Read this before you watch The Odyssey:
- Agamemnon was the most powerful king in Greece.
- His brother, Menelaus, was the king of Sparta.
- Menelaus was married to Helen, whose beauty was legendary across the ancient world.
- In the city of Troy lived Prince Paris and his brother Hector, Troy's greatest warrior.
- Paris met Helen and the two left Sparta together for Troy.
- Menelaus saw this as a grave insult and asked the Greek kings to help him bring Helen back.
- Agamemnon united the Greek kingdoms and launched a massive invasion of Troy.
- This conflict became known as the Trojan War.
- Many legendary heroes fought in the war, including Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, and Odysseus, the clever king of Ithaca.
- While Achilles was famous for his strength, Odysseus was famous for his intelligence and strategy.
- The war lasted 10 years and neither side could win.
- Finally, Odysseus came up with a brilliant plan: the Trojan Horse.
- The Greeks hid soldiers inside a giant wooden horse and pretended to sail away.
- The Trojans brought the horse into their city, believing it was a gift.
- That night, the hidden Greek soldiers opened the gates of Troy, and the Greeks captured the city.
- The Trojan War was over.
- After that, Odysseus begins his long journey home.
- That journey filled with gods, monsters, shipwrecks, temptation, and loss is called The Odyssey.
- And that's what the film is about.