👑 Basic Identity Odysseus is the King of Ithaca and the main protagonist of EPIC: The Musical . He is voiced by the musical's creator, Jorge Rivera-Herrans . He is a husband to Penelope and a father to Telemachus, and his entire motivation throughout the story is to return home to them . 📖 The Full Story Arc (Saga by Saga) Before the War In his youth, Odysseus met Penelope under an olive tree, and they fell in love and married. When they had their son Telemachus, the call to arms for the Trojan War came. Odysseus tried to avoid the war by pretending to be insane, but his bluff was called when he was forced to prove it by running over his own baby son. He failed, and was drafted into the war . The Troy Saga After ten years of war, Odysseus is instrumental in the fall of Troy using the Trojan Horse. However, at the very end, Zeus appears and gives him a cruel order: kill Hector's infant son, or the child will grow up to burn Ithaca. Odysseus, after a moment of hesitation, chooses to protect his own family and kills the child . The Cyclops Saga Seeking food, Odysseus and his men encounter the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus cleverly tricks the monster by saying his name is "Nobody" and giving him wine laced with lotus fruit. When the Cyclops falls asleep, Odysseus and his men blind him with a sharpened club. However, in an act of hubris, Odysseus shouts his real name as they escape, allowing Polyphemus to pray to his father, Poseidon, for vengeance . The Ocean Saga Poseidon answers his son's prayer and attacks the fleet, sinking all ships except Odysseus's. He vows to make Odysseus's journey home a living hell for blinding his son . Odysseus receives a magical wind bag from Aeolus to help him get home, but his crew's distrust leads to it being opened, blowing them off course . The Circe Saga On Circe's island, Odysseus's men are turned into pigs. With help from Hermes, Odysseus gains the upper hand against Circe. She tries to seduce him, but he rejects her, think
