An analysis of the plot, characters,
literary devices, poetry and more
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Though no one really knows
who Homer was, he is credited
as the author of both The Iliad
and The Odyssey.
He is said to have been a blind poet who lived
near the eastern Aegean sea.
It is also commonly accepted that both The
Iliad and The Odyssey were sung by bards
(poets) until he wrote them down.
Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad are
considered to be the basis of Greek and Roman
Education.
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Before “The Odyssey”, Homer wrote “The Iliad” which told the
story of the Trojan War. The character Odysseus left his home to
fight in the war.
The Trojan War was waged
against the city of Troy by the
Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris
of Troy took Helen from her
husband Menelaus, the king
of Sparta.
"The Iliad" relates a part of the
last year of the siege of Troy.
It contains the morals and
values Greek society held in
war.
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The Odyssey is an Epic poem composed between 700
b. c. and 1000 b. c. It tells the story of Odysseus and
his journey home from the Trojan War.
The Odyssey is seen as a metaphor for living one’s
life.
It contains the morals, themes and values of the
Greek society, adventure, hardship, and life.
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Composed in elevated language, the meter is
“dactylic Hexameter” The ideal dactylic hexameter
consists of six (hexa) metrons or feet called dactyls
(fingers). Each dactyl consists of three syllables, the
first long, the other two short.
The last foot is not a real dactyl, as it only consists
of two syllables
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-U|-U|-U|-U|-uu|--
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Down in a | deep dark | hole sat an | old pig | munching a | bean stalk |
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Allusion
Alliteration
Assonanse
Consonance
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Extended metaphor
Onomatopoeia
Oxymoron
Paradox
Personification
Simile
Symbol
Pun
Epic poetyr
Epic hero
Epic simile
flashback
poetic justice
Epithets
catalogues and digressions
Hero
Epic hero
Epic invocation
Epic conflict
Epic war
Epic intervention of the gods
The Odyssey consists of 24 books within the epic
poem, these are his adventures, in which he learns
significant lessons:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
The Coast of Cicones
The Lotus Eaters
The Cyclops
Aeolus sends Odysseus off with a bag of wind
Having wasted the wind, Aeolus casts them out calling
them cursed by the gods.
Laestrygonians: the cannibals
Journey to the land of the dead to consult Tiresias
The Sirens
Scylla and Charybdis
The Cattle of the Sun God
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
The return of Odysseus
Argus
The Suitors
Penelope
The Challenge
Odysseus’ revenge
Penelope’s test
The ending
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The Thematic Structure of Odysseus' Wanderings (in progress)
Troy
war
Ciconia, rounds Malea
war
Lotus Eaters
memory
1
Cyclops
cannabalism, loss of civilization, kleos
2
Aeolus
storm, mutiny
3
Laestrygonians
cannabalism, monstrous female
4
Circe
controlling female, loss of humanity, divine warning
5
Hades
6
Circe
helpful female, divine warning
5
Sirens
memory
1
Scylla and Charybdis
loss of humanity, kleos
2
Cattle of Helius
storm, mutiny
3
Scylla and Charybdis
monstrous female
4
Calypso
controlling female, loss of humanity, divine warning
5
Scheria
helpful female. hyper-civilization
5, 2
Ithaca
war, controlling female