The Iliad and the Odyssey

“The Iliad, a tale of war, describes the feats of individual heroes and the struggles of opposing peoples in wartime. In contrast, the Odyssey focuses mainly on the adventures of one hero who, on his long homeward journey, faces enormous challenges, including one-eyed monsters and a sorceress who turns men into pigs. The heroism and suffering of people at war, the adventures of heroes on a mission—people still thrill to such stories. In our time, hugely popular entertainments like the Star Wars movies have distant roots in the Iliad and the Odyssey.”