Download The Odyssey

Greek
Mythology
Mrs. Gonzales
What is Greek Mythology?
• Greek Mythology is a collection of myths
and legends that Greeks used to explain
their world.
• Although we now view these stories as
fiction, the Greeks believed them to be
true.
The Greeks and Their
Beliefs
• The Greeks were “a tough, restless, ambitious,
hard-living, imaginative race.”
• The Greeks loved life.
• They believed in living life to the fullest, because
death was going to happen whether you wanted
it to or not.
• The only response to death was to make a mark
on the world. Be a legend…be grandiose.
Continued: The Greeks &
Their Beliefs
• The Greeks had many gods.
• The Olympian gods resembled the Greeks need
to be grandiose.
• Because the Olympian gods mirrored the
Greeks, they were heavily flawed.
• They were quarrelsome, unforgiving, jealous,
vengeful, spiteful, sinful deities.
• Because the Greeks focused on being
grandiose, the Olympian gods were mostly
portrayed as physically strong, beautiful and
intelligent.
• The same applies to the heroes in their legends
and myths.
The World according to the
Greeks
• Both good and evil comes from the gods.
• Heroes and monsters came from the gods.
• This idea has influenced all religions that
came after.
• Many of the conflicts that are portrayed in
the myths are between family members.
The Odyssey
What is an odyssey?
• A long adventurous
journey
• an intellectual or
spiritual quest
• a long wandering
usually marked by
several changes in
fortune
and sometimes…
• A metaphor for life
Epic Poem
• A long narrative
poem that
communicates the
experiences of an
epic hero
• Usually intended
to build and
bolster national
pride
• No single author
• Written down
finally after
centuries of being
told only orally
Epic Poem continued…
• Can not be told in one sitting.
• Complex plots
• revolves around several main characters and spans
many years
• Homer's epics tell of the adventures of heroes.
• Translations
– Some are still in poetic form
– Some have a prose form
– W.H.D. Rouse’s translation is prose.
– However, we will be occasionally reading some
excerpts from the poetic version in class.
Epic Hero
• A larger than life character who represents the
characteristics most important to his nation
• Examples:
– Hercules
– Odysseus
– Beowulf
Hero continued…
• Introduced in the midst of trouble
• Warrior, leader, and excellent speaker
• Must undertake a long, dangerous journey,
often involving a descent into the
Underworld
• Encounters characters possessing
supernatural powers that he must use
strength, cunning, or divine assistance to
overcome
The Hero - Odysseus
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Courageous
Manly
Loyal
Strategic in Battle
Forceful in Leadership
Sensitive to death of friends
Has pride in himself, his nation, and his men
Strong in body, as well as mind
Noble (royalty)
Oral Tradition
• In 800 B.C., stories were merely told and
repeated from one story-teller to another,
which is called oral tradition.
• It’s difficult to know who first created the story
or how much it has changed from the original
version.
Homer, the Poet
• The Odyssey is believed to have first been told by
Homer, a blind poet who lived 3000 years ago.
• also credited with The Iliad, the prequel to The
Odyssey, which is about the Trojan War, in which
Odysseus fought.
• considered by the Greeks as their greatest and
finest poet, traveling around the land singing
stories to people for their entertainment and
enlightenment
• Makes a “cameo appearance” in the Odyssey as
the character Demodocus
Notes on Plot
• Linear Plot: a chronological progression of events
• Non-linear Plot: involve flashbacks or multiple story
line progressions that jump back and forth. Among the
most impressive elements of The Odyssey is its nonlinear plot.
• Circular Plot: begin and end in the same way; like the
cycle of seasons or the life cycle, circular stories follow a
predictable series of events that returns to the starting
point.
In Medias Res
• Begins in medias res (meaning in the middle)
– Odysseus has been gone from his home for ten
years, fighting the Trojan War, when The Odyssey
begins.
• The Greeks won the war by tricking the
Trojans with the Trojan Horse.
• Two heroes in the Trojan War
– Achilles- killed
– Odysseus- The Odyssey is the story of his return to
his home (Ithaca)
The Odyssey
• Used to teach Greek children important
values
• Hospitality
o be nice to visitors
• Patriotism
o be loyal to your country
• Heroism
o be courageous in times of trouble
• Honor
o do the right thing
Are the locations in The Odyssey real places?
• Events in the main sequence of the Odyssey (excluding Odysseus'
embedded narrative of his wanderings) take place in the
Peloponnese and in what are now called the Ionian Islands.
• The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece.
• Ithaca, the homeland of Odysseus, may or may not be the same
island that is now called Ithake.
• Scholars, both ancient and modern, are divided as to whether the
places visited by Odysseus are real.
Language of Homer
• The Odyssey was originally sung or recited by a poet
• Used epic similes (also called homeric similes),
epithets, and allusions to keep the audience interested
• Simile- Comparison using “like” or “as”
• A simile that goes on for several lines in known as an epic simile
• Epithet- a brief descriptive phrase used to characterize
a particular person or thing
• Son of Laertes, raider of cities
• Reader of poetry, student of PHS
• Allusion- reference to person, place, or event that
we’re supposed to know about