Transcript The Odyssey - HONORS ENGLISH 9Mapleton Junior High

Part I - A Primer on Greek Mythology
What is Myth?
 A myth is actually a set of stories that is significant to a
culture.
 Tend to be fictional, but it is not a requirement.
 Real life Myth:
 George Washington
 “larger than life” status that American history has given
 Washington is a symbol.
The Problem With
Greek Mythology
 Greek mythology is rife with inconsistencies.

many of the stories are going to sound absolutely ridiculous and, at
times, even contradict each other.
 Greeks were creating stories based on their own fallible human
nature.

Greek gods are often as cruel, inconsistent, and sinful as humans
are.
 Greeks were not attempting to create a system of absolute truth


simply telling stories to explain the world around them.
when the Romans adopted Greek mythology, they gave Roman
names to each of the characters
The War of Deities
 In the beginning of time there was Father Heaven (Uranus) and
Mother Earth (Gaea).
 They bore children known as the Titans.
 Cronus (Saturn) and Rhea (Cybele) led the Titans in a
rebellion against Father Heaven and Mother Earth.
 The Titans defeated their parents and became the rulers of
the heavens.
The War of the Deities

Cronus and Rhea had children known as the Olympians.

The Olympians = the Greek gods led by Zeus and Hera

Cronus devoured his children

Rhea defied Cronus by tricking him into eating a stone wrapped in swaddling
clothes in place of the infant Zeus.

Zeus ambushed Cronus and forced him to vomit up the Olympians, who had
apparently survived and grown to maturity in Cronus’ stomach.

With the help of Prometheus, a rogue Titan, the Olympians defeated Cronus

Zeus took his place as ruler of the heavens

Zeus punished most of the Titans by imprisoning them

The Titan named Atlas received a unique punishment: he was doomed to carry
the weight of the world upon his shoulders. Prometheus, since he aided the
Olympians, was not punished.
Today’s Wrap Up
 Every culture and era has its beliefs about deities and
their roles in the universe, but only a handful have been
as enduring and influential as Greek mythology.
 Their pantheon was neither a religion nor a set of
cultural fables, but rather something that landed right
between those marks.
Part II – The Mortal World & Its Heroes
The Creation of Man
Now that the Olympians were enthroned atop Mount
Olympus, the human race could make its debut.
Metal Men

The Olympians themselves created
men out of metal, starting with gold.

The first group were upright and
perfect.

With each generation the gods
decreased the quality of the metal,
which increased the amount of
wickedness men were capable of.

The final generation of men was
made of iron.

One day Zeus will no longer be able to
tolerate the wickedness of mankind
and will wipe them from the earth
once and for all.
The Creation of Man

The Gift of Prometheus

Zeus put Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus in charge of creating
men and animals.

Epimetheus gave all the best gifts to animals.

Prometheus knew that men would not survive long without any
advantage over the beasts, so he compensated by creating men in the
image of the gods.

Prometheus stole fire from Olympus and gave it to men and tricked
Zeus into accepting only the fat and bone of animals as sacrifices,
thereby allowing mankind to keep the meat and skin for themselves.

With these safeguards in place, Prometheus had ensured that mankind
had the means to not only survive, but to thrive.

Zeus’ fury was unfathomable; he condemned Prometheus by chaining
the Titan to a rock and sending an eagle to tear out his liver. At night,
Prometheus’ body would mend itself, which allowed the eagle to feed
on him day after day for all eternity.

The Greeks believed that the moaning of the wind was actually the
agonizing cries of Prometheus as he endured the punishment of Zeus.
The Creation of (Wo)Man

The First Woman

Zeus chose to take out his vengeance on man by creating the
first woman, Pandora.

She was made to be an irresistible beauty to men.

“a sweet and lovely thing to look upon, in the likeness of a
shy maiden, and all the gods gave her gifts, silvery raiment
and a broidered veil, a wonder to behold, and bright
garlands of blooming flowers and a crown of gold – great
beauty shone out from it”

Zeus also gave her an insatiable curiosity.

