Objectives

• Analyse how Homer uses Athena's interventions in Books I and V to construct Odysseus and Telemachus as parallel figures shaped by divine will.
• Explain how the first-person narrative frame of Books IX–XII (the Apologoi) shapes the reader's understanding of Odysseus's identity and reliability.
• Analyse how Homer uses disguise and recognition — in the encounters with Eumaeus, Argos, and the suitors in Books XIII–XX — to explore the themes of loyalty and homecoming.
• Analyse how Penelope's intelligence is constructed through her management of the bow contest and the bed test in Books XXI and XXIII, resisting a reading of her as passive.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds and interprets quotation from a named passage of the Odyssey, using precise literary and contextual vocabulary.
• Evaluate how Homer's use of epic conventions — in medias res opening, divine machinery, the xenia code — shapes the poem's moral and structural concerns across the whole work.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Who is Telemachus? Identity, paralysis, and Athena's disguise in Books I–IV

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   On the board: 'Think of three adjectives that describe someone who hasn't yet become who they’re meant to be. Then, write one sentence about what holds them back.' Students work on this individually. No teacher prompts are required. After two minutes, share with a partner.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of Book I, lines 80–95, where Athena, disguised as Mentes, tells Telemachus: "I think you are no longer a child — you must not cling to boyhood." Analyze how the use of the imperative mood and Athena's disguise work together to create dramatic irony and highlight the epic's central question of identity. Guide students on how to include a brief quotation in their analysis and discuss its grammatical structure, not just its meaning.

   Independent task

   Students will compose a PEEL paragraph (150–200 words) addressing the question: 'How does Homer use Athena's speech to Telemachus in Book I to establish the theme of identity?' They need to include at least two quotes, reference the device of divine disguise, and connect their analysis to the concept of xenia. The paragraphs will be collected and assessed for the quality of textual embedding and conceptual clarity.

   Exit ticket

   On a slip of paper: 'In one sentence, explain why Homer starts the Odyssey with Telemachus instead of Odysseus. Be sure to include the word 'identity' or 'paralysis' in your response.'

2. Lesson 2: The cunning narrator: Odysseus's Apologoi and the blinding of Polyphemus in Books IX–XII

   60 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   On the board: 'Odysseus shares his story with King Alcinous. Write down two reasons a storyteller might embellish their own image and two reasons an audience might be skeptical of a first-person narrator.' Students will write independently for four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of Book IX, lines 355–370, where Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name is 'Nobody' (Outis). This wordplay on 'Outis/Odysseus' serves as both a survival tactic and a moment of identity erasure, with Odysseus literally naming himself as no one. Analyzing the irony reveals that the man renowned for his name survives by relinquishing it, complicating our interpretation of his boast at lines 502–505, where he ultimately reclaims it.

   Independent task

   Students annotate a printed extract from Book IX, lines 345–415 (covering the Outis trick to Odysseus's boast). They identify: (1) two instances that showcase Odysseus's cunning in a positive light, (2) one instance that depicts it as reckless, and (3) one impact of the first-person narrative perspective on our judgment of him. Afterward, they write a 100-word evaluative comment. The annotated extracts and comments are then collected.

   Exit ticket

   On a slip: 'What does it mean when Odysseus calls himself Nobody? Write two sentences — one focusing on survival, the other on identity.'

3. Lesson 3: Loyalty and recognition: Eumaeus, Argos, and the disguised Odysseus in Books XIII–XX

   60 min · ch. 4, 5

   Do now

   On the board: 'After twenty years, Argos the dog recognizes Odysseus and then passes away. Why do you think Homer chose to include this moment just before Odysseus returns to his home? Write three sentences without referring to the text.' Students work individually for four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of Book XVII, lines 290–327 (the Argos scene). Explore how Homer uses the dog's physical decay — 'lying neglected on heaps of dung' — to reflect the decline of Odysseus's household under the suitors. Highlight how the contrast between Argos's recognition of Odysseus and Odysseus's forced non-recognition (as he 'brushed away a tear') generates pathos and emphasizes the costs associated with the disguise motif. This can be described as inverted bathos — the lowly creature perceives what the powerful cannot.

   Independent task

   Students will write a comparative paragraph (150–200 words) that contrasts the recognition scene with Argos in Book XVII with Odysseus's self-revelation to Eumaeus in Book XVI, lines 172–200. They need to explore what each scene reveals about loyalty, how Homer uses dramatic irony in different ways in each scene, and what this contrast indicates about the hierarchy of trust in the poem. The paragraphs will be collected.

   Exit ticket

   On a slip: 'Name one character in Books XIII–XX who recognizes Odysseus and one who doesn’t. For each, provide one word that explains why.'

