Transcript Introduction to - Mrs. Tully's Website for Students

Homer’s Odyssey
Homer
•
lived around 1200
B.C.E.
• was a poet
• is traditionally
thought to be
blind, but
describes events
as a seeing person
Homer
•Composed the Iliad and the
Odyssey, epic poems about the
war between the Trojans and
the Greeks set in 900-700 B.C.E.
and the aftermath of that
possibly historic war.
What is an epic?
An epic is :
• A narrative poem concerning a serious
subject containing details of heroic deed
and events significant to a culture or
nation.
• The story of the hero’s travels and fights
with powerful figures, sometimes other
humans but also gods and monsters.
An epic :
• Opens in medias res,
• Is written in elevated, formal language,
• Begins with an invocation to a muse,
The Muses
The Muses
• The Muses (mousai), nine daughters of Zeus and
Mnemosyne (memory) were said to give
inspiration to poets and artists.
• They are: Calliope (epic poetry); Clio (history);
Erato (love poetry and mimicry); Euterpe
(music); Melpomene (tragedy); Polyhymnia
(hymns, sacred poetry, mime); Terpsichore
(dancing); Thalia (comedy); and Urania
(astronomy).
• The muses are typically invoked at or near the
beginning of an epic poem or classical Greek
hymn.
An epic :
• Includes supernatural elements,
• involves an epic hero,
• was originally sung, often to a harp or
lyre,
• was composed for live performance
in a pre-literate society
Epics…
• contain clues to the ideas of the poet
and his audience-what they feared or
did not understand, such as natural
disasters, death, storms, the heavens,
or the afterlife.
• reflect the culture that created them:
religion, dress, homes, weapons and
war, roles of men and women, values
and moral standards.
What makes an epic hero?
An epic hero…
• Has “larger than life” qualities,
possibly supernatural powers or skills
so extraordinary that they seem to be
gifts of the gods.
• Performs brave deeds and faces many
dangers, even defeating monsters
and/or gods.
An epic hero…
• Is intelligent and solves difficult,
even life-threatening problems.
• Is a natural leader of men, strong and
responsible.
• Is a skilled fighter who often stands
prominently or alone in battle,
An epic hero…
• Makes long journeys, travels to find
adventure or to fulfill a desire or
quest,
• Is human, and has a weakness (or
human failing) that destroys him or
inadvertently endangers others.
• Is favored by the gods.
Homer is credited with composing two
great epics, The Iliad and the Odyssey.
•The Iliad is a narrative poem
about the tenth and last year of
the Trojan War
•The theme, the wrath of
Achilles, emphasizes arete,
honor earned in battle, and
kleos, or glory.
Arete is honor earned in battle.
• “If the Greeks regarded the Trojan
War as the defining moment of
their culture, they did so because
of the poetry of Homer. It would
not be unfair to regard the
Homeric poems as the single most
important texts in Greek culture.”
• --Richard Hooker, “Bureaucrats and Barbarians, The
Greek Dark Ages.”
The Trojan War ended when the Greeks tricked
the Trojans into bringing a wooden horse filled
with Greek soldiers into the city of Troy.
This clever stratagem was Odysseus’ idea.
The Odyssey begins after the fall of Troy.
•This epic poem of more than
12,000 lines is divided into 24
books.
•It tells the story of Odysseus’
journey as he and his men try
to return home from the Trojan
War.
Odysseus
Must you have battle in your heart forever?
The bloody toil of combat? Old contender;
will you not yield to the immortal gods?
Odyssey, Book 12
Main characters in the Odyssey:
• Odysseus, the king of Ithaka, called
polutropos “the man of many
turnings” for his inventive
intelligence,
• Penelope, Odysseus’ faithful wife
• Telemakhos, Odysseus’ son, now
twenty years old, and
• Athena, the goddess of wisdom, war,
and justice.
Narrative Structure of the Odyssey,
Books 1 through 4:
• Odysseus has been away from his home, Ithaka, for twenty
years.
• His twenty-year-old son Telémakhos, angry about the greedy
suitors who have taken over his home, seeks news of his
father from those who might have heard about him.
• The suitors, who hope that Odysseus is dead, want to force
his wife Penélope to marry one of them.
Led by Athena, posing as
Mentor, Telémakhos
travels to neighboring
kingdoms, trying to find
what has happened to his
father.
While he is gone, the
suitors plot to kill
Telémakhos when he
returns.
Narrative Structure of the Odyssey, Books 5 through 8:
• At the same time, far away on Kalypso’s island of Ogygia,
Odysseus is depressed and homesick. He has been kept there
for seven years.
• Odysseus finally leaves the goddess and journeys to Skería,
land of the Phaiákians.
Narrative Structure of the Odyssey, Books 9-12:
• After landing naked and exhausted on the island, Odysseus
carefully approaches the maiden Nausikaa, daughter of king
Atlkinoos, and she takes him to her father’s court. With the
Phaiákians as his audience, Odysseus narrates his travels from
Troy chronologically, ending with his appearance on Skería.
This episode is occurring at the same time as Telémakhos’ travels in Books 1-4.
Narrative Structure of the Odyssey: Book 13-End
• Setting: Ithaka
• Odysseus arrives on Ithaka and the narrative
returns to a straightforward chronology.
• Aided by Athena, he explores the island and
learns about the desperate situation of his wife
and reveals himself to his son, Telémakhos.
• Together, they plan to kill the vicious suitors and
save Penélope and their kingdom.
Odysseus retakes his home from the suitors
Sources
• Bauernschub, Mary Beth. “Inspired by the Muses, Graces, and
Fates." ArtsEdge. The Kennedy Center. 6 Jan 2009
<http://artsedge.kennedycenter. org/content/3605/>.
• Hooker, Richard. “Bureaucrats and Barbarians, The Greek
Dark Ages.” Pullman, WA: Washington State U P, 1999.