Zeus gave her a jar (later mistranslated as a box) filled with
things like disease, pestilence, and sin.

Naturally, Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her and she
opened the jar, unleashing its horrors into the mortal world.

Fortunately, Pandora was able to close the lid on the jar
before hope was lost, thereby allowing humanity to limp
along though history without completely succumbing to
Zeus’ clever punishment.
Why Would Gods
Create Humanity

The reason behind the creation of man is vague at best.

Much of Greek mythology seems to support the idea that the gods’ interest in the human
race was almost like a game.

“The gods were truly delighted with their new toys. Every aspect of life on earth came into
existence on that day. Goodness was henceforth defined as whether the brief part danced
by a creature on the earth’s stage was pleasing in the gods’ eyes. It amused the gods to
remind their creatures, in various ways, who their masters were, and to test their
goodness. Just when everything was going well, they would cause a flood, or earthquake,
or famine, or personal disaster. And they devised more and more complex dances for their
toys” (13).

This view helped the Greeks explain the difficulty, misfortune, and dumb luck that are
common in life.

Humanity was in desperate need of mighty men and women to inspire them. The Greeks
were constantly looking for heroes — individuals who experienced the struggles and joys of
human life but were also somehow greater than common men and women.
The Great Heroes:
Hercules/Heracles

Not overly intelligent, but he was
passionate and impulsive; there was no
better man to have as a friend, and no man
more terrifying to have as an enemy.

He was ruled by his emotions and plagued
by outbursts of rage, which could be
particularly lethal given that Heracles was
the strongest man to ever live.

Heracles might have been able to live a
normal life had it not been for Hera.

When Heracles arrived at the palace of the
Mycenaean king seeking punishment for his
horrible crime, Hera inspired the king to
give Heracles twelve impossible tasks that
would surely destroy the guilt-laden
Heracles. These twelve tasks became
known as The Twelve Labors.
The Twelve Labors
of Hercules
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Heracles fought the Nemean Lion and choked it to death with his bare hands.
Heracles defeated the three-headed Hydra, who grew two more heads when one was chopped off.
Heracles captured the elegant Cerynitian Stag after a full year of hunting it.
Heracles hunted and captured a particularly destructive boar the size of a bull.
Heracles solved the problem of King Augeus’ filthy and overcrowded stables by using his strength
to divert two rivers, and employing this torrent of water to flush out the filth.
With the help of Athena, Heracles defeated the Stymphalian Birds by making a tremendous
racket to drive them from their nests, then shot them all down one-by-one with his mighty bow.
The Cretan Bull was known for being fierce and untamable; Heracles, of course, tamed it.
Heracles killed King Diomedes and then fought his man-eating horses and drove them away, thus
rescuing the people of the kingdom.
Heracles was charged with retrieving the golden girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the
Amazons. After much confusion and the queen’s accidental death, he succeeded in his task.
Geryon, a three-bodied brute, shepherded a flock of cattle. Heracles fought the monster and
captured the cattle.
Heracles was charged with retrieving the Golden Apples of Hesperides. Heracles recruited Atlas
for help, and after tricking each other back and forth, our hero of course came away with the
golden apples.
Heracles was sent to retrieve Cerberus, the vicious three-headed, dragon-tailed guard dog of the
Underworld.
The Great Heroes:
Theseus

Theseus was no more than a mere mortal. He was
“compassionate as he was brave and a man of
great intellect as well as great bodily strength”

Theseus is best known for defeating the
Minotaur. The Minotaur was a terrible monster
who lived at the center of an impossible maze
called the Labyrinth. Every nine years the citizens
of Athens were forced to send seven young men
and seven maidens into the labyrinth. These
fourteen tributes would be cast into the Labyrinth
were the Minotaur would devour them.

