The OdysseyA Quick Set Up

How Long Has It Been?Trojan War lasted 10 yearsThe Odyssey begins 10 years after

the END of the Trojan WarTotal years?

It’s been 20 years since Odysseus has been

home.

Odysseus’s FamilyHome is in IthacaWife is PenelopeSon was a baby when he leftSon is now a man. How old?Son’s name is Telemachus

What’s Been Happening At home?Ithaca men believe Odysseus is deadThey all want to marry PenelopeOver the years, these “suitors” move

inThey trash the house and resourcesPenelope and Telemachus are

saddened

What About Odysseus?Lost at seaCan’t stay on courseWaters toss him from island to islandEach island is an adventureIn the story, each adventure is a chapter,

called “books” (24 of them)

The Odyssey is about Odysseus’s many adventures home.

The Gods InterveneThe Gods look down from Mount

OlympusAthena draws their attention to

Odysseus and his crumbling home of Ithaca

Zeus permits her to go down and assist both men:

1. Telemachus find his father2. Odysseus find his way home

What You Won’t Read…Textbook watered down (only 14

“books”)…Telemachus going to Greek war

lords who DID make it home“Can you tell me what happened to

my father?”…War lords’ adventures in Trojan

War