Who Calypso is
Calypso lives on Ogygia, the faraway island where Odysseus is held when the poem opens. He has spent seven years there, unable to leave without a ship or crew. When the poem first shows him, he sits beside the sea and weeps for home.
What Calypso wants
Calypso wants Odysseus to remain with her as her husband, and she offers him a life without death. He refuses that offer because he longs for his wife, Penelope, though he knows she is mortal. Calypso's offer sets life with a goddess against his wish to return to his own home.
Calypso and the others in the story
Zeus sends Hermes to tell Calypso that she must let Odysseus go. She protests that the gods punish a goddess who loves a man, but she obeys the command. As Odysseus prepares to leave on a raft he builds himself, she provides bread, wine and clothing.
Questions
Who is Calypso in The Odyssey?
Calypso is a nymph who lives on Ogygia and keeps Odysseus there for seven years.
What does Calypso offer Odysseus?
She offers him immortality if he will stay with her as her husband. He still wishes to return to Penelope.
Why does Calypso let Odysseus leave?
She lets him leave because Zeus commands it through his messenger Hermes. Although she objects, she helps supply Odysseus for his journey.