Theseus would not stand for this. He volunteered
himself as one of the young men to be sent to
Crete. He told his father that he would slay the
Minotaur and return home with white sails on his
ship in place of the usual black sails.

Ariadne, fell in love with him and provided him
with twine so that Theseus might leave a trail to
navigate back out of the Labyrinth. When
Theseus reached the center of the maze, he slew
the Minotaur with his bare hands and used the
twine trail to lead his people to freedom.
The Great Heroes:
Perseus






Perseus was a demigod and his father was Zeus.
Later, when Perseus had matured into
adulthood, his mother was courted by
Polydectes, who convinced Perseus to retrieve the
head of Medusa, a Gorgon, as a wedding gift.
Athena gave him a mirrored shield and Hermes
gave him a powerful sword. He was also gifted
with winged sandals, a magical bag that would
allow any object to fit comfortably inside, and a
magic helmet that would render the wearer
invisible.
On his way home, he rescued Andromeda, a
beautiful princess who was to be sacrificed to a
sea serpent. Perseus married Andromeda and
returned home.
The prophecy against Perseus’ grandfather was
fulfilled when Perseus, who was competing in a
discus-throwing contest, accidentally hurled the
disc into the audience. It slammed into his
grandfather, killing him instantly.
Perseus is rare among the Greek heroes because
he is one of the few to settle down after a lifetime
of adventure with a wife, have children, and live
— as far as we know — happily ever after.
The Greek Heroes:
Atalanta






Atalanta was a formidable huntress and athlete who
could out-perform any man. Her father, who had
hoped for a son, and abandoned his child in the
woods. Atalanta was raised by a she-bear and
eventually adopted by kindly hunters.
When the Calydonian Boar, a massive tusked beast,
terrorized cities and slew hunter after hunter, it was
Atalanta who felled the savage animal with her bow.
Her reputation brought men from far and wide
seeking her hand in marriage. As a way of disposing
of them easily and agreeably she declared that she
would marry whoever could beat her in a footrace,
knowing well that there was no such man alive.
It wasn’t until a young man, Milanion, received help
from Aphrodite that Atalanta met her match.
Milanion received three irresistible golden apples
from Aphrodite to distract Atalanta during the
race.
The myth ends with the couple transforming into
lions, which seems fitting for someone as fierce and
independent as Atalanta.
The Greek Heroes:
Jason & the Argonauts

In exile Jason became a strapping young hero and
eventually returned to reclaim his father’s
kingdom. Pelias agreed to surrender the throne…but
only after Jason had completed a dangerous adventure.

Jason gathered the mightiest heroes and set sail in his
ship, the Argo.

Eventually Jason arrived at the gates of the Colchian
king. Jason explained his quest for the Golden Fleece to
the king and offered to do anything requested of him.

The king was secretly furious and devised tasks for his
guest to complete.


First, Jason would have to yoke two fire-breathing bulls
and use them to plow a field.

Next, he would plant the teeth of a dragon into
the freshly plowed field. When planted, the
dragon teeth would sprout up into a group of
bloodthirsty soldiers, which Jason would then
defeat in combat.
Medea protected Jason and the Argonauts from many other