4. Lesson 4: Penelope's intelligence: the bow contest and the bed test in Books XXI and XXIII

   60 min · ch. 6

   Do now

   On the board: 'Penelope has been waiting twenty years. When Odysseus finally reveals himself, she does not immediately believe him. Write one sentence defending her skepticism and one sentence that might criticize it.' Students will write individually for four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of Book XXIII, lines 174–204 (the bed test). Highlight how Penelope's command to the maid to 'move the bed outside the chamber' serves as a trap rather than an error. Illustrate how Odysseus's angry reply—detailing how he constructed the bed around a living olive tree—acts as the sole password that can confirm his identity. Point out how Homer delays revealing Penelope's thoughts until line 205 ('her knees went slack, her heart dissolved') to heighten the emotional impact of her recognition, marking it as the climax of the entire epic.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a 200-word analytical paragraph that responds to the question: 'How does Homer portray Penelope as an intelligent agent rather than a passive figure in Books XXI and XXIII?' They should reference the bow contest from Book XXI and the bed test from Book XXIII, include at least two quotations, and incorporate the word 'deception' or 'agency' in their analysis. Once completed, the paragraphs will be gathered and peer-reviewed using a two-band descriptor displayed on the board.

   Exit ticket

   On a slip: 'In one sentence, describe what the unmovable bed represents. Include the words 'identity' or 'fidelity'.'

5. Lesson 5: Homecoming and justice: synthesising the whole Odyssey in a timed essay

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

   Do now

   On the board: "Think of one moment of disguise, one moment of divine intervention, one moment when loyalty was rewarded, and one moment when loyalty was punished — each from a different part of the Odyssey. Write them down without referring to your notes." Students will work on this individually for five minutes. This helps activate their schema before the essay.

   Teacher input

   Model the construction of an essay introduction using the question: "How does Homer present homecoming as both a physical and moral journey in the Odyssey?" On the board, illustrate how to craft a thesis sentence that incorporates a technique, a structural element, and a thematic assertion all in one. For example, you could say, "By comparing Telemachus's journey in Books I–IV with Odysseus's return in disguise in Books XIII–XXIII, Homer portrays homecoming not merely as an arrival but as an ongoing process of personal transformation." Explain how this thesis sentence guides the entire essay.

   Independent task

   Students will write a timed essay in 40 minutes that addresses the question: "How does Homer use disguise and recognition throughout the Odyssey to explore the concept of returning home?" They need to reference at least three specific books by number, incorporate and analyze at least four quotations, and discuss both Odysseus and one additional character (Telemachus, Penelope, or Eumaeus). The essays will be collected for final marking.

   Exit ticket

   On a slip: 'Write one sentence that highlights the strongest point in your essay and another sentence about what you would explore further if you had more time.'

Activities

Assessment

• Exit ticket after Lesson 1: checks whether students can articulate why Homer opens with Telemachus rather than Odysseus, targeting the theme of identity and the concept of in medias res.
• Annotated extract from Lesson 2 (Book IX, lines 345–415): checks whether students can distinguish between admiring and critical presentations of Odysseus's cunning within a single passage.
• Comparative paragraph from Lesson 3: checks whether students can sustain a two-text comparison (Argos scene vs. Eumaeus revelation) using embedded quotation and dramatic irony as a named technique.
• Peer-marked paragraph from Lesson 4: checks whether students can identify agency and deception as constructed qualities in Penelope, not simply plot functions, using the two-band descriptor.
• Lesson 5 do-now recall grid: checks breadth of textual knowledge across all six chapter sections before the timed essay, flagging students who cannot locate examples beyond Books IX–XII.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g. satire, irony, understatement).
• W.11-12.1 — Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of a character, including their complexity and how they contribute to an interpretation of the text as a whole.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including extended metaphor and epic simile.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view and narrative perspective, including the effect of a first-person narrator on the reliability of the account.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain the function of structure and sequence, including the in medias res opening and the embedded narrative of the Apologoi (Books IX–XII).
• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1.D) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim and establishes a line of reasoning about a literary text.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, including Homer's use of epic simile, divine disguise, and the first-person narrative frame of the Apologoi.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are produced and received, including the oral tradition, xenia, and the concept of nostos in Archaic Greek culture.
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations, including feminist readings of Penelope and narratological readings of Odysseus as an unreliable narrator.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the text, including accurate reference to specific books and named passages of the Odyssey.
• Criterion B — Analyse the use of literary features and their effects, including the function of epic conventions such as in medias res, divine machinery, and the extended simile.
• Criterion C — Develop a focused and persuasive line of argument in response to a literary question, sustained across a full essay.