Can I really leave Penelope and Telemachus? Can I leave Ithaca?
The Odyssey actually starts with Odysseus already out of the common world. Odysseus' common world would be Ithaca, with his wife, Penelope and his son, Telemachus.
Meeting With a Mentor
Odysseus was in the Trojan War. He wants to get home to Ithaca, so he sets sail on a long journey with his men.
Crossing the First Threshold
Odysseus might have refused the call to adventure because of his family back at home. This must have been a tough decision for him, but he ended up going to war.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies
The mentor in this is the goddess Athena. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. She helps Odysseus many times during his journey home.
The first threshold that Odysseus ever crossed was when he went to the Trojan War. After Odysseus' side wins the war, Odysseus needs to get home to Ithaca.
Odysseus faces many challenges on his journey. Most of these challenges are caused by the enemies of Odysseus. One of these enemies is the cyclops, Polyphemus when Odysseus gets stuck in his cave. Odysseus defeats the cyclops by stabbing him in the eye and riding out under the cyclop's sheep.