In Books 17-20 we see Odysseus finally arrive at his palace where he carefully plots the destruction of the suitors. We see tensions build and Homer puts everything in place for the big finale.

In Books 13-16 we see Odysseus finally arrive home to Ithaca and Telemachus also return home. There is an emotional meeting between father and son and they plan the showdown they are going to have with the suitors.

In books 9-12 we hear from Odysseus as he narrates his wanderings from Troy to the land of the Phaeacians. We hear of some of the most famous characters in literature, Polyphemus the Cyclops and The Sirens.

We also develop our understanding and opinion of Odysseus as he makes decisions that ultimately see's the destruction of all his ships and his entire crew.

In books 5-8 we finally meet our protagonist and see him in action first hand. We begin to develop our opinion of him as a character, a hero and a leader. We also learn more about Ancient Greek life and traditions such as the importance of hospitality, oral poetry and games.

In this episode I very quickly introduce you to what is on the course and then, in order to give some context before reading any texts, I go through the Greek and Roman Gods with you.

In this episode we are looking at Strand 1 and The Odyssey - we begin with a brief introduction to the epic and then look at books 1-4