What challenges does Odysseus face in The Odyssey?

Odysseus faces a great
many challenges in .  First, although he cautions his men that they should
move on quickly after the Trojan War, they "did not heed" him, got very drunk in
celebration of their victory, and then were attacked by the Ciconians on Ismarus.  Next, he had
to face a different kind of challenge when three of his men wanted to stay on the land of the
Lotus-eaters after they had eaten the lotus flower.  He had to muscle them back to the ship
despite their protests.  After this, he had to fight the Cyclops, Polyphemus, who ate several of
his men and then involved his father, god of the sea, Poseidon, who then made it even more
difficult for Odysseus to get home. 

Once they escape the Cyclops, he had to
deal with the challenge of his disloyal men who opened the bag of winds Odysseus was given by
Aeolus.  This bag contained all the winds that would blow his ships away from Ithaca, and when
his men opened it (thinking that it contained treasure), they are blown all the way back to the
island of Aeolia.  Then, his crew is attacked by giant cannibals in Laestrygonia.  After this,
Odysseus was challenged by the witch, Circe, who turned his crew to pigs.  He stayed with her
for a year before he felt he could leave without insulting her.  After this, travelled to the
underworld to speak with the dead prophet, Teiresias, and get his advice on how to get home. 
After this, he had to get past the Sirens (not that hard since he'd been told how), Scylla (who
ate six of his men), Charybdis (in which he almost drowned), and his disloyal crew again when it
came to not eating the Sun god's sacred cattle.  Then, he had to deal with the challenge of
being held captive by Calypso for several years, and when he gets home, he has to meet the
challenge of the many suitors who have been abusing his family's hospitality and attempting to
force his wife to marry one of them.