Transcript The Odyssey Preview

Homer
Meet Homer
Homer was a blind Greek poet
that lived on the Greek Island of
Chios. It is believed that Homer
wrote both the Iliad and the
Odyssey. Homer was a minstrel
(or bard) which is an entertainer
that told stories or sang songs.
The details of Homer's life are a
mystery; some scholars believe
that no such man ever existed,
and that the works credited to him
were actually told and gathered
by many people over many
centuries.
 It’s a long narrative poem
 The speaker is a narrator, telling a story
 The theme or subject of the tale is important
 The setting is huge. It may be a sea, a region, the world or a
universe.
 The main character is most likely a hero
 The action includes extraordinary or super-human deeds.
 Gods or supernatural beings take a part, or an interest, in the
action
 The purpose of an epic is to not only entertain but also to
teach and inspire the listener or reader with examples of how
people can strive and succeed against great odds.
 Aphrodite- the goddess of love and beauty
 Apollo- god of the arts(esp. poetry and
music), archery, and divination
 Ares- god of war
 Artemis- goddess of the hunt and protector of
children
 Athena- goddess of wisdom, war and crafts;
patron of Athens
 Demeter-goddess of agriculture and fertility
 Dionysos- god of wine, mysteries, and the
theatre
 Hephaistos- god of smiths and metal workers
 Hera- goddess of marriage; consort of Zeus
 Posedion- god of the sea and earthquakes
 Zeus- god of the sky; ruler of Olympus
 Achillis- was the greek hero during the
trojan war. Legends say that he was
invulnerable in all of his body except his
heel. Achillis is the central character and
the greatest warrior in Homer’s epic poem
Lliad.
 Theseus-legendary founder-king of
Athens.
 Odysseus-legendary Greek king of
Ithaca. The hero in Homer’s epic poem
The Odyssey.
 Perseus- hero who killed Medusa
 Jason- famous leader of the Agronauts
and their quest for the Golden Fleece
 Hercules- one of the most famous Greek
Heros. According to one myth he
founded the Olympic games. He is
believed to ward off evil.
 Scylla: six-headed
female sea monster
 Sirens: sea nymphs
who sing songs that lure
men to their death
 Cyclops: race of oneeyed giants
 Medusa: her hair
turned into snakes and
was said she could turn
men into stone .
 In the tenth year of the Trojan War, the Greeks tricked the
enemy into bringing a colossal wooden horse within the walls
of Troy. The Trojans had no idea that Greek soldiers were
hidden inside, under the command of Odysseus. That night
they emerged and opened the city gates to the Greek army.
Troy was destroyed. Now it was time for Odysseus and the
other Greeks to return to their kingdoms across the sea.
Here begins the tale of the Odyssey.
The Greeks
 Odysseus- a Hero of the Trojan War
 Penelope- Odysseus’s Wife
 Telemachus- Odysseus’s teenage son
 Eurylochus- A captain in Odysseus’s crew
Monsters and Witches
 Cyclops- A one-eyed giant (son of Poseidon)
 Circe- enchantress who lives on the island of Aeaea
 Scylla- a human eating six-headed female sea monster
Gods and Goddesses
 Poseidon- God of the Sea
 Calypso- A goddess who loves Odysseus
 Hermes- Messenger of the gods
 Athena- Goddess of wisdom