Plot and Setting
The Odyssey follows Odysseus’ ten-year journey home after the Trojan War. These 10 questions cover the basic shape of the story.
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Keep two timelines straight: Odysseus’ journey, and what is happening back home in Ithaca at the same time.
All 10 flashcards
Who is the epic poem The Odyssey traditionally attributed to?
Homer
An ancient Greek epic poem, likely composed around the 8th century BC.
How long does it take Odysseus to return home after the Trojan War?
Ten years
The Trojan War itself lasted ten years, so his absence totals about twenty.
What is the name of Odysseus’ home island?
Ithaca
A small island in the Ionian Sea.
Which one-eyed giant does Odysseus blind to escape his cave?
Polyphemus, a Cyclops
Odysseus and his men blind him after being trapped in his cave.
Which sorceress turns some of Odysseus’ men into pigs?
Circe
Odysseus eventually stays on her island for a year.
What creatures lure sailors to their deaths with irresistible singing?
The Sirens
Odysseus has himself tied to the mast to hear them safely.
What sea monster and whirlpool must Odysseus sail between?
Scylla and Charybdis
He loses several men to Scylla to avoid the deadlier whirlpool.
Which realm does Odysseus visit to consult the dead prophet Tiresias?
The Underworld (the land of the dead)
He speaks with several dead figures, including his own mother.
Who has been waiting for Odysseus at home, fending off suitors?
His wife, Penelope
She delays remarriage by unweaving a shroud she claims to be finishing each night.
How does Odysseus finally defeat the suitors once he returns home?
By stringing his old bow (which none of the suitors could) and shooting them.
A contest of the bow reveals his identity and lets him retake his home.
What to learn next
Next: Level 2, "Characters" — a closer look at Odysseus and the people around him.
Continue to Level 2: Characters →