Summary The suitors have gone home for the night. Odysseus instructs Telemachus to gather the weapons and hide them where they will not be readily available to the suitors the next day. Melantho, the disrespectful servant girl who sleeps with Eurymachus, confronts the beggar/Odysseus once more. Finally alone with Penelope, […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Book 19 – Penelope and Her Guest

Summary As late afternoon turns to evening, another vagabond, named Irus, arrives. He is a portly buffoon who is a comic favorite of the suitors. At the urging of Antinous, Irus picks a fight with beggar/Odysseus, which he soon regrets. As tensions increase, Odysseus tries in vain to warn Amphinomus, […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Book 18 – The Beggar-King at Ithaca

Summary Odysseus walks to town the next morning, joined by Eumaeus, who still thinks he is accompanying an old beggar. Telemachus precedes them, cheering his mother with his presence and the stories of his trip. With the prince is a seer, Theoclymenus, who tells Penelope that Odysseus is on Ithaca […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Book 17 – Stranger at the Gate

Summary Eumaeus and the beggar/Odysseus continue their conversations, the swineherd proving a perfect host and loyal servant. He tells the story of his life and how he came to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Athena guides Telemachus safely past the suitors’ ambush; she tells him to go directly to the pig farm upon […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Books 15-16 – The Prince Sets Sail for Home; Father and Son

Summary Odysseus’ account of his wanderings is complete. The Phaeacians know the rest. They are silent for a few seconds until Alcinous speaks to assure Odysseus that he will be returned safely to his home and to insist on even more gifts for the guest. Odysseus will arrive in Ithaca […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Books 13-14 – Ithaca at Last; The Loyal Swineherd

Summary True to his word, Odysseus returns to Aeaea for Elpenor’s funeral rites. Circe is helpful once more, providing supplies and warnings about the journey to begin the next dawn. First the Greeks must get past the Sirens whose irresistible songs lure sailors into their island’s coastal reefs. Next they […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Book 12 – The Cattle of the Sun

Summary The Land of the Dead is near the homes of the Cimmerians, who live “shrouded in mist and cloud” (11.17), never seeing the sun. Odysseus follows Circe’s instructions, digging a trench at the site prescribed and pouring libations of milk, honey, mellow wine, and pure water. He ceremoniously sprinkles […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Book 11 – The Visit to the Dead

Summary Having escaped the Cyclops, Odysseus and his men arrive at the home of Aeolus, master of the winds, where they are greeted warmly and hosted for a month. Eager to move on, Odysseus receives an ox-skin pouch from Aeolus. In it are captured all the winds that might drive […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Book 10 – The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea

Summary After identifying himself to the Phaeacians at the feast, Odysseus tells the story of his wanderings. Following the victory at Troy, he and his men sail to Ismarus, the stronghold of the Cicones. With apparent ease, they sack the city, kill the men, enslave the women, and enjoy a […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Book 9 – In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave

Summary King Alcinous and Queen Arete rule the seafaring Phaeacians on the island of Scheria. The morning after Odysseus’ rugged landing, Athena (disguised as a friend) sends their daughter, Nausicaa, and some of her handmaidens to wash clothes near the spot where the beleaguered hero has collapsed. Nausicaa is a […]

Read more Summary and Analysis Books 6-8 – Odysseus Among the Phaeacians