The following day, Jason completed the fearsome dangers.
tasks with the help of Medea’s ointment.
When he arrived home tragedy awaited him. Jason turned to Medea
Jason then took both the Fleece and Medea to his ship for help, who used her treachery and magic to concoct a horrible
death for Pelias.
and set sail for Greece.
Wrap Up On the Heroes
 Greeks were preoccupied with the origin of humanity,
the explanation for human suffering, and heroes that
could inspire them to rise above their circumstances.
Part III – The Trojan War
Was the Trojan
War
a Historical Event
 Scholars are uncertain
about the historical
details of the Trojan
War.
 The story has been
pieced together from
several sources, most
notably from Homer’s
The Iliad and The
Odyssey.
 The Trojan War is one
of the most famous
stories within Greek
mythology, second only
to Odysseus’ adventures
returning home from it.
How the Olympians “Accidentally”
Started the Trojan War
The story begins with a celebration on Olympus.
The goddess of discord, Eris, was not invited to the festivities.
Eris devised a party-crashing gift to spite the Olympians.
She inscribed “for the fairest” on a golden apple and tossed it
in the midst of the beautiful Olympian goddesses Aphrodite,
Athena, and Hera.
 Each goddess felt that she was the fairest and rightfully
deserved the apple.
 Zeus, knowing better than to get in the middle of an argument
among women told the goddesses that they should allow the
dispute to be settled by a mortal man: Paris, the Prince of
Troy.




The Judgment of Paris


Paris was currently courting a
nymph named Oenone was
surprised at the goddesses
appearance and insistence that he
choose which of them was the
most beautiful.
Each goddess promised Paris an
extravagant bribe in return for
choosing her.




Athena – victory over the
Greeks, who were the enemies
of the Trojans
Hera – dominion over the
known world
Aphrodite – the most beautiful
mortal woman in the world
Angry goddess = Death and
destruction!
The Face That Launched
a Thousand Ships
 Helen was already soon to be
married.
 The champions of Greece all wanted
to marry the Spartan princess.
 Each suitor swore an oath to honor
and protect whomever was chosen to
wed Helen.
 Menelaus was then chosen as the
lucky husband.
 Aphrodite led Paris to Sparta and he
attended the wedding feast (even
though he was an enemy of Greece),
took Helen, and fled back to Troy.
 Unclear whether Helen was
kidnapped or willingly left with
Paris.
 Paris’s actions were heinous.
The Face That Launched
a Thousand Ships



Menelaus was infuriated and called
upon the Greek champions to fulfill
their oath.
Agamemnon, Menelaus’ brother,
assembled the army as their General.
Some of the most notable warriors
included:






Odysseus
Achilles
Ajax
Diomedes
One thousand Greek warships sailed
for Troy.
A loosing battle:



Thick walls of Troy
The leadership of King Hector
Pestilenece sent from Apollo
The Gods Choose Sides





Greeks:
Athena
Hera
Poseidon
Trojans:
Aphrodite
Apollo
Artemis
Neutral:
Zeus*
*Sorta, kinda, but not really


Over 9 years of fighting
Olympus took notice and intervened
with each god choosing sides
Gods fought alongside men and the
battle was bloodier than ever.
Achilles discovers Chryseis was the
cause of the pesilence and ordered
her release.
Agamemnon, in revenge, took
Achilles’ slave-girl Briseis.
Petty feud caused devastating losses
amongst the Greeks.
Achilles refused to fight until
Agamemnon returned Briseis and
the Greeks couldn’t win without
him.
Paris Versus Menelaus
 An agreement at last: Menelaus and
Paris would battle on-on-one for
Helen.
 Menelaus was more than a match for
Paris.
 Menelaus’ sword breaks in half do to
godly interference turning the fight
into hand-to-hand combat.
 Aphrodite intervenes and cuts the
strap of Paris’ helmet releasing him.
Paris fled back to Troy like a sissy.
 Honor of the Greeks was offended by
the cowardice of Paris.
 With a little goading from Athena
and Hera the war was back on.
Gods on the Battlefield
•Her and Athena join the Greek hero Diomedes to battle Ares, who is fighting
alongside Hector.
•The goddess guide Diomedes’ spear directly into the chest of Ares.
•His pride hurt Ares fled to Olympus to tend his wound.
 Aphrodite also fled back to Olympus to
nurse her wounds after receiving a minor
injury.
 Achilles’ mother, Thetis, persuaded Zeus
to act on behalf of the Trojans to avenge
Achilles’ loss of Briseis; hoping the war
would end before her son could change
his mind and return to fight.
 Hera couldn’t stand her husbands
interference, seduced Zeus and kept him
“preoccupied”.
 The battle turned in favor of the Greeks.
The Death of Patroclus
 King Hector was still an obstacle.
 Home-field advantage was too much
for the Greeks to overcome.
 Greeks were weary from 9 years of
fighting to get back one man’s wife.
 Even Agamemnon considered
retreat.
 Patroclus donned Achilles’ armor
and went to battle King Hector.
Hector swifty killed him thinking it
•Athena felled Ares to the ground
was Achilles, stripped Patroclus of
•Hera stole Artemis’ bow and beat
Achille’s armor to wear as a trophy.
Artemis with it
 The gods of Olympus returned into
•Poseidon provoked Apollo
the heat of battle again.
•Zeus sat back and laughed enjoying
the sight of gods matched against
gods.
The Wrath of Achilles

