The Odyssey Introduction Notes
The Iliad = epic of war
The Odyssey = epic of the long journey
The Ancient Greek Epics – Stories that blend legend with truth.
Long, narrative poems that tell of the adventures of larger than life heroes who
embody the values of their civilization
Gods and goddesses are prominent - guide the hero or thwart his actions
Setting is broad, and includes supernatural realms
Stories were accepted as truth
Stories were passed on through oral tradition
Oral Tradition
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Stories passed from one person to another by word of mouth
Storytellers = wandering bards or minstrels called rhapsodies
(historians/entertainers/mythmakers)
Storytellers’ tools for memorization:
- poetic lines
- rhythm
- repetition
- imagery
- similes
- accompaniment of music
Epic Heroes
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Larger than life in terms of human privy to his culture or time period
characteristics (bravery, nobility, strength, loyalty, justice, hospitality, devotion)
Still human (experiences pain and death)
CAN BE demi gods
Goes on a journey to overcome something of value for self and society
Immortal through reputation
What purpose did these stories serve?
•To entertain
•To teach important lessons about religion, society, and morals
Themes
•Loyalty, devotion, and fortitude to home and self
•The Greek ideal of a strong body and a strong intellect
•The wandering hero
•The triumph of good over evil
•Obedience to the laws of the gods
Terms to Know
Epithet:
compound adjectives describing a person, place or event.
had the right meter or number of syllables to complete a line.
Swift-footed Achilles
Sparkling-eyed Athena
Epic Simile: a simile of great length and detail, going on for several lines
Served to emphasize a character’s thoughts or feelings or a situation in
relation to everyday situations
in medias res (Latin)
in the middle
Narrative Poem
a poem that tells a story and includes all elements of a story
Rhythm
the pattern or flow of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and
unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
Refrain
the repetition of one or more lines in each stanza of a poem
Speaker
the voice that talks to the reader, similar to the narrator in fiction
Stanza
a grouping of two or more lines in a pattern that is repeated throughout
Style
a poem (comparable to a paragraph in prose writing)
the particular way in which a piece of literature is written. Style is not
what is said but HOW it is said.
Symbol
a person, a place, an activity, or an object that stands for something
beyond itself
Prominent gods/goddess
Trojans
Greeks
•Aphrodite
•Ares
•Apollo
•Artemis
•(Zeus)
Hera
Athena (Odysseus’ “right hand lady”)
Poseidon (Odysseus’ nemesis)
Allusions
The face that launched a thousand ships
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
A Trojan Horse
The Odyssey
•Odysseus’ last year of his journey home from the Trojan War
10 year Trojan War:
Legend claims the war began with the abduction of Helen
Odysseus reluctantly joined the Greeks in battle
Odysseus was the last of the Greek heroes to return home
10 year Journey was plagued with obstacles
1 year with Circe (goddess/enchantress; daughter of Helios)
7 years with Calypso (goddess/nymph; in love with Odysseus)
Lotus Flowers (narcotics that caused peaceful apathy)
The Cyclops (Polythemus; son of Poseidon)
The Sirens (femme fatales)
Scylla (nymph turned 6 headed beast by Amphitrite or Circe)
<“between Scylla and Charybdis” – between a rock and a hard place>
Charybdis (daughter of Poseidon turned fiery, teethed whirpool by Zues)
Odysseus’ personal journey
Search for identity
Protect Achaeans
Overcome temptation
Overcome pride
Penelope’s personal journey
Search for identity
Self control; pride, respect
Loyalty to Odysseus
Telemachus’ personal journey
Search for identity
Let go of youthful nature/immaturity
Self-control; pride; respect