You have to be familiar with it to appreciate the connections, but you don't need to read it. A good summary will do fine. Even the Wikipedia page is good enough.
It’s not a prerequisite though. Nor is Hamlet or any of the other works referenced. Very little will be missed if you haven’t read the Odyssey. It’s a book that stands alone on its own. Like anything else, Ulysses is inspired by other works, but you don’t need to catch every single reference or allusion to enjoy a book or movie
