The document provides background information on Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey". It discusses how epics like "The Odyssey" were composed orally and passed down through storytellers before being written down. The main characters of the poem include Odysseus, the epic hero and king of Ithaca, who embarks on a long journey home after the Trojan War, as well as Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Telemachus, and Penelope.