As its name suggests, “The Odyssey” centers on Odysseus, the king of Ithaca.
Although Odysseus is ostensibly the hero, he’s depicted as a morally complex character. He’s an archetypal trickster — sharp, persuasive, and cunning — which helps him win the favor of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. However, his deception and arrogance also earn him a powerful enemy in Poseidon, the god of the sea.
Before the events of “The Odyssey,” Odysseus fought in the Trojan War alongside his friends and Greek allies, including Menelaus and Agamemnon. (More on them later.)
The conflict lasted for 10 years and finally ended when Odysseus, inspired by Athena, proposed hiding in a hollow wooden horse to breach Troy’s defenses. The Greek army brutally sacked the city and emerged victorious — but while all the other soldiers returned home with spoils of war, Odysseus and his crew remained lost at sea.
“The Odyssey” famously begins “in media res,” or “in the middle of things.” When the epic poem introduces Odysseus, he has already been trying to reach his homeland for 10 years.
