Download Background to The Odyssey PPT

Greek Mythology and
the Odyssey
The Odyssey
1. Epic poem- long, narrative poem that tells about the
adventures of a hero who reflects the ideals and values of a
nation or race.
2. Composed sometime around 800 B.C. – 600 B.C
3. Composed by Homer who was rumored to be a blind
storyteller
a. Homer did not create the Odyssey, he
simply wrote it down. He would NOT have been able
to write. The Odyssey was being told orally through
storytellers long before Homer wrote it down
b. The stories were easy to remember and they
appealed to the masses because of lots of drama, action,
and a touch of romance.
Characteristics of the EPIC:
1.Has an epic hero
Other National EPICS are:
Greek = The Iliad by Homer
Spanish = El Cid
2. Often written in poetry form
but not always
3. Often includes myths, legends, and
history
Roman = The Aeneid by Virgil
4. Usually has a serious tone
and language
American = Forest Gump
5. Deals with a quest
6. Often based on some truths
7. Includes epithets & flashbacks
English = Harry Potter Series
8. Usually involves a battle and
oftentimes a single combat like Achilles
fighting Hector or the final showdown
between Harry and Lord Voldemort
Percy Jackson & Olympians
Series
Epic Hero
1. A larger-than-life figure, usually male, who embodies the
ideals of a nation or race.
2. Take part in long, dangerous adventures and accomplish great
deeds that require courage and superhuman strength.
3. Often, the divine world of the gods or other supernatural
forces will interfere with the human world of the epic hero.
Some epic heroes:
- Harry Potter
- Frodo from Lord of the Rings
- Luke Skywalker from Star Wars
Epic Simile
Simile- comparison of two unlike things that uses the
“like” or “as.”
Epic Simile- an elaborate, more involved version
of a regular simile. Longer.
One image of
- great length and detail
Scylla from
- extends for several lines
The Odyssey
- also called the “Homeric
Simile”
Just as an angler poised on a jutting rock
flings his treacherous bait in the offshore swell,
whips his long rod—hook sheathed in an oxhorn lure—
and whisks up little fish he flips on the beach-break,
writhing, gasping out their lives . . . so now they
writhed,
gasping as Scylla swung them up her cliff and there
at her cavern’s mouth she bolted them down raw—
screaming out, flinging their arms down toward me,
lost in that mortal struggle . . .(The Odyssey)
word
Epithets
Epithets- brief, descriptive phrases that helped to
characterize a particular person or thing.
- repetition of a phrase
Odysseus is described as:
“master mariner”
“old contender”
“man of twists and turns”
“great tactician”
- remember: he initiated the
idea of the Trojan horsewhich was the source of the
Greeks defeating Troy
The Iliad and the Trojan War
Trojan War may have occurred around 1200 B.C. and established the
background for Homer’s epics
The mini-version of the Legend is “Forbidden Love”
,
Paris, Prince of Troy and son of King
Priam and Queen Hecuba, fell in Helen, known as the most
beautiful woman and the face
love with another man’s wife and
that launched a 1,000 ships
took her back to his kingdom of
“runs away” with Paris and
Troy with the interference of the
her absence enrages her
gods, one goddess in particular
husband, King Menelaus
(based on one version)
Family Loyalty—How far would a person go for
his brother?
Menalaus, King of Sparta, is upset over losing
his wife to another man and seeks the advice
of his brother
Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, who is power
hungry and wants control of all lands,
especially Troy, convinces his jilted brother
to go after his wife and wage a war against
Troy to get her back and regain some of the
dignity his brother has lost. Together they
utilize their power as kings to gather as
many great warriors to fight for their cause.
Agamemnon
• The war lasted 10 years, during which time many
•
heroes emerged.
Fighting for the Greeks ( Under rule of King
Agamemnon)
Odysseus (the hero of The Odyssey)
– Ajax (almost giant like warrior who was unable to
kill the greatest Trojan warrior but wounded him)
AJAX
– Achilles (the Greek hero of The Iliad
and the greatest warrior)
Achilles
• Fighting for the Trojans –Brothers Prince
Hector and Prince Paris
Prince Hector
(the greatest
Trojan warrior)
defends his
country to the
death
Prince Paris—the one
who brought Helen to
his kingdom and
brought destruction to
his home
• The Iliad
The Iliad and the Trojan War
– Homer’s 1st Epic
– Serves as a prequel to The Odyssey
– The epic only deals with about 50 days in the 10th and final year of the
Trojan War
– Homer concentrates on one main Greek hero, Achilles, and one main
opposing hero for the Trojans, Hector.
– **The epic begins in the middle or in medias res**
– As the epic begins, Achilles is furious with King Agamemnon over a
slave girl, Briseis, and sulking in his tent, refusing to fight. The Trojans
start winning and beating back the Greeks.
– But, when Hector unknowingly kills Achilles’ best friend, Patroclus,
who was wearing Achilles’ armor, Achilles becomes enraged and returns
to battle for the sole purpose of destroying Hector.
– Hector took Achilles’ armor off the dead Patroclus
– Thetis, Achilles’ mom, has Hephaestus craft new armor for her son
– After Hector’s death, Achilles is killed by Paris, but the Trojans never
recover from the loss of Hector and finally, Troy falls.
The Horse That Ended The War
• After Hector is killed, unless
the Greeks get inside the
walls of Troy, the war would
most likely continue.
• Odysseus, King of Ithaca and
a “master strategist” devises
the plan of building a giant
Trojan horse to represent a
gift to the Trojans.
• As the Trojans believe that
the Greeks have given up and
decided to go back home,
they wheel the large wooden
horse inside the walls of
Troy.
• While the Trojans are
sleeping, after a night of
partying and celebrating
the end of the war,
several Greeks, led by
Odysseus, crawl out of
the horse, open the gates,
and after a massive
amount of bloodshed,
Troy burns and the Trojan
War ends
What is the Odyssey about?
-Tells of Odysseus’ adventures as he makes his way home from Troy
*He was gone for a total of 20 years
*10 years at war and 10 more years trying to get home
* Leaves Troy w/ a fleet of 12 ships carrying about 720 men
-Back at home (Ithaca)
- Penelope (wife of Odysseus) and Telemachus (son of Odysseus) are
waiting for Odysseus’ return while suitors have taken over Ithaca, hoping
that she will marry one of them
- Odysseus encounters many mythical beings and has to fight his own
personal “demons” and overcome his own character flaws during his
return home
• Hubris is excessive pride or arrogance
– It can lead to rash behavior and to not
thinking clearly in serious situations
HUBRIS AS A CHARACTER FLAW
AGAMEMNON—King of Mycenae—
Allows his pride to get the better of
him when he refuses to give
Chryseis back causing disease and
fire to rain down on the Greeks,
courtesy of the god Apollo. Once he
does give her back, he takes
someone else’s girl causing another
big problem for the Greeks.
Odysseus—Hero
in The Odyssey
also exhibits
hubris which
angers the gods
and leads to many
difficulties and
hardships for him.
ACHILLES—He allows
his pride of losing his
slave girl Briseis and
love interest to
Agamemnon get the
best of him and refuses
to continue fighting at
Troy….until his dear
friend is slain by the
Trojan Prince Hector
causing his desire for
revenge and eventually
his death all because of
pride