The Odyssey, Ep. 4: The Kingdom of Phaeacia

About this episode

The episode discusses Odysseus's attributes and his journey home, featuring a lecture from Dr. Benedict Whalen.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the attributes that characterize Odysseus before introducing a lecture from Dr. Benedict Whalen. Odysseus uses his metis to gain favor with the king and queen of Phaeacia. Here he must resist the greatest temptation of his journey home. The Odyssey  tells the tale of the cunning and crafty hero of the Trojan War on his journey home. After ten years of war, Odysseus faces another ten years of fantastic temptations, deadly monsters, treacherous seas, and impious men. Meanwhile, Ithaca is threatened by suitors who plague his wife and plunder his wealth. When Odysseus reaches home, he must slay the suitors, test the loyalty of his friends and family, and restore order to his marriage and his kingdom. The Odyssey in Five Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbkafnwczxw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Jeremiah

Guest: Juan

Topics covered

• Odysseus
• Phaeacia
• temptation
• journey home
• The Odyssey
• Trojan War

Keywords

• Odysseus
• Phaeacia
• temptation
• Ithaca
• Trojan War
• Dr. Benedict Whalen
• journey home

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Odyssey

Places: Ithaca, Phaeacia

More episodes of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast

• The Odyssey, Ep. 8: Return to Ithaca · September 9, 2026 · 26 min
• The Odyssey, Ep. 7: Death and Woe · September 2, 2026 · 32 min
• The Odyssey, Ep. 6: Circe · August 26, 2026 · 25 min
• The Odyssey, Ep. 5: The Cyclops · August 19, 2026 · 34 min
• The Odyssey, Ep. 3: Calypso · August 5, 2026 · 31 min
• The Odyssey, Ep. 2: Rumors of Odysseus · July 29, 2026 · 29 min