Odysseus was a hero of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” and one of the most frequently portrayed figures in Western literature. According to Homer, Odysseus was king of Ithaca, son of Laertes and Anticleia, and father, by his wife, Penelope, of Telemachus. Homer portrayed Odysseus as a man of outstanding wisdom and shrewdness, eloquence, resourcefulness, courage, and endurance.