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The Odyssey
An Introduction
Who was Homer?
► No
one knows for sure
who Homer was
► Greek storyteller
credited with putting
together the Iliad and
the Odyssey.
► Iliad:
story of the 10
year Trojan War caused
by Paris and Helen
► Odyssey: story of
Odysseus’ long and
wayward return from the
Trojan War
Rhapsodes
►
Homer was a model for a class
of storytellers called rhapsodes
►
Known as “singers of tales,”
they were the historians and
entertainers as well as mythmakers
►
None of these stories were
written down. Each storyteller
would have had to memorize
the entire work and told it in
such a way that it would be part
performance.
►
They did not memorize the story
word for word but knew the
basic story and improvised on
the spot, following a basic
rhythm of the words.
►
There is a great deal of
repetition in the stories, which
makes it a bit simpler to tell.
Epics and Values
►
Epics: a long narrative poem that tells of the adventures of
heroes across great spans of time and place.
 The epic contains the ideas, morals, themes and values of a culture
from which it is created.
►
Iliad:
 An archetype of the war epic.
 Contains the morals and values of the Greek
society in war.
►
Odyssey:
 An archetype of the adventure epic.
 Seen as a metaphor for living one’s life
 Contains the morals, themes and values of the Greek society about
adventure, hardship, and life.
Characteristics of an Epic
► Involves
an epic question
 The opening lines of the poem that state the theme
►A
physically impressive hero of national or
historical importance
► A vast setting involving not only of the known
world but also the underworld
► Action such as a quest or journey requiring
superhuman ability and courage
► Evidence of supernatural forces
Myths
►
Stories that use fantasy to
express ideas about life
that cannot be expressed
in realistic terms
►
Considered religious
because they are
concerned with the
relationship between
human beings and the
unknown or spiritual realm
(gods/goddesses).
The Muses
► The
Muses preside over the arts and sciences,
inspire all artists, especially poets, philosophers,
and musicians.
► Their name denotes “memory” or “a reminder,”
since in the poets relied on their memories when
telling these stories
► The nine Muses are
the daughters of the
Zeus and of Mnemosyne
(ni-mos-a-nē), the goddess
of memory
The Nine Muses
►
Calliope (ka-lī-ō-pē)
►
 the muse of epic poetry
►
Clio (kl-ī-ō)
 the muse of love poetry
►
 the muse of history
►
Euterpe (yoo-tur-pē)
Melpomene (mel-pom-e-nē)
 the muse of tragedy
►
Terpsichore
(turp-sic-u-rē)
 the muse of dancing
Polyhymnia
(pol-ē-him-nē-a)
 the muse of sacred poetry
►
 the muse of music
►
Erato (er-e-tō)
Urania (yoo-rā-nē-a)
 the muse of astronomy
►
Thalia (the-lī-a)
 the muse of comedy
Literary Terms for The Odyssey
► Epic
Poem: a long
narrative poem about
the deeds of a hero;
epics are based on
historical fact (a blend
of legend and truth);
gods and goddesses
often play a part in
epics, either guiding
the hero or thwarting
his actions
Epic Hero: The
protagonist in an epic
poem; often performs
superhuman tasks; also
portrays the goals and
values of the society.
► Epic Simile: a long simile
(taking up several lines) in
an epic poem.
► Epic Metaphor: a long
metaphor (taking up
several lines) in an epic
poem
►