Transcript THE ODYSSEY Exploring His World and Ours

THE ODYSSEY
What is a myth?
 A story usually concerning some
superhuman being or unlikely event that
was once widely believed to be true.
What is an EPIC?
EPIC - noting or pertaining to a long poetic
composition, usually centered upon a hero, in
which a series of great achievements or events is
narrated in elevated style: Homer's the Odyssey is
an epic poem.
What is an EPIC poem?
 A long narrative poem about the adventures
of a hero whose actions reflect ideals and
values of a race or nation. Epics address
universal concerns, such as good and evil.
 An epic hero is a larger-than-life figure who
takes part in dangerous adventures and
accomplish great deeds.
 Handed down from generation to generation.
 Chanted the stories in public performances.
EPIC poem – 9 Characteristics
 1) It opens in the midst of the story (medias res)
 2) The setting is vast and it covers many nations, the world
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and the universe.
3) It usually begins with an invocation to Muse.
4) It starts with a statement of the theme.
5) The use of Epithets.
6) It includes long lists.
7) It features long and formal speeches.
8) It shows divine intervention on human affairs.
9) The Heroes embody the values of civilization.
Who is Homer?
 An ancient Greek poet traditionally
considered to be the composer of The Iliad
and the Odyssey. According to tradition, he
was blind.
 Fabled poet, yet when and where he lived,
remain riddles.
 Probably composed the Odyssey near the
end of the 8th century BC.
The Odyssey
Introduction
 Odysseus’ adventures as he makes his way
home after the Trojan war. His wanderings
involve encounters with various monsters,
enchanting women, and much more.
 The drive to recover something more precious
than honor or politics: Helen, the beautiful
wife of Menelaos, King of Sparta. Helen, the
story goes, had been abducted by Paris, the
handsome Trojan Prince.
Gods & Goddesses
 Calypso--a sea goddess
 Zeus--chief of the Greek gods and goddesses
 Poseidon--god of the sea
 Aeollus--god of the winds
Plot Summary
 the Trojan war has ended
 Odysseus departs from Troy with a fleet of 12 ships
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carrying about 700 men
Odysseus makes Poseidon angry with his prideful remarks
fights monsters, battles storms
encounters enchanting women who try to keep him from his
wife
loses his men
goes into the underworld for advice from a blind prophet
10 years fighting in the Trojan War and 10 years fighting
Poseidon and the other gods to get home
makes it home????
CONFLICT
 Internal
– pride
– bragging, boasting
– curiosity
– hunger for fame
– homesickness
 External
– war
– nature
– gods, goddesses
– monsters
– Penelope’s suitors
The Trojan War
Troy
- lasted for ten years
- ended by Odysseus’s
Trojan Horse
- finally, the survivors
start for home . . .
Priam + Hecuba
Paris
Hector
Mount Olympus
Zeus + Hera
Athena
Aphrodite
“for the fairest”
Sparta
Odysseus and
the Achaeans go
to war
with Troy
Ithaca
Menelaus + Helen
Menelaus
calls on his allies
Agamemnon
Menelaus and Agamemnon
go to get Odysseus
Eris
Odysseus + Penelope
Telemachus
Literary Terms
Epithet: A compound adjective, as in "all-seeing"
love, "swift-footed" Achilles, "gray-eyed" Athena,
"rosy-fingered" dawn, that is attached to a particular
character. ex: clear-eyed goddess (1. 256)
Hubris: Overreaching pride
Heroic Couplet: This verse form consists of iambic
pentameter lines with rhymed couplets. Iambic
pentameter is a meter, rhyme and rhythm pattern in
poetry. Iambic refers to an unstressed syllable
followed by a stressed syllable. Pentameter means
there are five beats or meters per line.
Setting - Bronze Age, 12 B.C.E.
 Most of the action takes place in the ten
years following the Trojan War
 Ithaca – surrounding seas and islands,
which with Odysseus gone, all that he has –
his kingship, his wealth, his home, and his
wife and son – is in jeopardy
The Epic Begins…
 The epic begins in medias res (literary term
meaning “in the middle of things”).
 Odysseus has been gone from Ithaca for
about 20 years
 Epic is told in Omniscient 3rd POV - the
poet, invokes the assistance of the Muse; 1st
POV when Odysseus narrates Books 9–12.
 Penelope – 100 suitors
 Telemachus – coming of age
Irony – Dramatic, Situational
and Verbal
 Dramatic irony and pathos are two other literary
techniques that Homer uses to good effect in the
Odyssey. A good example of how Homer uses
dramatic irony is just before the battle in the hall,
'... believe me, this bow will break the heart and
spirit of many a companion here'. These words are
spoken by Leodes, the first of the suitors to
attempt to string the bow. It is the bow that will
kill the suitors and so it truly is '... the bow that
will seal our fate', as Antinous said.
Foreshadowing
 Agamemnon’s fate at the hands of
Odysseus’ wife and his vindication by his
son foreshadow the domestic troubles and
triumphs Odysseus faces when he returns to
Ithaca; Odysseus is nearly recognized by his
wife and servants several times in Books
18–19, foreshadowing the disclosure of his
identity in Book 22.
Simile – comparison using the
words “like” or “as”
 The simile is perhaps the most
characteristic figure in Homer's repertoire,
often being hugely extended into mininarratives of their own. Example: Odysseus
is “... like a lion when he comes from
feeding on a farmer's bullock, with the
blood dripping from his breast and jaws on
either side, a fearsome spectacle....”
