Homers Odyssey An Epic Tale Journal What makes

Homer’s Odyssey An Epic Tale

Journal What makes a hero? Write down the names of two or three people, real or fictional, whom you consider heroic. Then take a few minutes to list character traits that you think a hero of any time and place should have. Revisit and add to your thoughts and notes as you read the Odyssey.

Homer and Ancient Greece Homer: To Good to be True? � Known to us as the poet famous for his two Greek epics: Iliad and Odyssey � Greeks believed him to be a blind minstrel Chios � Model for bards or rhapsodes – singers of tales historians, entertainers, myth-makers Historian? � Homer’s epics have been traced to actual historical events and locations from as early as 1200 B. C.

Homer’s Epic Tradition The Iliad: tells the story of a ten year war fought on the plains outside the walls of Troy (Ilion) – A. K. A The Trojan War � people of Troy vs. an alliance of Greek kings (each Greek island had its own king) � Helen – the world’s most beautiful woman who abandoned her husband, Menelaus, to marry a prince of Troy. Model for war epics

Homer’s Epic Tradition �The Odyssey: tells the story of Odysseus’s journey home to his wife Penelope after the Trojan War �Model for epic journey in classical literature and in contemporary Western Culture: The Hobbit, Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, The Lion King, and Forrest Gump

What is an Epic? Epic: long narrative poem that tells of the adventures of heroes who in some way embody the values of their civilizations. � � � Part of an oral tradition Poets used a repertoire of formulas for describing characters and events Long narratives – like this – were told over the course of several days, and (we assume) were often summarized in sections in order to complete the story before the bard had to move along. Myth: traditional story that is � � � rooted in a particular culture basically religious – involve the influence of gods on human affairs usually serves to explain a belief, ritual, or mysterious natural phenomenon

Epic Tradition Iliad and Odyssey were used in schools to teach Greek virtues and establish the conventions of the epic form for later epics such as: • • Virgil’s Aeneid (Rome) The Song of Roland (France) Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy (Italy) Mahabharata and Ramayana (India)

Odysseus: Draft-dodger or Hero? Iliad – �Odysseus dodges the draft • Wife, Penelope • Son, Telemachus • Didn’t want to leave them to fight for an adulteress (Helen) �Odysseus wins the war with the Trojan Horse Trick

Odysseus: Not Your Typical Hero �Odyssey – traces Odysseus’s outward journey home and his inward quest to find his identity, his place in the world �Post-war world • Feeling of disillusionment and melancholy • What is Odysseus when his war record and heroism no longer determine his place?

Return Home: He can only full return home when he reveals himself to his wife Unusual Birth Call to Adventure: Odysseus fights in the Trojan War Reconciliation with Parental Figure: Odysseus is reunited with his son Refusal of the Call: Odysseus pretends to be insane to avoid going to war. Achievement of Goal: Odyssey makes it home Trials Supernatural Helper: Athena Crossing the Threshold: entrance into the world of the gods Talisman or special weapon: Odysseus’s wit

Contemporary Connections Discuss two allusions to Homer’s epics from popular books or movies.

Important Terms