The Odyssey

Hinds’s version of The Odyssey is an adaptation of the ancient Greek epic of the same name. Along with The Iliad, The Odyssey is one of two epic poems attributed to the semi-legendary Homer. Both The Iliad and The Odyssey were first written down around the eighth century BCE, but they are probably much older than that, having originated as oral traditions. While The Iliad takes place during the ninth year of the decade-long Trojan War that was fought between the Greeks (or Achaeans) for the beautiful Helen, The Odyssey is set after the war and deals with the return journey of Odysseus, one of the Greek heroes who fought at Troy. 

After leaving Troy, Odysseus angers Poseidon, the god of the sea, who vindictively delays his homecoming. Odysseus spends 10 years trying to reach his island kingdom of Ithaca, and due to the sea god’s interference, he instead encounters a barrage of strange lands and creatures, losing all of his men and ships in the process. When he does finally reach Ithaca, Odysseus discovers that his wife, Penelope, is being courted by suitors who seek to steal his kingdom and his wealth. With the help of his son, Telemachus and a handful of loyal servants, as well as the guidance of his patron goddess, Athena, Odysseus manages to infiltrate his home in disguise, kill the suitors, and reclaim his kingdom and his family.

The Iliad and The Odyssey are the two formative works of ancient Greek literature. The interwoven stories told in these epics reflect many of the central values and beliefs of ancient Greece, including heroism, social responsibilities, and proper worship of the gods. Odysseus, the hero at the heart of The Odyssey, embodies many of these values, and he is also widely famed for his trickery and use of strategy to win his battles. (In The Iliad, for example, he devises the famous scheme of the Trojan horse.) Throughout The Odyssey, the renowned hero demonstrates his bravery, his loyalty to his family, and his devotion to the gods. 

It is also important to note that the whims and loyalties of the gods play a significant role in the Homeric world. In The Iliad as well as The Odyssey, the gods constantly intervene in human affairs and direct much of the action. In The Odyssey, for instance, the sea god Poseidon delays Odysseus’s return, while his patron goddess, Athena, helps him as much as she can. Finally, the Homeric epics reveal how the ancient Greeks saw themselves and their place in the world, for Odysseus’s journey deals with pragmatic matters of politics as well as epic battles and fantastical monsters.