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adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dude just wanted to get home to his wife & son and fair, if penelope was my wife i'd do the same
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, War
Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Slavery
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Odyssey is a classic for a reason, and not just because high schoolers are often forced to read it. The story is driven by Odysseus' goal of returning home, but in achieving that goal, he explores much of the Greek world. It has a lot of serious topics, but in a tone which makes it clear that you are supposed to see it as an adventure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Violence, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Blood, Alcohol, War
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Classism
Minor: Infidelity
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Tell me about a complicated man.
my third time reading the odyssey and my easiest time! wilson’s translation is easy to understand and hooks you from the beginning. i’m not as confused about parts as i have been in the past (though that could also be due to the fact that i’ve read it multiple times and know what to expect), but the simple language makes me feel more inclined to keep going. i never felt like i was dreading reading it.
the additions of the introduction, notes, and glossary are all great insights as well and provided wonderful context. really recommend this translation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Blood
Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is probably the most digestible of translations for modern audiences. However, the Odyssey itself is a long detailed and convoluted tale so it requires dedication to read it in its entirety. This is especially true if one is planning on tackling it on their own (without the support of a classroom setting or without academic understanding of the text). I will reiterate that this recent translation is the best for new readers or persons interested in learning the true story of Odysseus and I would recommend this edition to those groups.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Slavery, Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Misogyny
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cannibalism, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Blood, War
Minor: Rape, Slavery
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Rape
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Blood
Moderate: Death, Murder, War
Minor: Rape
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found The Odyssey a difficult one to review. On the one hand, I recognize that this story, or indeed, poem, is one of the first pieces of Western literature. As such, and given its scope and scale, it deserves a huge amount of praise. There is adventure, drama, tension, fantasy, and heroism. Factual elements are mixed in with the fiction, creating a vivid narrative.
On the other hand, as a product of its age (it is approximately 2,800 years old!), the poem is riddled with chronic sexism and hyper-masculinity. Worst of all is the unironic presentation of a “hero” character in Odysseus, who is constantly touted as “godlike” and “noble,” yet he is dishonest, prideful, arrogant, unfaithful, and I would argue selfish. Nonetheless, the poem justifies Odysseus’s ruthless and barbaric acts in the final scenes by framing these as justice.
I want to pause here and let my boiled blood simmer, as I recognize that the context I live in is entirely different from that of Homer’s hero almost three millennia ago. I live in a democratic society, where the people have appointed a leader who is held accountable by said people, and whose government enforces the law. In this ancient Ithacan context, the king holds the power and authority, and it is up to him to determine justice for crimes. And there is no doubt that crimes have been committed: the suitors have imposed themselves on Odysseus’s household in his absence, consuming his food and drink, abusing his staff, slaughtering his livestock, harassing his wife Penelope, and attempting to kill his son Telemachus. They pray for Odysseus to not return and want to make sure he has nothing to return to if he does. When they fail to recognize Odysseus, they hurl verbal and physical abuse upon him, seeing only a decrepit old beggar. No doubt, justice is warranted. Nonetheless, Odysseus’s bloodthirsty desire for vengeance is severely at odds with my own ideology of love, peace, forgiveness, and mercy. There is certainly a need for justice to be meted out, but as the wronged, Odysseus is not in a position to be an impartial judge and is unable to apportion appropriate punishment.
Having said all this, I want to set the jarring contextual differences aside and recognize this work for what it is: a complex, beautiful tale, with countless characters including gods, people, gods-who-pretend-to-be-people, mythical creatures, and animals. The tale is ingeniously spun, taking us to both real and fictional locations. The fact that the entire work is in fact poetry was frequently lost on me, as I read the English translation by Rieu. Rendered as prose, it is highly readable and accessible, and from what I understand, accurate to the story, but entirely lacking in most of the poetic content of the original. To have told such a lengthy and complex tale in beautiful, flowing poetic language, Homer—and indeed, The Odyssey—is worthy of all the accolades bestowed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Blood, Injury/Injury detail