Odyssey Characters Analysis
Ulysses (aka Odysseus): Protagonist and main character, and rightful king of Ithaca. He is known for his cunning and clever skills, as well as his strength, bravery, loyalty, and integrity.
Penelope: Ulysses' wife. She waits patiently and faithfully for Ulysses to return home.
Telemachus: Son of Ulysses and Penelope. Heir to the throne of Ithaca, who must face growing up while protecting his mother, and the throne. Only a child when Ulysses left home.
Laertes: Father of Ulysses, an old king.
Anticlea: Mother of Ulysses.
Eurycleia: Palace nurse/ attendant to Ulysses and Telemachus.
Nestor: King of Pylos
Pisistratus: Son of Nestor
Argos: Ulysses' faithful old dog.
Eumaeus and Philoetius: Loyal tenders of Ulysses' livestock.
Antinous and Eurymachus: Two of the most prominent suitors vying for Penelope's hand and the throne of Ithaca. Antinous is the more aggressive and brutish, while Eurymachus is more diplomatic, known as a smooth talker.
Amphinomus: A suitor, but less objectionable than most.
Eupeithes: Father of Antinous, and leader of those seeking revenge upon Ulysses after the slaughter of the suitors.
Melanthius: Disloyal and foul-tempered tender of Ulysses' goats.
Melantho: Sister of Melanthius; Disloyal palace maidservant who is carrying on an illicit affair with suitor Eurymachus.
Agamemnon: King of Mycenae. Assassinated by his wife and her lover upon his return from commanding the Greeks at Troy.
Clytemnestra: Unfaithful and murderous wife of Agamemnon
Alcinous: King of Phaeacia who helps Ulysses return to Ithaca.
Tiresias: A blind psychic who offers Ulysses warnings, advice, and visions of the future.
Nausicaa: Daughter of Alcinous who finds him washed ashore at Phaeacia
Scylla: A six-headed monster that Ulysses must escape from.
Zeus: King of the gods
Athena: Daughter of Zeus
Polyphemus, aka, "Cyclops." One-eyed giant who attempts to trap and kill Ulysses
Poseidon: Father of Polyphemus, and god of the Sea
Calypso: A goddess who holds Ulysses captive for seven years, hoping to marry him.
Circe: A goddess who casts a spell, turning some of Ulysses' men into pigs.
Hermes: Son of Zeus
Aeolus: A god, and Master of the Winds.
Lotus-eaters: Peaceful beings who feed on the lotus plant, suffering from the effects of memory loss.
Laestrygonians: Cannibals who sink most of Ulysses' fleet
Araneus, aka, Irus: A portly buffoon, almost a jester, who entertains the suitors, even at the expense of his dignity.
