Download The Odyssey

The Odyssey
An epic by Homer
Who is Homer?
• Believed to be a blind
poet
• Created “The Odyssey”
and “Iliad”
• Seen as the greatest poet
in anceint Greece
• When he lived is
unknown
• Some argue he didn’t
even exist, or even write
these epics.
What was Ancient Greece like?
• The setting of “The
• Lots of farming,
Odyssey” is during
fishing, and trade
the Bronze Age
• People valued power,
• Warm and dry climate
family, hospitality to
others, faithfulness,
• Many colonies
and restraint
throughout the land
Background
The Wooden Horse was a
tatic used by the Greeks
to end the war against
Troy.
Background
•10th year of the
Trojan War
•Greeks tricked the
enemy into bringing a
colossal wooden horse
within the walls of
Troy.
• Trojans had no idea the Greeks were hidden inside.
• At night, they emerged from the wooden horse,
opened the gates, and destoyed Troy.
• This begins the tale of “The Odyessy”
How did the war start?
• The Trojan War is of
Greek Mythology
• Waged against the city of
Troy by the Greeks after
Paris of Troy took Helen
from her husband
Menelaus, king of Sparta.
• one of the most important
events in Greek
mythology
• narrated through many
works of Greek literature
But WHY did he take Helen?!
• WELL…
• At the wedding party of Peleus, the King Pithia, and the goddess of
the sea, Thetis, every god and goddess was invited except Eris, the
goddess of disagreement and conflict. Eris was angry at them, so
she threw a golden apple into the center of the party. On the apple
were the words "to the most beautiful." More than one goddess
declared that they should own the apple. Hera, Aphrodite, and
Anthena all wanted it. To help decide who was the most beautiful,
Paris, the King of Troy, was going to be the judge. The goddesses
tempted Paris with lots of gifts like power and love. In the end Paris
picked Aphrodite because she gave the most beautiful gift of all.
Woman on the Earth. Everyone knew at the time that Helen was the
most beautiful woman. She was married to King Menelaus of
Sparta, so Aphrodite put a spell on Helen to fall in love with Paris.
Paris came to visit and then Helen left with him to go back to Troy.
Now Aphrodite would not have to worry about Helen being in the
way, and she would be the most beautiful. As soon as King
Menelaus heard the news he was furious. He sent a thousand ships
to Troy to go get Helen back.
Greek Gods
within “The
Odyssey”
•Posiedon
•Zeus
•Athena
•Calypso
Greek Gods
Poseidon
•One of 12 olympian dieties
•main domain is the ocean
•called the "God of the Sea".
•referred to as "Earth-Shaker” due to his role in causing
earthquakes
•He is usually depicted as an older male with curly hair and
beard.
Some background of Poseidon during “The Odyessey”
•Doesn’t like Odyessues AT ALL
•Causes a lot of problems for Odysseus
Athena
Goddess of wisdom,
courage, inspiration,
civilization, law and justice,
just warfare, mathematics,
strength, strategy, the arts,
crafts, and skill.
Her role in “The Odyssey”
Athena assists Odysseus and
Telemachus with divine
powers throughout the epic,
and she speaks up for them
in the councils of the gods on
Mount Olympus. She often
appears in disguise as
Mentor, an old friend of
Odysseus.
Calypso
•A nymph in
Greek mythology,
who lived on the
island of Ogygia,
where she
detained
Odysseus for
several years.
She is generally
said to be the
daughter of the
Titan Atlas.
Zeus
•One of the 12 deities of Greek
Mythology
•King of the gods
•Father of gods and men
•God of the sky and thunder
•He’s a “cheater”
•Not faithful to his wife
Zeus in “The Odyssey”
Odysseus saved Helen, Zeus'
supposed favorite daughter from
Troy. Because of this, Zeus was
grateful of Odysseus, and
therefore would assist him on his
journey throughout the Odyssey.
Achilles
•A Greek hero of the
Trojan War and the
central character and
greatest warrior of
Homer's Iliad.
• Achilles was said to
be a demigod
•Was killed by a poison
arrow to the heel
(hence, our achilles
heel) It was his spot of
vulnerability
Achilles Choice:
His mother told
him that he could
either live a long
life with no glory,
or a short life full
of glory. It was the
fate of the gods.
“The Illiad” in a nutshell
• During the 10th and final year of the Trojan war.
• Greeks have been attacking Troy, but not winning.
• Achilles prays to Zeus for them to have an advantage,
and Zues agrees.
• Odysseus thinks up the wooden horse and hot to finally
defeat the city of Troy.
• The wooden horse is presented as a gift, holding some
of the Greeks within the horse.
• They over take Troy and destroy it.
• Achilles at the end defeats Hector and dies from a
poisoned arrow to the heel.
• This leads into the beginning of “The Odyssey”
• Considered a “war epic”
The Iliad and The Odyssey
• The Iliad is a war
epic
• The Odyssey is a
journey epic
6 Elements of an Epic
•
1) Plot centers around a Hero of Unbelievable Stature. The epic hero
completes what everyone only attempts. In ancient epics, the hero often is
either partially divine or at least protected by a god or God.
•
2) Involves deeds of superhuman strength and valor. Accomplish feats no real
human could.
•
3) Vast Setting. The action spans not only geographical but also often
cosmological space: across land, sea, into the underworld, or thru space or time
etc.
•
4) Involves supernatural and-or otherworldly forces. Gods, demons, angels,
time/space travel, cheating death etc.
•
5) Sustained elevation of style. Overwritten. Overly formal, highly stylized
(poetry, lyricism (singing), exaggeration)
6) Poet remains objective and omniscient. The narrator sees and knows all and
presents all perspectives.
•
Epic and Epic Heroes
What is an epic?
• A long story in
poem form.
• An epic has a
hero
• The epic is the
story of the
hero's travels
and his fights
with monsters.
Epic cnt’d
• Epics were originally sung, often to a harp.
• Epics contain information about the culture
that created them: religion, dress, homes,
weapons and war, roles of men and
women, values and moral standards.
• Epics contain clues to what the people
who created them feared or did not
understand; natural disasters, death,
heavens, storms, etc.
What do they all have in common?
Traits of an epic hero
• Has “larger than life” qualities, possibly
supernatural powers.
Traits of an epic hero
• Is a natural leader of
men
Traits
• Is appealing
to the
opposite
sex but
rarely has
an
extended
relationship
• Defeats monsters/bad
guys and/or fights
gods
Traits
• Has “good” on his/her
side
• (Ares the god of war
rode along side the
Trojans aiding them in
battle)
Traits
• Often stands alone
in battle.
• Beowulf fights big
battles alone.
Traits of an epic hero
• Is smarter than
everyone else,
generally a
problem solver.
• Odysseus tricks
the Trojans by
hiding inside a
wooden horse and
surprising them
Traits of an epic hero
• Has weakness that
often destroys
him/her or leads to
death.
• Achilles was shot
in his vulnerable
heel and killed.
Traits of an epic hero
• Making long
journeys, always
on the move,
travels to find
adventure.
• Indiana Jones
travels the globe in
search of artifacts
and adventure.
Traits of an epic hero
• Always a skillful
fighter