THE ODYSSEY
Books 13-18
Lesson Objective
- Students will analyze how Odysseus returns to Ithaca and begins reclaiming his home by examining key graphic novel panels that show disguise, loyalty, and rising conflict with the suitors.
Warm Up
- Imagine you returned home after being gone for 20 years.
- Would you reveal who you are immediately, or would you watch people first to see who you could trust?
- Why?
BOOKS 1-12 A SUMMARY
Ten years after the fall of Troy, the great hero Odysseus is still struggling to find his way home to Ithaca, where his faithful wife Penelope fends off arrogant suitors and his son Telemachus searches desperately for news of his missing father. The gods debate Odysseus's fate — Athena champions him while Poseidon, still furious, works against him at every turn. Odysseus's journey is a gauntlet of mythical dangers and hard lessons. He loses men to the Cicones, nearly loses his crew to the dreamy temptation of the Lotus-Eaters, and barely escapes the man-eating Cyclops Polyphemus — though his prideful boast costs him Poseidon's lasting wrath. The winds gifted by Aeolus nearly carry him home before his own crew's greed destroys the chance. The witch Circe turns his men to pigs, and a harrowing visit to the Land of the Dead reveals the trials still ahead. Finally, he survives the Sirens' deadly song and the impossible passage between the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis — losing six more men — before his crew's fatal decision to slaughter the sacred cattle of the sun god destroys the ship entirely, leaving Odysseus the sole survivor, adrift and alone. Through every disaster, one truth holds — Odysseus's greatest weapon is not his sword, but his mind. Home, however, remains painfully out of reach.
Mini Context Review (Book 13)
- Odysseus finally leaves the Phaeacians.
- He arrives home in Ithaca after 20 years.
- However, his palace is filled with suitors trying to marry Penelope.
- Athena disguises Odysseus as a beggar so he can observe what has happened in his home.
Panel 1: Odysseus Arrives in Ithaca (Book 13)
Key Moment: Athena disguises Odysseus as an old beggar.
- Why does Athena want Odysseus to stay disguised?
- How might disguise help Odysseus understand what is happening in his palace?
Panel 2: Odysseus Meets Eumaeus (Book 17)
The loyal swineherd Eumaeus welcomes the disguised Odysseus and offers him food and shelter.
- How does Eumaeus treat a stranger?
- What does this reveal about his character?
- Why might loyalty be important later in the story?
Panel 3: Telemachus Returns (Book 16)
Key Moment: Odysseus reveals his identity to Telemachus, and they reunite.
- Why does Odysseus only reveal himself to Telemachus?
- How does Telemachus react?
- Why is this moment important for the coming conflict?
Panel 4: Odysseus Enters the Palace as a Beggar (Book 17)
Key Moment: Odysseus sees the suitors insulting servants and wasting his food.
- What do the suitors’ actions reveal about them?
- Why is Odysseus still hiding his identity?
Panel 5: The Beggar Fight (Book 18)
Key Moment: The beggar Irus challenges Odysseus to a fight, and Odysseus easily defeats him.
- Why does Odysseus accept the fight?
- What does this moment show about his strength and self-control?
- How does the scene build tension for what might happen later?
Quick Comprehension Check
Quick Comprehension Check
Quick Comprehension Check
Homework: Creative Character Response
Write a journal entry from Odysseus’ perspective after he enters the palace disguised as a beggar.Include:
- What he thinks about the suitors
- How he feels seeing his home again
- What he plans to do next
- Length: 8–10 sentences.
Reading Questions Books 13-18
Exit Ticket
- Prompt:
- Why is Odysseus’ disguise important to his plan for reclaiming his home?
OR
- Prediction Question:
- What do you think Odysseus will do next now that he has seen how the suitors behave?
READ BOOKS 19-24
The Beggar FightIf the suitors needed any further proof that they have gravely misjudged the old beggar in their midst, this is the moment that should have told them — but doesn't. Irus, the palace's resident beggar and a loud, bullying favorite of the suitors, takes immediate offense at the newcomer crowding his turf and demands a fight. The suitors egg it on gleefully, placing bets and laughing, expecting easy entertainment at the old man's expense. What they get is something else entirely. With one devastating blow Odysseus drops Irus like a stone, careful only to hold back enough force to keep his true identity hidden. Hinds plays the scene with a sharp edge of dark humor — the suitors cheering, completely oblivious to the fact that the man they just watched fight is the same man who sacked Troy, outwitted a Cyclops, and sailed back from the edge of the world. The joke is entirely on them. Odysseus dusts himself off, resumes his beggar's slouch, and says nothing. The trap is being set one quiet moment at a time, and not a single suitor in that hall has the wisdom to see it closing around them.
