One of the most noticeable features of the first four books of the Odyssey, the Telemachy, is the fact that Odysseus barely features as a character in the first part of the story. This is not to say, however, the reader is not forced to think about him, as Homer cleverly introduces the `spirit' of Odysseus through other characters who describe him and miss him.

The first time that Odysseus is mentioned, he is described as `a man of many ways' (1,1). This prepares the reader for the first `proper' introduction of Odysseus in Book 5, because the reader is immediately made to understand that Odysseus is a man who excels in knowledge and craftiness. The reader also learns from this brief description of Odysseus, that Odysseus has travelled to lots of...