Homer: Odyssey Book XI

Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics

Book XI of the Odyssey, Odysseus' extraordinary account of how he met the ghosts of the past in the Underworld, occupies a central place in Homer's epic and was to become a foundational work of Western literature. Odysseus learns of his future from the blind seer Teiresias and of events on Ithaca from the ghost of his mother, Anticleia, and confronts the Iliadic past in the ghosts of Agamemnon, Achilles and Ajax. Book XI is also a repository of epic and mythological narrative, as Odysseus sees a parade of women who tell him their stories, as well as the sinners, like Sisyphos, who are eternally punished in Hades. This edition helps students understand the syntax, metre and language of the book; sophisticated literary discussion of Book XI and its place in the Odyssey will also make this edition very valuable for students and scholars at all levels.

• The Commentary offers full linguistic help and explanation for students with widely varying skills in ancient Greek
• The Introduction and Commentary provide a full and self-standing account of Book 11, enabling students to find everything they need in a single volume
• The Commentary points towards the central issues of the composition and transmission of the Odyssey, but its principal focuses are explanatory and interpretative so as to be more helpful to students wishing to engage with the book and its place in the wider poem