Meanwhile, Thetis reluctantly brought her son replacement armor forged by Hephaestus.
With his new armor, Achilles was eager to rejoin the fight and avenge his cousin
Patroclus. Hector knew Achilles would be his undoing. In an uncharacteristic act of
cowardice, Hector fled from Achilles, who chased the Trojan around the city walls three
times before Hector stopped to face him. Knowing that his death was at hand, Hector
requested a covenant that the victor would honor the dead body of the defeated, even going
so far as to offer Achilles a reward for doing so.

Achilles then viciously attacked Hector and exploited the weak points in his old armor,
which Hector wore. He drove a spear through Hector’s throat, tied the Trojan hero’s ankles
together, and dragged the corpse behind his chariot as he rode around the walls of Troy.

Later that night, King Priam boldly entered the Greek camp with the support of the gods,
approached Achilles, and requested the return of his son’s mutilated body for burial.
Achilles showed sympathy to the aging king and surrendered Hector’s body; the Trojans
honored Hector with a funeral pyre behind the city walls the same night.
The Death of Achilles
The Death of Paris
 Odysseus, eager to return to his wife and son, took matters
into his own hands. Capturing a Trojan prophet, he held the
man at knife’s point and demanded to know how to defeat the
Trojans. The prophet revealed that the Greeks would need
Hercules’ bow if they were to secure victory. Odysseus took
his men and traveled to find Philoctetes, the keeper of
Hercules’ bow. When they returned to the battlefield,
Philoctetes used the bow to shoot Paris through the chest.
Frightened and dying, Paris cried out to Oenone, the nymph
with whom he had been romantically involved prior to
receiving his prize from Aphrodite. Oenone refused to heal
Paris’ wound and he died. In her grief, Oenone then killed
herself.
The Trojan Horse
 We
THE END!
 The Trojan War is a centerpiece of Greek mythology.
 It is a story of lust, betrayal, courage, ingenuity, and
perseverance that few stories can rival.
 Everything either leads to it or stems from it. Every god,
mortal, and beast we’ve heard about comes into play
during or after the Trojan War in the two most famous
Greek poems The Illiad and The Odyssey.
Part IV: The Odyssey & What We Can Learn From It All
Homer’s The Odyssey
 Odysseus is the king of Ithaca and one of the heroes of the
Trojan War.
 Though Achilles generally takes the spotlight in that infamous
war, you could argue that the real hero of the war is Odysseus.
 Odysseus was the mastermind behind the death of Paris and
the Trojan Horse, both of which ultimately led to the Greek
victory.
 Odysseus never wanted to join the war.
 At the end of the war Odysseus is eager to reunite with his
family, but he struggles to do so – taking an 10 extra years.
Homer’s The Odyssey –
The Cliffsnotes Version
 Ten years have passed since the fall of Troy,
and the Greek hero Odysseus still has not
returned to his kingdom in Ithaca. A large and
rowdy mob of suitors who have overrun
Odysseus’s palace and pillaged his land
continue to court his wife, Penelope. She has
remained faithful to Odysseus. Prince
Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, wants desperately
to throw them out but does not have the
confidence or experience to fight them. One of
the suitors, Antinous, plans to assassinate the
young prince, eliminating the only opposition
to their dominion over the palace.
Homer’s The Odyssey –
The Cliffsnotes Version
 Unknown to the suitors, Odysseus is still alive. The beautiful
nymph Calypso, possessed by love for him, has imprisoned
him on her island, Ogygia. He longs to return to his wife and
son, but he has no ship or crew to help him escape. While the
gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus debate Odysseus’s
future, Athena, Odysseus’s strongest supporter among the
gods, resolves to help Telemachus. Disguised as a friend of the
prince’s grandfather, Laertes, she convinces the prince to call a
meeting of the assembly at which he reproaches the suitors.