The King in RagsDisguised still as a bent and weathered beggar, Odysseus crosses the threshold of his own palace for the first time in twenty years — and what he finds there would break a lesser man. His great hall, once a place of dignity and hospitality, has been turned into a feast of thieves. The suitors sprawl across his furniture, drain his wine, devour his livestock, and treat his servants with casual cruelty, as though the palace and everything in it already belongs to them. Hinds makes the reader feel every sting of this moment through Odysseus's eyes — the tight jaw, the carefully controlled expression, the fire burning just beneath the surface of the beggar's hollow disguise. One wrong word, one flash of recognition, and everything is lost. And so Odysseus does the hardest thing he has ever done — harder than the Cyclops, harder than Scylla, harder than the Land of the Dead. He swallows his rage, bows his head, and watches. Every insult absorbed is fuel. Every stolen cup of wine is another reason. The king is home, and no one knows it yet. But they will.
A Father and Son ReunitedTelemachus has spent years chasing rumors of a father he barely remembers, sailing from court to court seeking news that never comes. Odysseus has spent years fighting his way across the world toward a son he has missed growing up entirely. When Telemachus arrives at Eumaeus's hut and sits across from the shabby old beggar sheltering there, neither knows how close they truly are. Then Athena intervenes, restoring Odysseus to his true appearance for just a moment — and everything changes. Hinds renders this reunion with quiet emotional devastation, the shock on Telemachus's face giving way to disbelief, and then something too big for words. Odysseus, the hardened survivor of Troy and ten years of horrors, weeps. For all his cunning and endurance, nothing in the epic has broken through his composure the way this single moment does. But there is little time for tears — the suitors still infest the palace, and revenge must be carefully planned. Father and son dry their eyes and get to work, bound together at last by blood, grief, and a shared purpose that has been ten years in the making.
Odysseus Meets EumaeusStill wearing the worn disguise Athena has given him, Odysseus makes his way to the humble hut of Eumaeus, his old and faithful swineherd. What he finds there stops him quietly in his tracks. While the suitors back at the palace gorge themselves on his livestock and mock the memory of their missing king, this simple servant tends his pigs, mourns his master's absence, and without a second thought welcomes a ragged stranger with open arms — offering food, shelter, and genuine warmth. Eumaeus does not know he is looking at Odysseus himself. He knows only that a tired old man is standing at his door and that turning him away would be wrong. Hinds frames this modest scene as one of the most telling in the entire epic — a quiet but powerful contrast between the greed rotting the palace and the loyalty still alive in its humblest corners. After years of gods and monsters and men who wanted him dead, it is a toothless old swineherd who first makes Ithaca feel like home again.
Odysseus Arrives in IthacaAfter years of wandering, gods, monsters, and endless miles of open sea, Odysseus finally sets foot on the shores of Ithaca — but there is no triumphant homecoming, no fanfare, no relief. The island he loves is crawling with enemies, and walking through his own front door as himself would mean certain death. Athena, ever his protector, appears and works her divine magic, transforming the great king into a hunched and weathered old beggar — ragged, unremarkable, and utterly beneath notice. Hinds renders this disguise as something quietly devastating, the proud hero who outwitted the Cyclops and survived the depths of the Underworld now shuffling through his own kingdom unseen and unknown. But there is cunning in the humility. Hidden behind a beggar's worn face, Odysseus can finally see his home as it truly is — overrun, abused, and waiting to be reclaimed. The disguise is not a defeat. It is the first move in his most personal and dangerous game yet.
The Odyssey Books 13-18
Ashley Campion
Created on March 14, 2026
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Transcript
THE ODYSSEY
Books 13-18
Lesson Objective
Warm Up
BOOKS 1-12 A SUMMARY
Ten years after the fall of Troy, the great hero Odysseus is still struggling to find his way home to Ithaca, where his faithful wife Penelope fends off arrogant suitors and his son Telemachus searches desperately for news of his missing father. The gods debate Odysseus's fate — Athena champions him while Poseidon, still furious, works against him at every turn. Odysseus's journey is a gauntlet of mythical dangers and hard lessons. He loses men to the Cicones, nearly loses his crew to the dreamy temptation of the Lotus-Eaters, and barely escapes the man-eating Cyclops Polyphemus — though his prideful boast costs him Poseidon's lasting wrath. The winds gifted by Aeolus nearly carry him home before his own crew's greed destroys the chance. The witch Circe turns his men to pigs, and a harrowing visit to the Land of the Dead reveals the trials still ahead. Finally, he survives the Sirens' deadly song and the impossible passage between the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis — losing six more men — before his crew's fatal decision to slaughter the sacred cattle of the sun god destroys the ship entirely, leaving Odysseus the sole survivor, adrift and alone. Through every disaster, one truth holds — Odysseus's greatest weapon is not his sword, but his mind. Home, however, remains painfully out of reach.
Mini Context Review (Book 13)
Panel 1: Odysseus Arrives in Ithaca (Book 13)
Key Moment: Athena disguises Odysseus as an old beggar.
Panel 2: Odysseus Meets Eumaeus (Book 17)
The loyal swineherd Eumaeus welcomes the disguised Odysseus and offers him food and shelter.
Panel 3: Telemachus Returns (Book 16)
Key Moment: Odysseus reveals his identity to Telemachus, and they reunite.
Panel 4: Odysseus Enters the Palace as a Beggar (Book 17)
Key Moment: Odysseus sees the suitors insulting servants and wasting his food.
