Download The Odyssey

The Odyssey
Who/what started The Odyssey?
The author of The Odyssey and
The Iliad





Homer is believed to have lived in the year 850
B.C.
His birthplace is thought to have been in Smyrna
It is believed that he recited his poems because
he was blind
Two great poems that he is noted for are The
Odyssey and The Iliad
These stories focused around the Trojan War
The author of The Odyssey and
The Iliad
Syrma
The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
The Trojan War had its roots with the marriage
of Peleus and the sea goddess, Thetis.
 Eris, the goddess of discord, was outraged
because she was not invited to the wedding.
 Therefore, she came to the wedding banquet
and threw a golden apple onto the table and
proclaimed that it belonged to whomever was
the fairest.

The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite each reached
for the apple.
 Paris was assigned to be the judge of who
deserved the apple
 He chose Aphrodite because she promised
him the most beautiful woman in the
world, who was Helen.

The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
He set off for Sparta to capture Helen
despite the warning form his mother,
Hecuba.
 In Sparta, Menelaus, husband of Helen,
treated Paris as a royal guest.
 However, Paris still captured Helen.

The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
In Troy, the two were married.
 Menelaus was outraged to find that they
had been married!
 So, he called upon all of Helen’s suitors to
defend her honor.
 The Greek fleet assembled under the
direction of Agamemnon.

The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
It was difficult to find Troy; however,
Telephus told the Greeks how to get to
Troy.
 Odysseus and Menelaus were sent as
ambassadors to Priam.
 They felt war was inevitable.

The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
Telephus – Was Hercules’ son
 His Kingdom was mistaken for Troy

The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
Still seeking to gain entrance into Troy, a
wooden horse was built and contained
Odysseus and the Greek soldiers.
 This was rolled into Troy, opened by Sinon
and the Greek warriors slaughtered the
Trojans

The War of The Iliad and precedent
of The Odyssey
After the war, Polyxena and Astyanax were
sacrificed to signify the end of the war.
Polyxena was believed to be the daughter
of Priam and Astyanax the son of Hector.
 This war took 10 years
 Odysseus’ 20 year journey would now
begin…and The Odyssey could now be
spoken
