The Odyssey

“Sing to me, O Muse, of that man of many troubles, Odysseus, skilled in all ways of contending, who wandered far after he helped sack the great city of Troy. Sing through me, and tell the story of his suffering, his trials and adventures, and his bloody homecoming.”

The “proem,” or introduction to the story, follows the ancient epic, Homer’s The Odyssey, in seeking divine inspiration from the “Muse,” the mythical daughter of the goddess Memory believed to teach the arts to humanity. The proem also tells us about the subject of the story—namely, Odysseus, defining him by his signature qualities, which will be illustrated throughout the story.

“Telemachus, what bold words! But we are not to blame. It is your own mother who leads us on but refuses to choose a husband from among us. The clever woman stalls us with her tricks.”

Antinoos, the ringleader of the suitors, demonstrates his unsavory character when he refuses to leave Penelope alone until she chooses one of the suitors as her husband. Antinoos describes the tricks that Penelope has used to “lead [the suitors] on” without choosing one of them as a husband—tricks that demonstrate that Penelope matches her husband Odysseus in cunning.

“My friend, I have no fears for you, if at such a young age you’re so favored by the gods. Why, that can only have been Athena, Zeus’s gray-eyed daughter, who always favored your father in battle!”

Nestor sees Athena’s decision to aid Telemachus as a favorable sign that he and his family are favored by the gods. This divine favor is essential in the story, for without Athena’s help, Odysseus would not be able to return home and beat the suitors.