Major characters in "The Odyssey".

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Character List

Odysseus

  • He is intelligent and crafty, and saves himself from many situations by using his wits. 
  • Portrayed to be an iliadic hero with a huge amount of kleos due to victory at Troy.
  • Shows infediity towards Penelope but is loyal to her in his heart.
  • Has a passion to return home and regain wealth and land.

Telemachus

  • Paralleling Odysseus' greater journey
  • Athene helps him to gain courage and become a man by traveling to find out more about his father. 
  • He matures a lot from when we first see him in the Telemachy when he cannot deal with the Suitors to when he is able to stamp his authority later in the book with the Suitors and finally go in to war with the Suitors with his father.

Penelope

  • Portrayed to be a troubled, upset woman at start of the book due to the loss of Odysseus.
  • Remains loyal to him even when his own son has left him for dead. 
  • Cunning like Odysseus as she tricks the suitors many times so that she does not have to marry any of them.
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Athene

  • Goddess of wisdom and Odysseus' patron goddess.  She favors him in all things, and is the one who arranges his return to Ithaca and destruction of the suitors who wronged him. 
  • Is portrayed to be the mother figure to Odysseus and may potentially see him as a lover.

Zeus 

  • Ruler of the gods.  His will prevails in all things.  He is diplomatic at times, and balances Poseidon's anger with Athena's compassion

Poseidon 

  • He hates Odysseus because Odysseus hurt one of his creations, Polyphemous

- vengeful

  • Evil - tries many times to ...

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