Transcript Epics were often told by rhapsodes or minstrels These were people

The Odyssey
Homer
• No one knows who
he is for sure
• Thought to be a
blind minstrel from
the island of Chios
• Some scholars
think he is just a
legend.
Epic
• The Odyssey is an epic poem.
• An epic
– a long narrative poem
– tells about the adventures of a hero
– hero reflects the ideals and values of a nation
or race
– Setting was on a large scale (worldwide)
– Supernatural beings took interest in events
Spreading of tales
• Epics were often told by rhapsodes or
minstrels
– These were people who traveled and sang
tales
– Tales were often of legendary events or
figures
– This was a form of entertainment and
information
– Stories were often told over a period of
days
Retelling of tales
• The wording of many epics varied as each
minstrel would make up the words on the
spot.
• Minstrels used formulas to help the
audience remember and to give them time
to think of what to say next.
– The formulas make some passages seem
repetitive to modern day readers
Formulas
• There were formulas for such things as the
arrival of guests, eating meals, taking
baths.
• Homeric similes = comparison between a
heroic or epic event to an everyday event
Homeric Simile
• When Athena prevents an arrow from
striking Menelaus in the Illiad, the
goddess’ actions are described as follows:
– She brushed it away from his skin as lightly as
when a mother /
– Brushes a fly away from her child who is lying
in sweet sleep
Ancient world
• At the time of the Odyssey, travelers and
strangers were always treated kindly for it
was always possible that it could be a god
or goddess in disguise.
• The seats of honor were those closest to
the host/ hostess
• One was to pay tribute to the gods before
eating, drinking, going on a trip, etc.
Setting
• Supposedly written between 900 &700
B.C.
• Set in 1200 B.C
• Set after the Trojan War
– Odysseus has still not gotten home from the
war
• Audience would’ve been familiar with the
details of the Trojan War
In the beginning
• The first line of the poem invokes the gods.
Even the minstrels would still do such a
thing.
– Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
– Of that man skilled in all ways of contending. . .
• The nine Muses were daughters of Zeus who
were said to inspire the arts including poetry,
music, and dance.
While you read:
• Take notes
– Names, places, major events
• Fill in the Names to Know
– Put a page number and chapter to help you
look back at when you 1st met the char.
• Make a timeline
– Story is not chronological