Athena also prepares him for a great journey to Pylos and
Sparta, where the kings Nestor and Menelaus, Odysseus’s
companions during the war, inform him that Odysseus is alive
and trapped on Calypso’s island. Telemachus makes plans to
return home, while, back in Ithaca, Antinous and the other
suitors prepare an ambush to kill him when he reaches port.
Homer’s The Odyssey –
The Cliffsnotes Version
 On Mount Olympus, Zeus sends Hermes to rescue Odysseus
from Calypso. Hermes persuades Calypso to let Odysseus
build a ship and leave. The homesick hero sets sail, but when
Poseidon, god of the sea, finds him sailing home, he sends a
storm to wreck Odysseus’s ship. Poseidon has harbored a
bitter grudge against Odysseus since the hero blinded his son,
the Cyclops Polyphemus, earlier in his travels. Athena
intervenes to save Odysseus from Poseidon’s wrath, and the
beleaguered king lands at Scheria, home of the Phaeacians.
Nausicaa, the Phaeacian princess, shows him to the royal
palace, and Odysseus receives a warm welcome from the king
and queen. When he identifies himself as Odysseus, his hosts,
who have heard of his exploits at Troy, are stunned. They
promise to give him safe passage to Ithaca, but first they beg
to hear the story of his adventures.
Homer’s The Odyssey –
The Cliffsnotes Version
 Odysseus spends the night describing the fantastic chain of
events leading up to his arrival on Calypso’s island. He
recounts his trip to the Land of the Lotus Eaters, his battle
with Polyphemus the Cyclops, his love affair with the witchgoddess Circe, his temptation by the deadly Sirens, his
journey into Hades to consult the prophet Tiresias, and his
fight with the sea monster Scylla. When he finishes his story,
the Phaeacians return Odysseus to Ithaca, where he seeks out
the hut of his faithful swineherd, Eumaeus. Though Athena
has disguised Odysseus as a beggar, Eumaeus warmly receives
and nourishes him in the hut. He soon encounters
Telemachus, who has returned from Pylos and Sparta despite
the suitors’ ambush, and reveals to him his true identity.
Odysseus and Telemachus devise a plan to massacre the
suitors and regain control of Ithaca.
Homer’s The Odyssey –
The Cliffsnotes Version
 When Odysseus arrives at the palace the next day, still
disguised as a beggar, he endures abuse and insults from the
suitors. The only person who recognizes him is his old nurse,
Eurycleia, but she swears not to disclose his secret. Penelope
takes an interest in this strange beggar, suspecting that he
might be her long-lost husband. Quite crafty herself, Penelope
organizes an archery contest the following day and promises
to marry any man who can string Odysseus’s great bow and
fire an arrow through a row of twelve axes—a feat that only
Odysseus has ever been able to accomplish. At the contest,
each suitor tries to string the bow and fails. Odysseus steps up
to the bow and, with little effort, fires an arrow through all
twelve axes. He then turns the bow on the suitors. He and
Telemachus, assisted by a few faithful servants, kill every last
suitor.
Homer’s The Odyssey –
The Cliffsnotes Version
 Odysseus reveals himself to the entire palace and
reunites with his loving Penelope. He travels to the
outskirts of Ithaca to see his aging father, Laertes. They
come under attack from the vengeful family members of
the dead suitors, but Laertes, reinvigorated by his son’s
return, successfully kills Antinous’s father and puts a
stop to the attack. Zeus dispatches Athena to restore
peace. With his power secure and his family reunited,
Odysseus’s long ordeal comes to an end.
The Narrative
Structure of The
Odyssey
SPARKNOTES, SPARKNOTES,
SPARKNOTES, SPARKNOTES,
SPARKNOTES, SPARKNOTES,
SPARKNOTES, SPARKNOTES
 Invoking of the Muse
 Begins with the “end”
with Odysseus’ adventure
with the Cattle of the Sun
god (Helios)
 In media res – “in the
middle of things”
 The majority of the story
is then told in flashbacks.
 Parallel plot structure
bouncing between 2
stories
 Odysseus’ journey
 His wife, Penelope, and
his son, Telemachus,
back in Ithaca
The Rules of
Greek Hospitality
 3 Basics:



