Transcript The Odyssey
The Odyssey: A Background The Odyssey 3000 Years ago Great war stories recalling historical facts Written by Homer Two books: The Iliad and the Odyssey The Odyssey Homer’s Details second epic the attempts of Odysseus to return home after winning the Trojan War Epic Long narrative poems that tell of the adventures of heroes who in some way embody the values of their civilizations Typically used to teach virtues: moral ideals of a society Epics: Greek: The Iliad and the Odyssey Roman: Aeneid French: Song of Roland Italian: Divine Comedy Sumerian: Gilgamesh English: Beowulf The War-Story Background: Found in the Iliad: the war epic Action is the 10th and final year of the Trojan War Menelaus: King of Sparta whose wife, Helen, ran off with Paris, a Trojan Prince Heroes of the Trojan War Agamemnon: King and leader of the Greek forces Achilles: the greatest of all Greek warriors Odysseus: the hero of the second epic, and a prominent figure in Greek history Odysseus: Hero in Trouble Heroes were thought of as aristocrats—a privileged class Difference: Odysseus is in trouble—he must submit to Agamemnon He is at the whim of the gods Hero in Trouble Story marked by melancholy and a feeling of disillusionment Odysseus is plagued by misfortune—the opposite of what we think a hero should have Odysseus’ Misfortune The monsters do not know of his military prowess Odysseus has already been away from his wife for 10 years Odysseus has not seen his son, Telemachus, since he was a toddler The Wooden-Horse Trick Odysseus created the wooden horse (Trojan Horse) It is a trap—it is filled with warriors who open the gates of Troy at night when the Trojans were asleep The Greek army withdrew from sight—this is a dishonest means of battle The Ancient World and Ours Harsh—filled with violence Worldly goods may simply have been pots and pans, not gold Palaces may simply have been mud huts Struggles represent the struggle for survival A Search for their Places in Life Odysseus is searching for home—parallels the plight of the Greek people People feel the need to belong somewhere Odyssey begins in the middle, with Telemachus Place in Life Telemachus: need for father reflects society’s need for guidance Odysseus is similar to Zeus in this regard Odysseus represents every Greek person in search of security in a hostile world Relationships with the Gods Myths: stories that use fantasy to express ideas about life that cannot be expressed easily in realistic terms Homer is religious: the Odyssey represents the struggle every Greek had with the Gods/Survival Alter Ego: the opposite of the hero Who was Homer? No one really knows Believed to be a blind minstrel from Chios Probably just a legend Rhapsodes: singer of tales— historians How Were Epics Told? Oral Tradition: the Odyssey was spoken long before it was written down Most myths usually taught a religious story How Were Epics Told? Homeric or heroic similes: compare heroic or epic events to simple and easily understandable events These stories were probably not told in one evening—they were too long Homer and other poets were similar to comedians A Live Performance Poems were frequently sung These affairs were a big deal—people dressed up for them Cast of Characters: Achaeans or Argives: Greek people—referred to as both Argives specifically refers to those fighting at Troy People and Places Aeaea: home of Circe, the witch Goddess; an island Alcinous: King of Phaeacia Calypso: goddess-nymph who keeps Odysseus for 7 years People and Places Cicones: people of southwest Thrace Charybdis: female monster who sucks in water three times a day (explains the tides) People and Places Circe: witch-goddess who turns Odysseus’ men into pigs Eurylochus: crewmember of Odysseus’ People and Places Lotus Eaters: people who eat Lotus blossoms: feed them to Odysseus’ men; makes men forgetful Phaeacia: island ruled by Alcinous People and Places Polyphemus: cyclops who was blinded by Odysseus Cyclops: children of Poseidon who were shepherds, but know for their barbaric nature People and Places Scylla: female monster with six serpent heads: she was opposite Charybdis Teiresias: blind prophet from Thebes; present in many Greek stories Thranakia: island of Helios’ cattle People of Ithaca Antinous: Penelope’s main suitor Eumaeus: swineherd and loyal servant of Odysseus Eurycleia: Odysseus’ old nurse People of Ithaca Eurynome: Penelope’s housekeeper Penelope: Odysseus’ faithful wife Telemachus: Odysseus son, who never gives up looking for Odysseus Major Gods in the Text Apollo: god of mercy Athena: favored the Greeks during the Trojan war; assisted Odysseus on his return home Helios: sun god Major Gods in the Text Poseidon: becomes an enemy to Odysseus; the alter ego already referred to