Transcript The Trojan War

The Odyssey
By Homer
Background Information
What is an odyssey?
A journey through life (universal) = man
trying to achieve personal land of peace
and joy; therefore, we must test
ourselves and overcome obstacles.
Genre
• The Odyssey was
composed to be recited
to the accompaniment
of a lyre to a listening
audience, not written to
be read out or by them.
• It is an epic poem.
(We will go over these characteristics later.)
Time Frame
• The Odyssey was composed
by a Greek named Homer
living in Ionia (coast of Turkey)
probably during the late 8th
century BC.
• We do not know much about
the author, Homer.
– Homer is also traditionally
thought to be the author of The
Iliad, an epic poem about
Achilles which takes place during
the Trojan war.
– We don’t really know if he
wrote this poem, but we
attribute it to him because of its
stylistic similarities to The
Odyssey.
Time Frame
• The Odyssey is 12,110
lines long and would have
taken 20-25 hours to recite
all at once!
– You’ll be glad to know
that we will be reading a
shorter version…
• It is divided into 24 books,
one for each letter of the
Greek alphabet.
It all began with the Trojan War…
The Quarrel…
• Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite
argued over who was the most
beautiful goddess.
• They asked Paris, a Trojan
prince, to decide for them.
• When Paris picked Aphrodite,
she promised him that Helen,
the most beautiful woman in the
world, would fall in love with
him.
The Trojan War
• Paris stole Helen
from her home in
Sparta and took her
back to Troy.
• Helen was married
to King Menelaus, so
this action began the
Trojan War.
The Trojan War
The Trojan War lasted for 10 years.
Finally, Sparta came up with a
completely brilliant plan….
The Trojan War
• The Spartans pretended to flee from
Troy and hid their ships.
• Then, they built a
large, hollow horse
and hid most of the
Spartan army inside.
Beware of Spartans bearing gifts…
• They pushed the horse up
to the gates of Troy and
waited inside.
• The Trojans were busy
celebrating because they
thought they had won.
They took the horse as
a gift from the defeated
Spartans and brought it
inside the city walls.
• When they Trojans
went to sleep, the
Spartan army jumped
out of the horse and
attacked the city.
Trojan Heroes
• Hector- leader of the Trojan army; killed by
Achilles
• Aeneas- son of Aphrodite and a mortal; one of
the only people to escape the fall of Troy
Greek (Spartan) Heroes
• Achilles - Greatest Greek warrior. Homer wrote
the Iliad about this Greek hero. His mother,
Thetis, tried to make him immortal by dipping
him in the river Styx. She dipped everything
but his ankle and when an arrow pierced it, he
died.
• Odysseus - King of Ithaca; came up with the
idea of the Trojan horse; after the war was
over, it took him 10 years to return home.
Father of
Telemachus
Husband of
Penelope
Odysseus
King of Ithaca
There is a 20 year
gap between the
time he left for the
Trojan War and his
return home
Once upon a time…
• When The Odyssey begins,
Odysseus has been away
from home for more than
10 years.
• For 10 years he fought the
Trojan war and for 10 more
he will try to return home.
• Everyone in his hometown
thinks he is dead.
• Many men are trying to
seduce his wife,
Penelope.
• She says that when she
is finished making a
burial shawl, she will
marry a one of the men.
However, each night she
undoes the work so she
will have more time to
wait on Odysseus.
The Gods in The Odyssey
• To the ancient Greeks, the gods
were real, controlled everything,
& interacted with human affairs.
• The Ancient Greeks believed in
many different gods and
goddesses. The Greeks believed
that these gods and goddesses
controlled everything in their
lives. There was a god for many
aspects of life. It was important
to please the gods; happy gods
helped you, but unhappy gods
punished you.
The Greeks believed that the most important gods
and goddesses lived at the top of Mount Olympus,
the highest mountain in northern Greece.
Zeus
Zeus is the
supreme ruler of
Mount Olympus
and of the gods
who reside there.
Athena
Athena is the goddess of
wisdom, war, the arts,
industry, justice and skill.
She is also Zeus’s
daughter.
She frequently helps
Odysseus, who was wellknown for his clever mind.
Hermes
the messenger of the gods
In addition to being the god
of invention, commerce,
and cunning, Hermes is also
Zeus’s son.
Hermes helps Odysseus several times in The Odyssey.
Some goddesses both help and hinder Odysseus during his journey home.
Circe, a goddess and
enchantress will use her
magic to toy with
Odysseus.
The sea goddess Calypso
delays Odysseus’s return
home because of her desire
for companionship.
Poseidon
Poseidon is the god of
the sea, earthquakes,
and horses.
Poseidon is also the father
of the one-eyed cyclopes.
Odysseus’s excessive pride
angers Poseidon.
Helios/Apollo
As the god of the Sun, Helios
rides a chariot drawn by
horses through the sky,
bringing light to the earth.
Odysseus angers Helios when
his men ignore Helios’s
warnings.
Odysseus & the Gods
• Homer used both
Athena and Poseidon as
alter-egos for Odysseus:
good vs. evil
• Odysseus is known for
his cleverness but can
also be stubborn and
arrogant.
Important Literary Terms
• Epic
• Epic Hero
• Epic Simile
• Epithet
Epic
• An epic is a long narrative poem that tells
about the adventures of a hero who
reflects the ideals and values of a nation
or race.
• The epic portrays the past, but it is an
imaginary past.
Characteristics of an Epic
Beginning of an Epic
• The author begins by stating the theme and uses
someone who is all knowing and wise to help him in
his undertaking.
• The story starts in the middle of the action, in media
res, and at a critical point; the events that happened
before the narrative's opening are introduced later on.
Characteristics of an Epic
The Setting
• The setting of the epic is vast in scope, sometimes
worldwide and even beyond.
The Hero
• A figure of great national or international
importance.
The Action
• The action of the epic involves heroic deeds in
battle, such as a long hard journey or a war.
Characteristics of an Epic
The Supernatural
• The gods or other supernatural/fantastical beings
take an interest and an active part in the great deeds
performed in the epic.
Point of View
• Often the point of view is in third person (standing
outside looking in through the window) with little
comment or opinion. Usually the author is objective
(looks at both sides of an issue) in his presentation of
the situation and characters.
Epic Hero
• An epic hero is a larger-than-life figure, usually
male, who embodies the ideals of a nation or
race.
• Epic heroes take part in long, dangerous
adventures and accomplish great deeds that
require courage and superhuman strength.
Epic Simile
• A simile is a comparison of two things using
like or as.
• An EPIC SIMILE is a longer, more detailed
simile that can go on for several lines.
• Example: “And Odysseus let the bright molten tears run down
his cheeks, weeping [like] the way a wife mourns for her lord
on the lost field where he has gone down fighting the day of
wrath that came upon his children . . .”
Epithet
• An epithet is a brief descriptive phrase that
helps to characterize a person or thing.
• Example: “Son of Laertes and the gods of old,
Odysseus, master mariner and soldier. . .”
• Epithets were used to give story telling a
musical effect.