Panel 5: The Beggar Fight (Book 18)
Key Moment: The beggar Irus challenges Odysseus to a fight, and Odysseus easily defeats him.
Quick Comprehension Check
Quick Comprehension Check
Quick Comprehension Check
Homework: Creative Character Response
Write a journal entry from Odysseus’ perspective after he enters the palace disguised as a beggar.Include:
- What he thinks about the suitors
- How he feels seeing his home again
- What he plans to do next
- Length: 8–10 sentences.
Reading Questions Books 13-18Exit Ticket
- Prompt:
- Why is Odysseus’ disguise important to his plan for reclaiming his home?
ORREAD BOOKS 19-24
The Beggar FightIf the suitors needed any further proof that they have gravely misjudged the old beggar in their midst, this is the moment that should have told them — but doesn't. Irus, the palace's resident beggar and a loud, bullying favorite of the suitors, takes immediate offense at the newcomer crowding his turf and demands a fight. The suitors egg it on gleefully, placing bets and laughing, expecting easy entertainment at the old man's expense. What they get is something else entirely. With one devastating blow Odysseus drops Irus like a stone, careful only to hold back enough force to keep his true identity hidden. Hinds plays the scene with a sharp edge of dark humor — the suitors cheering, completely oblivious to the fact that the man they just watched fight is the same man who sacked Troy, outwitted a Cyclops, and sailed back from the edge of the world. The joke is entirely on them. Odysseus dusts himself off, resumes his beggar's slouch, and says nothing. The trap is being set one quiet moment at a time, and not a single suitor in that hall has the wisdom to see it closing around them.
The King in RagsDisguised still as a bent and weathered beggar, Odysseus crosses the threshold of his own palace for the first time in twenty years — and what he finds there would break a lesser man. His great hall, once a place of dignity and hospitality, has been turned into a feast of thieves. The suitors sprawl across his furniture, drain his wine, devour his livestock, and treat his servants with casual cruelty, as though the palace and everything in it already belongs to them. Hinds makes the reader feel every sting of this moment through Odysseus's eyes — the tight jaw, the carefully controlled expression, the fire burning just beneath the surface of the beggar's hollow disguise. One wrong word, one flash of recognition, and everything is lost. And so Odysseus does the hardest thing he has ever done — harder than the Cyclops, harder than Scylla, harder than the Land of the Dead. He swallows his rage, bows his head, and watches. Every insult absorbed is fuel. Every stolen cup of wine is another reason. The king is home, and no one knows it yet. But they will.
A Father and Son ReunitedTelemachus has spent years chasing rumors of a father he barely remembers, sailing from court to court seeking news that never comes. Odysseus has spent years fighting his way across the world toward a son he has missed growing up entirely. When Telemachus arrives at Eumaeus's hut and sits across from the shabby old beggar sheltering there, neither knows how close they truly are. Then Athena intervenes, restoring Odysseus to his true appearance for just a moment — and everything changes. Hinds renders this reunion with quiet emotional devastation, the shock on Telemachus's face giving way to disbelief, and then something too big for words. Odysseus, the hardened survivor of Troy and ten years of horrors, weeps. For all his cunning and endurance, nothing in the epic has broken through his composure the way this single moment does. But there is little time for tears — the suitors still infest the palace, and revenge must be carefully planned. Father and son dry their eyes and get to work, bound together at last by blood, grief, and a shared purpose that has been ten years in the making.
Odysseus Meets EumaeusStill wearing the worn disguise Athena has given him, Odysseus makes his way to the humble hut of Eumaeus, his old and faithful swineherd. What he finds there stops him quietly in his tracks. While the suitors back at the palace gorge themselves on his livestock and mock the memory of their missing king, this simple servant tends his pigs, mourns his master's absence, and without a second thought welcomes a ragged stranger with open arms — offering food, shelter, and genuine warmth. Eumaeus does not know he is looking at Odysseus himself. He knows only that a tired old man is standing at his door and that turning him away would be wrong. Hinds frames this modest scene as one of the most telling in the entire epic — a quiet but powerful contrast between the greed rotting the palace and the loyalty still alive in its humblest corners. After years of gods and monsters and men who wanted him dead, it is a toothless old swineherd who first makes Ithaca feel like home again.
Odysseus Arrives in IthacaAfter years of wandering, gods, monsters, and endless miles of open sea, Odysseus finally sets foot on the shores of Ithaca — but there is no triumphant homecoming, no fanfare, no relief. The island he loves is crawling with enemies, and walking through his own front door as himself would mean certain death. Athena, ever his protector, appears and works her divine magic, transforming the great king into a hunched and weathered old beggar — ragged, unremarkable, and utterly beneath notice. Hinds renders this disguise as something quietly devastating, the proud hero who outwitted the Cyclops and survived the depths of the Underworld now shuffling through his own kingdom unseen and unknown. But there is cunning in the humility. Hidden behind a beggar's worn face, Odysseus can finally see his home as it truly is — overrun, abused, and waiting to be reclaimed. The disguise is not a defeat. It is the first move in his most personal and dangerous game yet.