 Epic simile - an elaborate comparison of
unlike subjects
Metaphor - when one thing is
described as something else
 Example: when Odysseus has just slain the
suitors and Homer compares the dead suitors to
a mound of dead fish, conjuring up the image of
fish twitching and flopping. This would
definitely capture the attention of an audience as
not only do these scenes portray the mighty
power of the hero but are also gruesome enough
to keep the attention of a more modern, possibly
bloodthirsty audience.
Imagery - the formation of
mental images
 The Odyssey makes use of violent imagery
to portray one of it's themes of vengeance.
The descriptions given of some of the battle
scenes with the Cyclopes. Homer offers the
reader a image of the helplessness of the
victims of the Cyclopes with the words:
"...and [Cyclopes] caught two [men] in his
hands like squirming puppies....”
Introduction of Themes
 Hospitality
 Respect for the Gods
 Journey and Reputation – Odysseus’ most
treasured possession
 Loyalty
 Power - Intelligence
THEMES-Respect for the gods
 sacrifices and offerings
– "cutting the first strips for the gods”
– Libations are also poured.
 Disrespect for the Gods = disaster; the Gods
do not forget disrespect and are not easily
appeased. (Poseidon, Athena, Aeolus, Helios.)
– Note how often Odysseus prays, especially
after he makes the mistake with Polyphemus.
THEMES - Loyalty
 Penelope's loyalty to Odysseus
 Athena's loyalty to “Odysseus” & vice versa
 Loyalty between parents and offspring.
 The loyalty of Eurycleia (The aged and loyal
servant who nursed Odysseus and Telemachus)
 The loyalty of Argos
 The loyalty of the Achaeans (those who
fight against Troy in the Trojan War) to
each other.
THEMES - Intelligence
 Foolishness and the lack of self-discipline
lead to the loss of men with the Cicones and
the loss of the crew on the Island of Helios.
 Outwits monsters and other foes who block
his path and threaten his men’s lives.
THEMES - Hospitality
 First shown to Telemachus by Nestor, then
Menelaus.
 Descriptions of the feasting and gift giving
by generous hosts
 Greek hospitality serve a number of
purposes, such as pleasing the gods, pleasing
guests, spreading a good reputation
throughout the known world and establishing
bonds with other families and cities.
THEMES - Journey
 The Odyssey as a Hero Journey
 Journey of Life in The Odyssey
 Homecoming
List of Characters
 Odysseus – The central Figure in the epic,
he is cunning as well as courageous, trying
to return to Ithaca, where he must defeat the
suitors, and resume his proper place as
king.
 Penelope – wife of Odysseus and mother
of their son, Telemachus. She is clever and
true in fending off the suitors.
List of Characters
 Telemachus – son of Odysseus and
Penelope, the prince struggles to gain his
own maturity while attempting to deal with
the problems of the palace
 Laertes – Odysseus’ father, the old king
lives humbly and in solitude on a small
farm where he mourns the absence of his
son; once reunited with Odysseus, he is
restored to dignity.
List of Characters
 Circe – A goddess-enchantress who turns
some of Odysseus’ crew into swine, she
reverses the spell and becomes Odysseus’
lover for a year advising him well when he
departs.
 Calypso – A goddess-nymph, she holds
Odysseus captive for seven years, sleeping
with him, hoping to marry him, and
releasing him only at Zeus’ order.
List of Characters
 Scylla–monster that lived on one side of a
narrow channel of water, opposite its
counterpart Charybdis.
 They were said to be located close enough
to each other that they posed an inescapable
threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis
meant passing too closely to Scylla and vice
versa.
List of Characters
 Polyphemus – also known as “the
Cyclops,” the one-eyed cannibal giant who
traps Odysseus and a scouting party in his
cave and is blinded when they escape.
 Helios–was the Titan god of the sun. He
was also the guardian of oaths and the god
of gift of sight.
List of Characters
 Sirens – 3 dangerous bird-women,
portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby
sailors whose enchanting music and voices
to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their
island.
 Antinous and Eurymachus – The two
leading suitors, they differ in that Antinous
is more physically aggressive while
Eurymachus is a smooth talker.
List of Characters
 Eumaeus and Philoetius – Odysseus’ loyal
swineherd and cowherd, they assist him in
his return to Ithaca and stand with the king
and prince against the suitors.
 Eurycleia – Faithful old nurse to Odysseus
(as well as Telemachus) she identifies her
master when she recognizes an old scar on
his leg.
BOOK 1-Athena Motivates the Prince
 Homer opens with calling upon the higher
power of the Muse of epic poetry-asks for
her guidance in telling the story of a man
who has experience many twists and turns
of fate and has suffered many hardships.
 Odysseus – only Greek survivor of the
Trojan War
 Captive on the island Ogygia by the
“bewitching nymph” (1.17)
BOOK 2 – Telemachus Sets Sail for
Pylos
 Telemachuse effectively makes his case
against the suitors and asks them to desist
 Antinous – the leading suitor, denies
responsibility and puts the blame on that
“queen of cunning,” Penelope (2.95).
 Eurymachus – another leading suitor
 Telemachus foreshadows events by
appealing to Zeus for assistance in
vengeance.