The Odyssey- a post by Matthew Mordue, Y12

The Odyssey was 'written' by Homer in Classical Greece. It is actually debatable who wrote the Odyssey, after all nobody can know for sure with many people thinking that Homer did not even exist and that the Odyssey is a compilation of short stories that were put together by an unknown person. While I can see why people could think this I personally feel that Homer did exist and indeed did write it. The Odyssey is also not really a novel although it does read as prose. The Odyssey is actually a epic poem.The Odyssey is without question a supreme masterpiece of not only literature but of anything ever. At first glance it appears to be difficult to get into but the more you read into it the easier it becomes. As a matter of fact I would personally say that the Odyssey is quite simple to get into. The Odyssey also has highly memorable characters with, in particular, Odysseus, Telemachus and Athena who stand out.The Odyssey's main story is about Odysseus's adventures as he returns to Ithaca (which he is king of) back from the Trojan War. Unknown to Odysseus the evil suitors have been causing trouble to his ‘polis’ of Ithaca and are trying to gain control of it by pressurising his wife Penelope into marrying one of them. However Penelope being the highly virtuous wife that she is she is always able to find ways to get out of marrying one of the suitors in the hope that Odysseus will one day return. This is however highly doubtful to the citizens of Ithaca who all think that Odysseus is dead after all he has been lost for many years

The storyline shows Odysseus’s journey back to Ithaca were he encounters Cyclopes, nymphs, sirens and a monster Scylla and Charybdis. These journeys are highly dramatic and exciting and are one of the greatest strengths of the epic poem.

When you read The Odyssey you then comprehend just how many works of literature have copied off it. The idea that Odysseus is a king and has to reclaim his throne under a disguise is most noticeably copied off the Lord Of The Rings' character Aragorn. The Odyssey also invented:
- Invention. Funnily enough before this epic poem was composed characters that were used were in literature were based on old legends (such as Achilles). While most of the characters in the Odyssey are based on old legends (Odysseus for example) a swineherd Eumaeus was invented and Homer does seem to ‘brag’ about this in the narrative.
- The idea of a young character maturing through the storyline and becoming a ‘man’. This happens for the first time with Telemachus.
- A king who is having to use a disguise to get his throne back (LOTR) or checking out his hometown he is king of (Measure for Measure).
- The idea of a perfect woman who is completely chaste. Penelope was actually hugely significant in Ancient Greece.
While the Odyssey is a great work there are some elements that would put some people off it:

Some terms such as xenia and kleos really do need to be understood for the story to make complete sense. Without it the way Odysseus treats the suitors at the end and the maids seem very cruel.
it is quite a hard work to get into because the Ancient Greek world is so far detached form ours that it starts off feeling quite alien.

Despite these points The Odyssey is a spectacular work that has greatly inspired many works of literature. The point I ask is: is there any work that is more influential than Homer’s Odyssey?