Transcript The Odyssey - Mr. Montgomery | English

The Odyssey
By Homer
Translated by Samuel Butler
Who wrote The Odyssey?
Though Homer is the supposed author of this poem, many
people have contributed to its current state.
Originally, this is the product of the oral tradition, in
which poets called rhapsodes would recite poetry as a
profession. Homer was probably one of these rhapsodes,
but the original? Who knows?
Possibly, someone else altogether wrote The Odyssey, but
history only remembers Homer’s version. Maybe his was
the best? Maybe his was the version that was finally written
down? We will never know.
Translations
We do know, however, that the poem was originally written
in Greek.
In order for you to read it, it was translated. Fortunately for
English speaking people, there are numerous English
translations to choose from.
We will be reading from Samuel Butler’s translation of the
story.
A Note About Translations
Samuel Butler’s translation is not considered to be the best
translation. Rather, Robert Fitzgerald’s translation is
considered to be the greatest for several reasons:
•
Considered to have an “openness and immediacy
unsurpassed by any other English translation”
•
Maintains the poetry of the original poem
Because Fitzgerald’s translation is considered to be the
best, it is also the most closely protected by copy write laws.
The Samuel Butler translation is far more accessible in
location, though arguably less accessible in its content.
Translation Comparison
“Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end,
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Troy.”
- The Odyssey, trans. Robert Fitzgerald
“Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far
and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.”
- The Odyssey, trans. Samuel Butler
The Odyssey
Aside from an epic, what does the title, odyssey, mean?
- a long and eventful or adventurous journey
Focus Question:
Consider the three main characters, Odysseus, Penelope,
and Telemachus. What kind of journey do each of these
characters take?
So what’s an ‘Epic’?
A long narrative poem, that tells about the adventures of a
hero who reflects the ideals or values of a nation or race.
Epic heroes are larger-than-life figures, usually male, who
embodies these previously mentioned ideals.
For Example:
Superman is an American epic hero. He is larger-than-life.
He is male. And he embodies the ‘American’ principals of
“truth, justice, and the American way.”
Additionally, Superman’s existence on Earth is a part of a
long journey from his home planet Krypton.
Epic (cont.)
Because epics espouse the values of their nations, they were
also used to teach the young. Essentially, they provided
young people with role models who behaved in a manner
approved of by the country as a whole.
----------------------------------------------------Greek ideals or values found in The Odyssey:
Religion (modern mythology)
Warfare
- Courage
- Gods and Goddesses
- Skill with weapons
- Hospitality
- Physical Strength
Intelligence and Wisdom
Seafaring
Epithets
Most poems feature a specific rhyme and meter, commonly
focusing the number of syllables per line. Epithets are a
tool used by poets to help them accomplish this.
Rather than write the name of a character that has a set
amount of syllables, poets would use a type of descriptive
nickname that uses a different number of syllables.
Thus, ‘Odysseys’ which has 4 syllables becomes ‘master
mariner’ with 5 syllables or ‘ingenious hero’ with 6
syllables.
Epithets (cont.)
Write down your first and last name.
How many syllables does your name have?
For Example:
Ja/cob/ Mont/gom/er/y
Jacob Montgomery = 6 syllables
Now write an epithet for yourself. It should be a descriptive
noun phrase with a different number of syllables than your
name.
For Example:
English Teacher = 4 syllables that describe me
Troy
Sparta
The Mediterranean Sea
(Source 1)
Setting
Ithaca
Though incorporating real locations in the
Mediterranean, this story branches to myth,
taking characters to unknown locales.
The story occurs around 1200 B.C.
How It All Started
When King Peleus and Thetis, a sea nymph, marry, a large
party is thrown for all of the inhabitants of Mount
Olympus (the gods and goddesses), all except Eris, the
goddess of discord.
Eris arrives anyway, delivers a ‘gift’ and then leaves as
suddenly as she had arrived.
The ‘gift’ is a golden apple with the word ‘KALLISTEI’
written on the side of it. This gift is known as the apple of
discord and the inscription can be translated as ‘for the
fairest’.
How It All Started (cont.)
Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera all claim the apple.
Zeus suggests that the three goddess ask Paris for a
judgment. This is known as the judgment of Paris.
Each goddess tries to bribe Paris.
- Athena offers glory in battle against the Greeks.
- Hera offers lordship over all of Europe and Asia.
- Aphrodite offers the world’s most beautiful woman.
Paris chooses Aphrodite’s offer.
Helen of Sparta
Unfortunately for Paris, the most beautiful woman in the
world is already married to the Menelaus, King of Sparta.
By spurning her husband and joining Paris, Helen
becomes the cause of the Trojan War.
But was it just Helen that Menelaus and Paris are after?
Some argue that Paris wants Helen due to love. Others
argue that it is for lust. Yet Homer himself writes that it is
“for Helen and all her wealth” (The Iliad, Book III).
Focus Question:
To what extent is the desire for women based on the
woman herself or on the wealth attached to her? Note how
the suitors approach Penelope.
Helen of Troy
(Source 2)
(Source 3)
“Was this the face that launched a thousand ships / And
burnt the topless towers of Ilium?”
- Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
(Source 4)
Entangling Alliances
Menelaus wants his wife back. Fortunately for him, when
he is wed, a pact is made stating that all of Helen’s suitors
would fight to protect any move made against Helen, her
husband, or her country.
This pact is created by Odysseus in exchange for Menelaus’
assistance in his suit for the hand of Penelope.
Nearly all of the Greek rulers are a part of this pact.
This army of Greek warriors is led by Menelaus’ brother
Agamemnon.
The Trojan War
Estimated to have occurred around 1200 B.C., this war
between the Greeks and Trojans lasted for about 10 years.
Both the Greeks and the Trojans brought in their allies to
assist.
Not all of the Trojan war was fought at the gates of Troy. A
large part of this war was fought in the surrounding
country. An example of this is when Odysseus fights the
Cicones in Ismarus (The Odyssey, Book IX).
Odysseus’ Involvement
Because his son, Telemachus, had just been born, Odysseus did
not want to go to war.
Odysseus’ alliance with Menelaus, however, demanded that he
support the Spartan’s war against Troy.
When Menelaus arrived, Odysseus pretended to be insane by
plowing with an ox and an ass yoked together while sowing salt.
Menelaus placed Telemachus in front of the plow. When
Odysseus stopped the plow, Menelaus knew he was not insane.
Epic Simile
Sometimes writers use epic similes to poetically explain
how something is or feels. Essentially, this is a longer, more
complex version of a simile, which is a comparison
between two things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
For example:
She cried quietly, and each tear dropped like another blow
of a hammer pounding shut the lid of the coffin into
which she’d placed her heart all those years ago when she’d
first met him.
Sources
Source 1:
“Mediterranean.” Map. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 5 May 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.
Source 2:
Gibson, John. Helen of Troy. 1825-1830. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. V&A.
Web. 19 Sept. 2012.
Source 3:
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel. Helen of Troy. 1863. Bildarchiv Preussicher Kulturbesitz, Berlin.
Bildarchiv Preussicher Kulturbesitz. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.
Source 4:
Persephone Painter. Helen & Menelaos at the Sack of Troy/Youth Departing. 440-430 BCE.
Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo. Toledo Museum of Art. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.