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The Odyssey
Background Information
The Odyssey
 The Odyssey is a
special kind of poem
called an EPIC.
 Epic- A long narrative
poem about the
deeds of a hero.
Homer
 A Greek Poet
 Lived between 850800 B.C.
 According to Legend,
Homer was blind.
Homer and Oral Traditions
 Homer got his information from stories that were passed
down “orally” or by word of mouth.
 Greek and other primitive cultures had an oral tradition of
literature.
 People of these cultures were able to remember these
tales because the tales were composed of poetic lines
and were accompanied with stringed instruments.
Rhapsodies, singers of tales, traveled about telling tales
of recent events of the heroes or gods.
 Greek and Roman education was based on studying his
works.
 Homer is famous because he was the first poet to
combine isolated tales into a whole epic poem
Characteristics of an Epic
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Begins in the “middle of things” (in medias res)
Begins with an invocation to the Muse
Many references to the supernatural
Lengthy epic similes and hyperboles
Lengthy speeches-Formally introduced
Long sentences, complex words
Epithets
Repeats phrases, speeches, incidents and flashbacks
Can be folk (oral tradition) or literary (written)
Beginning states the theme-what will happen
Background of the Epic
 The background of
Homer’s epic was the
Trojan War.(1200 B.C.)
 The legend of how the
war began was that
100,000 Greeks, under
the leadership of
Agamemnon, King
Mycenae, sailed from
Greece to the Asia Minor
in about 1,200 ships to
conquer the ancient city
of Troy.
 The reason for this massive invasion was for
revenge because Paris, son of Priam, King of
Troy, had carried off Helen, the beautiful wife of
Agamemnon’s brother, Menelaus.
 Together the two brothers had persuaded the
princes of other Greek cities to join them in
recapturing Helen and redeeming their honor.
The Trojan War
 The Trojan War lasted 10 years, during which
time many heroes emerged. Fighting for the
Greeks were Achilles, Odysseus, and Ajax; for
the Trojans were Hector and Aeneas. Both sides
showed great courage as well as stupidity;
strength as well as weakness. It was an
experience to never be forgotten. Poets began
to sing their heroes’ praise. In time, numerous
versions of the story arose. Legends were
created that told of how the gods and goddesses
on Mount Olympus got involved in the battle and
even chose sides.
The Iliad
 Homer’s first epic serves as a prelude to The Odyssey
and deals with just 51 days in the 10th and last year of
the war when it reaches its climax. Homer concentrated
on one main hero for the Greeks, Achilles and one main
opposing hero for the Trojans, Hector.
 As the Iliad begins, Achilles is angry with Agamemnon
over a slave girl and sulking in his tent, refuses to fight.
The Trojans are encouraged with Achilles’ absence from
the battle and begin to beat back the Greeks. But when
Hector kills Achilles’ best friend, Patroclus, Achilles
becomes enraged, and returns to battle, killing Hector.
Achilles is also killed by a Trojan arrow in his heel, but
the Trojans can never recover from the loss of Hector,
and finally, Troy falls.
The Odyssey
 The second of Homer’s epics tells of the return home of
the Greek heroes, particularly one hero named
Odysseus or Olysses (Roman Name). Odysseus had
received honor for conceiving the bold plan of leaving a
huge wooden horse, filled with Greek Warriors outside
the gates of Troy. When the Trojans took the horse
inside, Greeks crept out and opened the city gates to
their own army.
 The gods who had sided with Troy, especially Poseidon,
were angry and vowed Odysseus would have a long and
difficult journey home. (In fact, it took him 10 years to get
there!)
 Odysseus wanted to return to his wife Penelope and
their son Telemachus in his home country Ithaca, but
first he had to survive storms, temptations and the
strategies of his enemies at home.
 In The Iliad, the hero dies; in
The Odyssey, the hero lives.
 Of the two epics, The Odyssey
is the more popular. It is not
only the story of a national
hero, but a universal story of
every human because
everyone spends years trying
to reach his/her own goals,
peace and joy.
 We must endure tests,
temptations and obstacles to
get there. No wonder our
journey through life is often
called our Odyssey.
Mythology
 Myths are highly
imaginative tales that
attempt to explain the
mysteries of life.
 Every culture has myths.
Homer’s myths illustrate
the character of his epic
hero. The lotus-eaters
myth shows Odysseus’
ability to overcome the
temptations of idleness.
The myth of the sirens
shows us how he uses
reason and will power to
triumph over pleasure.