One cannot discuss the Odyssey without discussing its companion, the Iliad. The Iliad, which was probably written first and takes place directly before the Odyssey, is a graphic, violent epic about a massive war and siege. The Odyssey, by contrast, is almost a comic epic, an adventure of a man trying to get home to see his family. It's also key to remember that the Odyssey is a love story, in contrast to the Iliad which depicts a war.
The Odyssey has inspired many other works of art — the most obvious is James Joyce's Ulysses, but students who aren't quite up for that might enjoy the Coen Brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou, or Margaret Atwood's short retelling of...