Any person was welcomed in
Guest must be given lodging and food
Provide the guest with a parting gift
 The responsibilities of a host were very great.
 This helps us understand the treatment of Odysseus and Telemachus
on their journeys.
 The suitors’ behavior was not acceptable to the Greeks because they
are exploiting a “loophole” in the hospitality system.
 Never take unfair advantage over your host.
Odysseus & Telemachus:
Men to “Revere”

Odysseus:
 Wise and clever
 Loved and respected as a
friend, husband, warrior,
and king
 Displays a degree of
selflessness in his concern
for his men
 Tenacity, perseverance,
and courage
 Using his brain before his
brawn

Also suffers from common male
vices:



Will stop at nothing to get home
to his wife and son but not
opposed to making a “detour”
here or there.


Lust
Pride
Spends a year of “quality time”
with Circe
Establishes a double standard for
behavior


Penelope’s doing so would have
been utterly unforgiveable
Odysseus, as a man, is free to
sow his wild oats
Odysseus & Telemachus:
Men to “Revere”
Raised by a lonely mother
Only knows his father through legend and rumor
A man-boy when we first meet him
Hero’s blood flows in his veins and refuses to accept a
lackluster fate
 Boldly leaves Ithaca to cultivate his manhood and find
his father
 Longs to have a relationship with his father, and become
a man in his own right
 Odysseus’ story is of finding his way home and
Telemachus’ story is of finding his way forward.




Penelope:
The Woman of Dreams
 Penelope is an ideal Greek woman.


Beautiful and clever
Remains fiercely loyal to her husband against all odds
 Find her at the end of 20 long years of waiting, and she is uncertain
her husband is alive.
 Over 100 handsome men are clamoring for her attention
 Holds fast to her faith that Odysseus will return
 The Odyssey sets Penelope in obvious contrast to the treacherous
Clytemnestra, who murdered her husband when he returned from
Troy.
The Odyssey:
A Lasting Impact
 “Carry On My Wayward Son” – Kansas
 “Ithaca” – C.P. Cavafy
 O Brother Where Art Thou?
Why Know Mythology?
 ART - Scenes from mythology are depicted by artists
through history because of the archetypal nature of its
characters and stories.
 LITERATURE – Frankenstein, Percy Jackson, graphic
novels, etc.
 FILMS/TELEVISION – Clash of the Titans, Immortals,
Spartacus, 300, Disney’s Hercules, Prometheus, Firefly, etc.
THE REAL END!
 The influence of Greek mythology is all around us.
 Its echoes can be heard in nearly every arena of our lives.
 Listening for it can add new layers of depth to the things
you encounter and can enrich your life.
 The heroes it presents us can be instructive in both their
strengths and their weaknesses.
 More on Heroes and their journeys tomorrow!