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The Odyssey Mythology and Epic Background
What Are Myths?
• Myths are stories, often with imaginative
characters and violent plots.
• Greek and Roman myths contain gods and
goddesses, human characters, and other
fantastic creatures.
• In Greek and Roman myths, gods and
goddesses intervene (get involved) in the lives
of humans, often to help and sometimes to hurt
them.
What Purposes Do Myths
Serve?
People of many cultures have
created myths to explain their
world and themselves.
Myths Can Be Used:
1. To explain elements of the natural world (why
there are seasons).
2. To explain the origins of good and evil (why
there is suffering in the world).
3. To teach valuable moral lessons about living
(lessons about controlling anger, overcoming
greed).
4. To explain human behavior (understanding
about love, jealousy, hate).
A Few Facts About
Greek Mythology
• Greeks saw their gods and goddesses in man’s image.
• Positives were:
- beauty
- forgiveness
- mercy
- loyalty
• Negatives were:
- anger
- jealousy
- infidelity
- abusive to women and children
Historical Background of The
Odyssey
• Begins ‘in media res’ = in the middle of
things.
• The Illiad is the ‘prequel’ to The Odyssey
- Concerned about the Trojan War
- Many things that happen in The Odyssey
are a direct result of the Trojan War
Historical Background of The
Odyssey
• World’s First Beauty Contest:
- Paris chosen to pick the most beautiful
woman/goddess
- Aphrodite (love), Hera (Zeus’ wife), and
Athena (war/wisdom) were the only
contestants.
- Each offered a bribe, but Aphrodite offers
Helen…a really HOT woman.
- BIG PROBLEM: Helen is already
married!
Historical Background of The
Odyssey
• World’s First Beauty Contest:
- Paris steals Helen; Menelaus’ (Helen’s
husband) wants her back = Trojan War =
the face that launched a thousand ships!
- Odysseus was a friend of
Menelaus…doesn’t want to help but
obligated.
- Odysseus leaves wife Penelope and son
Telemachus
Historical Background of The
Odyssey
• Trojan War = Beware of Greeks Bearing
Gifts
- 10 years of fighting
- Neither side getting anywhere because
the gods are playing favorites.
- CLEVER Odysseus comes up with a
sneaky plan
Historical Background of The
Odyssey
• Trojan War
- Use ships to build a horse; pretend to
leave it for the Trojans; ‘leave’ town by way
of the sea but some men hide inside
- Trojans fall for it: pull horse inside city;
party; sleep; Odysseus and men inside the
horse come out; let in the rest of the
Greeks; Troy destroyed!
Historical Background of The
Odyssey
• Trojan War
- Horse = Odysseus’ intellect, ability to
command, cleverness, and ego
- Horse = strong mind/body ideal of the
Greeks
- Odysseus’ cleverness and ego get him
into trouble with some of the gods
• The Odyssey recounts Odysseus’ 10 year
return trip.
Historical Background of The
Odyssey
• Contains 24 books
• Epic Poem:
- Long, narrative poem
- Starts with an invocation (prayer) to the
gods
Technical Background of The
Odyssey
• 5 Requirements of an Epic:
1. Contains adventure
2. Central heroic figure
3. Setting is vast (huge)
4. Supernatural forces (gods) involved
5. Elevated style (serious tone) but easy
to follow
Technical Background of The
Odyssey
• Literary Techniques Used in Epic Poetry:
1. Epithet = repeated description
oftentimes used to meet rhyming
requirements (wise Odysseus; Ali the
Annoying)
2. Similes (comparisons using like or as)
3. Metaphors (comparisons without like or
as)
4. Personification (giving non-human
things human characteristics)
Technical Background of The
Odyssey
• Greek Model Heroes:
1. Use both mind and body well
2. Well-known and of high social position
3. Actions help decide the fate of a nation
or group of people
4. Struggle to overcome a human
weakness or fault
Odyssey Incident Reports
• We have reached the end of another section of Part 1. It
is time to create another Incident Report.
• You will need a sheet of looseleaf folded in half and half
again.
• Label the sections:
Who
What
Where
When
How
Literary Terms
Drawing
Golden Line
Polyphemus’ Curse
• You are going to create a Multi-flow Map
1. In the center box write Polyphemus
curses Odysseus
2. On the left side write all the causes or
things that led up to Polyphemus asking
his dad to curse Odysseus
3. On the right side, what are the 5
effects…or things that are going to
happen to Odysseus