Listen&Learn: The Odyssey

Posted by: Jaksyn Peacock

Learn about the famous legend of Odysseus.

Pre-listening vocabulary

epic poem: a long story told in verse
mythical: not real; from legend
journey: a long trip
copy: a single version of a book
interpretation: an understanding of a work’s meaning

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:20 — )

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20640″]

Discussion/essay questions

The Trojan War is a widely-known legend from Greek mythology. Do you know any other ancient Greek myths?
Even today, there are many movies and books based on ancient myths. Why do you think people find ancient mythology so fascinating?

Transcript

The Odyssey is an epic poem by the ancient Greek writer Homer. It is made up of 24 books about a mythical king named Odysseus; his wife, Penelope; and their son, Telemachus. The story describes Odysseus’s ten-year journey home from the Trojan War. It was written around 700 B.C., making it one of the oldest texts that is still commonly read today. The first copy of the Odyssey was handwritten in ancient Greek. The first English translation wasn’t published until 1615. Since then, the Odyssey has been translated many times, and every translator has given a different interpretation of the text. The story has also inspired many other works, including multiple books, movies, and plays.

Written and recorded by Jaksyn Peacock for EnglishClub

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17 comments

kamilo says:

1-OK I don’t have another myth of greek
2- I think people find interesting the possibility that humans and gods could have lived in an ancient time so I think it’s that
abdolmonem says:

1. Elyad
2. Because it is fantasy
English Club Indonesia says:

I know there are other Greek myths, such as Poseidon, Zeus, and other Olympus stories. Greek mythology is one of the oldest forms of fantasy literature. Its writing style is quite unique, and the characters in its stories with their mighty powers are things that have been enjoyed for centuries
arwa says:

this exercise is so easy
Hussein Jumaah Kheder says:

I loved that because it was read in a very slow way that made anyone understands it so clearly.
Angie says:

I like this book
Dr. Jonnagadla Rangaswamy says:

Marvelously told epic story in a pleasing manner which can be listened and understood by even a layman. Thank you very much.
Joseph says:

Please provide more the Greek mythical story. they are interested.
Maybin Bwalya says:

Thank you so much for equipping me with the listening skill.I have had a challenge on this subject.Keep up with good work.
Christine PENNEC says:

interesting story
Reza says:

These stories are good. I like them with more description if possible.
Reza says:

These stories are good and provide usehul teaching ideas.
The King Of Love From IRAN says:

Thank you for sharing it,
Edyta says:

Thank you for all the things I could learn from you
FANI says:

Thanks
Vy says:

Thanks for your exercises which help me a lot in improving English!
Margaret says:

Thanks for the emails I have been receiving. I use some of them because they provide useful teaching ideas.