Transcript Odyssey Powerpoint - AJSmith

Homer’s
The Odyssey
What do we already know about
the Odyssey?
What is an Odyssey?
Your notes…
Homer
The Epic
(purpose and form)
Hero’s Journey
The Odyssey
Cultural Myths
Gods/Goddesses
Who was Homer?
 No…not
this one!
Who was Homer?
This one!
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Homer
Blind poet?
Recited the poems,
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Man?
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taught others—the rhapsodies
eventually recorded
What did he contribute to literature?
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original plot structure
realistic (human) characters
set on earth
dialogue and detail
tales of monsters
used immortals; gave them human qualities, but remained
respectful

theme: respect for gods is essential to survival
What is an epic?
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Epic
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a long narrative poem written on great and serious
subject
describes values of a culture
Characteristics
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Hero: national or cosmic importance
Setting: ample in scale—over countries or global
Action: based on action, often involves superhuman
deeds or battle
Gods: Supernatural beings take interest or active
part
Narration: uses formal speech to convey grandeur
and formality of the heroic subject
What is the purpose of the epic?
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Delivery
poems not written down
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both epics recited every 4 years at the festival of
Athena
Epics based on Greek education
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memorized by rhapsodies
Purpose
Students learned
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how to tell a story
portray a character
give a speech
express Greek ideals of thought and action
models for later writers
The Iliad
The Iliad:
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considered the first great work of Western
Literature
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Achilles is the hero
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The great deeds of epic heroes of the Trojan
war
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The Odyssey takes place at the end of the
Iliad (sequel)
The Trojan War
Probable cause--economic
Troy controlled all trade through the area
Greeks wanted to expand the route
Legendary cause
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Helen of Troy, wife of King or Sparta, was
abducted by Paris (a man)
took years to develop army
fight 10 years
Troy lost
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For a good film version, check of Troy, with Brad
Pitt (good idea of how important honor and battle
are to this culture)
Interested in more?
 Helen
by Margret George
 Troy (film)
 LOTS of books about gods/goddesses
 We
are fascinated by these stories
Gods
 Zeus—father of the
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gods, rules Mt.
Olympus
Ares—the god of war
Hermes—the
messenger god, the
winged messenger
Poseidon—the god of
the sea
Hades—god of the
underworld, must
cross the river Styx
Goddesses
wife, goddess
of women and marriage
 Athena—wisdom and battle,
Odysseus’ champion
 Persephone—(unwilling)
queen of the underworld
 Aphrodite—goddess of love
 Hera—Zeus’
The witches and monsters
 Kalypso—a
sea nymph
 Kharybdis—a sea monster
 Kirke—a witch
 Kyclops/Polyphemos—the
one eyed monster
 Sirens (Seirenes)—the cliff
“women”
 Skylla—a sea monster
What role did Gods and
Goddesses play?
What can we add to our notes?
What is a Cultural Myth?
Let’s review: what should we
add to our notes?
Works Cited
“Great Books: The Odyssey.” Discovery
Channel School. 1997. unitedstreaming. 4
June 2007.
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/.
“Great Books: Homer's Odyssey.” Discovery
Channel School. 2004. unitedstreaming. 4
June 2007.
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/.