sees that his home has been oppressed by suitors vying for his mother Penelope’s hand as it is widely believed that his father, Odysseus, has been lost at sea after the Trojan War. Penelope is holding out hope that her husband is still alive, and does everything in her power to postpone a second engagement. However, this approach results in a significant drain on the family’s finances. Guided by his visits from the Olympian, Minerva (Athena), Telemachus journeys to nearby allied cities of Pylos and Sparta to see if he can find any new information. Although he is unlikely to be successful in actually bringing his father back, Minerva states that it is important for Telemachus to be seen taking action in service of his father.
Meanwhile, Odysseus has been stranded for seven years by the nymph, Calypso, who wishes to marry the hero herself. It is not until Minerva is finally able to convince Zeus to intervene that Odysseus is able to escape. On his journey home, Odysseus must overcome several dangerous trials. Odysseus proves his strength in overpowering and blinding the great Cyclops, which incurs Poseidon’s wrath and makes travelling by sea ever more dangerous. He proves his mental resolve in journeying through even more dangerous paths through the Underworld and the deadly straits of Charybdis, guarded by the seductive sirens. Odysseus also proves his vitality by withstanding the trials of the mythical beings Circe and Helios, who claim the lives of the rest of his crew. After having been granted a magical disguise from Minerva, Odysseus finally arrives in the land of the Phaeacians, who grant him a ship, crew, and passage back to Ithaca.
Upon his arrival back in his homeland, Odysseus learns of the goings on in his home by meeting up with a loyal swineherd. The swineherd is able to covertly recruit Telemachus into the frey, allowing father and son to hatch a plot to not only take back their home, but to root out any disloyal countrymen. Telemachus and Minerva convince Penelope to host an archery contest for her hand, which Odysseus wins easily as the other suitors are not worthy of using his prized bow. After proving himself in archery, Odysseus and Telemachus slaughter the suitors and Odysseus is able to prove his identity to Penelope with a thorough description of their marital bed which she had not shared with any other man. Odysseus also orders the hanging of any housemaiden that sided with any of the suitors. After reuniting with his family and weeding out the suitors that were looking to take his place, Odysseus reconciles with the remaining families and restores peace to his homeland.
Characters:
Odysseus: Odysseus is the only character in the story that has any real character arc. He begins the story having been away from home for 20 years and desperately wanting to return. By the will of the Olympians, he is released from Calypso’s grasp and now must overcome many grueling trials and lose all his companions before he can find the way home. These trials test Odysseus’ strength, cunning, fortitude, and perseverance. When he finds his home, he realizes that it is not enough just to physically return. Under a divine disguise, he decides that he must test the loyalty of both his Son and his Wife to ensure that they have done their part in preserving the kingdom, mirroring the attributes that Odysseus showed through his own trials on the way home. Once this has been established, he comes up with a plan to root out all disloyal noblemen and housemaidens and have them killed. Upon succeeding, Odysseus himself then must prove his loyalty back to his wife to show to her that the perseverance has been reciprocated. With the royal family back together, they are able to reconcile with the remaining families and bring peace back to Ithaca.
Favourite Moments/Quotes:
Journey to the Underworld: Homer’s depiction of Odysseus’ journey through the underworld is laden with symbolic, psychological, and thematic significance that is still imitated in modern stories today. Odysseus descends to consult the dead and blind prophet Tiresias, to find more information of what is going on in his home of Ithaca. However, he soon learns that the prophecies of the dead cannot be trusted and realizes more than ever that he requires divine guidance, taught to be most valued in Ancient Greek society, which he seeks in the form of Minerva. Odysseus also encounters the spirits of his dead comrades, as well as his mother, who are lamenting on regrets that were made in their lives, inspiring Odysseus to re-evaluate his life values. This was a very interesting chapter to read as it shows the first iteration of our idea of the afterlife and how strongly those themes have endured for thousands of years.
Disguised as a beggar in his own kingdom: This part of the story shows that Odysseus’ resolve is not satisfied simply from physically returning home. In order for his house to be a home, it must maintain a certain standard of loyalty, strength, dignity, etc that Odysseus himself proved through his trials. It seemed at first that Odysseus may have been cavalier in not revealing himself right away, however it is this high standard that he has set up for his house that will ensure that it will endure further hardships and last beyond his own lifetime.
Penelope’s tests: After Odysseus wins his wife’s archery contest and reveals his true identity to Penelope, she further tests him by demanding of him to move their marriage bed, a task that only her husband would know would be impossible. Her tests work to reveal that Penelope has also been enduring her own trials of loyalty, cunning, and perseverance over the past twenty years, the same traits that Odysseus had been proving to the Gods throughout his odyssey. She accepts Odysseus as her true husband and his homecoming marks the culmination of the story’s central themes of the enduring values of family and home.
Opinion/Analysis:
I rated The Odyssey 3.5/5.0. The story was much easier to follow than the Iliad, however did not have as great of an emotional impact. Through the use of stories within the story (flashbacks), Homer is able to include more large-scale action moments, however they were never directly tied into Odysseus’ growth as a character.
Before the story even introduces Odysseus’ point of view, we see the impact of his absence on his son, Telemachus. Without knowing his father, Telemachus struggles with his own identity, worth, and concept of home. He is sent by the Gods on a journey to find his father and bring him home. This story echoes one of the core concepts of Greek mythology of the Paternal spirit (Zeus) possessing the father, and the son not being able to become a man until he either destroys this spirit, or rescues his father from its consuming nature. In my previous writings, I have shown appreciation for how this idea has become a foundational trope in the hero’s journey and it is always enlightening to see just how old these ideas are.
Much like the Iliad, there are some early versions of storytelling techniques that are introduced in The Odyssey. Although there is still very little development of character, the plot still builds to a climax and ends with the characters standing up for what they believe in and re-establishing their home. The story begins in media res (in the middle of the story) and uses flashbacks at opportune times to both recall key events and reveal more about Odysseus’ character. The Odyssey also uses multiple points of view (first Telemachus and then Odysseus) to add depth to the world by showing the impact of limited information to other perspectives.
Similar to the Iliad, the story of the Odyssey is rife with divine intervention, this time primarily from Minerva (Athena) and Neptune (Poseidon). These gods play a much smaller role than they did in the Iliad, however are still given credit for acts that were perceived to be beyond human control. Neptune’s role is to add to the struggles of Odysseus’ journey home, while Minerva shepherds both Telemachus and Odysseus to continue to do what they already believed to be right. The greatest turning points in the story (release from Calypso, killing of the suitors) are approved by Jove (Zeus) himself, which serve to explain the seemingly random will of the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2026
The Iliad… wow. It’s easy to see why it’s lasted so long. It’s not just a war story — it’s really about pride, anger, honour, and the cost of all of it. Achilles is a fascinating character: powerful, stubborn, and deeply human, even when he’s at his worst.
Some parts feel heavy going, especially the long battle lists and formal language, but when the story slows down for the emotional moments, it really lands. Scenes like Hector with his family or the ending between Achilles and Priam genuinely stuck with me.
And Ajax, what a bad ass!
Some parts feel heavy going, especially the long battle lists and formal language, but when the story slows down for the emotional moments, it really lands. Scenes like Hector with his family or the ending between Achilles and Priam genuinely stuck with me.
And Ajax, what a bad ass!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews