background notes:epic poetry, epic hero, trojan war, & greek mythology the odyssey by homer
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BACKGROUND NOTES:EPIC POETRY, EPIC HERO, TROJAN WAR, & GREEK
MYTHOLOGY
The Odyssey by Homer
EPIC POETRY
An epic is defined as
a long narrative
poem about the deeds of gods or heroes.
Homer’s The
Odyssey is an
example of epic poetry.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC:
A heroA quest or journey
Epic similesAn invocation of the muse
Sacrifice or pray to the gods for victory in battle
CombatIntervention from the supernatural
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC, CONTINUED:
Deus Ex-Machina–“god from the machine;” a god comes down at the end of the story to
solve the conflicts
Visit to the Underworld
Apotheosis –elevation to divine status
In many epics, the hero is a demigod, born to one human parent and one divine parent.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC, CONTINUED:
Some cycles (series) of epic poems develop around a hero or event.
Epics date back to prehistoric times, with the earliest form being sung by their poets.
The Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer, is a cycle that develops around a partly
historical/partly mythical Trojan War.Rules for epics were based on The Iliad &
The Odyssey.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC, CONTINUED:
These rules state that the epic must begin in medias res, or “in the middle of things,” and the poet must write in a dignified style that
begins with an “invocation” in which he asks a Muse for divine inspiration.
THE EPIC HERO
Hero is of imposing stature
Hero and/or his style is grand, yet simple
Setting is vastHero has superhuman
strength or courage Hero faces
supernatural forces
THE TROJAN WAR
12th ~ 13th Century B.C.
Between the Greeks and the people of Troy in W. Asia Minor
Events celebrated in Homer’s The Iliad & The Odyssey
The Trojan prince, Paris, ran off with the beautiful Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta
TROJAN WAR, CONTINUED…
Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus, led an expedition to retrieve her, which led to the war
that spanned 10 years.War ended when the Greeks pretended to
leave Troy, leaving behind a giant wooden horse
The Trojans wheeled the horse inside the city walls
At night, the Greeks poured out of the horse, opened the gates for their fellow soldiers, and
took over the city of Troy and its citizens
THEMES
The Power of Cunning over Strength
The Pitfalls of Temptatio
n
MORTALS
Odysseus is well-known for his
resourcefulness and guile and is
known by his epithet,
“Odysseus the Cunning.”
Odysseus is the king of Ithaca and the husband of Penelope. When he left to fight the Trojan War, he left Penelope pregnant with his son, Telemachus.
MORTALS
PENELOPE
Penelope spends her days in the palace pining for the husband who left for
Troy twenty years earlier and never returned. Homer portrays her as
sometimes flighty and excitable but also clever and steadfastly true to
her husband.
Wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus.
MORTALS
TELEMACHUS
Odysseus’s son. He is a natural obstacle
to the suitors desperately courting his
mother, but despite his courage and good heart, he
initially lacks the poise and
confidence to oppose them.
MORTALS
EURYLOCHUS
Odysseus’ second in command.
Cowardly and unpleasant, he frequently undermines Odysseus’ authority and causes
trouble.
Relative of Odysseus through marriage.
MORTALS
Tiresias
A Theban prophet, Tiresias meets Odysseus when
Odysseus journeys to the underworld. He
shows Odysseus how to get back to Ithaca and
allows Odysseus to communicate with the other souls in Hades.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Zeus Chief Olympian; chases the women, tries to hide his infidelity
from his wife; also called Lord of the Sky, The Rain God, and The Cloud Gatherer; wields the thunderbolt as a weapon.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Hera
Wife to Zeus; prolonged the Trojan War & allowed Troy to be left in ruins because a
Trojan said another goddess was lovelier than
she; sacred animals are the peacock and cow.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Poseidon
Brother to Zeus; Lord of the Sea; gave man the first horse; also
responsible for earthquakes
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Hades
Ruler of the Underworld and the dead; spent
most of his time in the Underworld because he was
not welcomed on Mt. Olympus.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Athena
Daughter of Zeus ONLY –no mother –
she sprang from Zeus’ head; she
created the olive; described as a fierce
battle goddess, protector of civilized life, and the goddess
of crafts and agriculture.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Apollo
Described as the beautiful god of music; plays a
golden lyre; also seen as the Archer
god & a healer
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Artemis
Twin sister of Apollo; personality not easily
defined – is she good or evil? Example: Known to
protect the young while on the hunt – BUT – kept the Greek fleet from sailing to Troy until a maiden was sacrificed in her honor.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
AphroditeGoddess of Love and Beauty; laughter-loving goddess
who used her wiles to hypnotize men; extremely beautiful; without her…no joy or loveliness anywhere; could have a deadly or destructive power over men.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Hermes
Graceful and swift; wore winged
sandals, had wings on his hat, and carried a magic wand; he was
Zeus’ messenger and also guided the dead to the
Underworld.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Ares
God of War; described as a “murderous
curse” who was also a coward; a symbol of
war
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Hephaestus
God of Fire; unattractive
and crippled –ironically, he is married to the most beautiful
of the goddesses, Aphrodite.
THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS
Hestia
Goddess of the Hearth; the symbol
of home; meals began and ended
with an offering to her; each city had a
public hearth sacred to her where the fire was never allowed to go out.
THE LESSER GODS OF OLYMPUS
Eros–The God of Love (Cupid)
Hebe–Goddess of Youth
Iris–Goddess of the Rainbow
LESSER GODS OF OLYMPUS
The Three Graces –Aglaia (Splendor); Euphrosyne (Mirth); Thalia (Good Cheer).
The Nine Muses Clio = History
Urania= Astronomy Calliope = Epic PoetryMelpomene= Tragedy Erato= Love PoetryThalia= Comedy Polyhymnia= Songs Terpiscore= Dance Euterpe= Lyric Poetry
THE UNDERWORLD
Ruled by Hades and Persephone
Cerberus –3-headed, dragon-tailed dog who guards the gate and allows spirits to enter
Two divisions: Tartarus & Erebus Two Rivers:Acheron, River of WoeCocytus, River of Lamentation
Aeolus
King of the Winds; lived on Earth on the island of Aeolia (character in The Odyssey)
The Sirens
3 bird-like female creatures with enchanting voices; would sing & lure sailors to their death. (also
characters in The Odyssey)
Scylla
A monster with 12 feet and 6 heads with 3 rows of teeth, carries off a
sailor in each mouth
Charybdis
A monster at the bottom of the ocean who, three times a day, caused a whirlpool that
would pull in sailors to their deaths.
Calypso
The beautiful nymph who falls in love with
Odysseus when he lands on her island-
home of Ogygia. Calypso holds him prisoner there for seven years until
Hermes, the messenger god, persuades her to
let him go.
Polyphemus
One of the Cyclopes (uncivilized one-eyed giants) whose island Odysseus comes to
soon after leaving Troy. Polyphemus imprisons Odysseus and his crew and tries to eat them. He is Poseidon's son.
Circe
The beautiful witch-goddess who
transforms Odysseus’s crew into swine when he lands on her island.
With Hermes’ help, Odysseus resists
Circe’s powers and then becomes her
lover, living in luxury at her side for a year.
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