The Odyssey
By
Homer
No Not This Homer!!
The Famous Greek Poet Homer
The Homeric Problem
•
•
•
•
Who is HOMER?
One man?
Many men?
The Iliad and The
Odyssey are too
different – NO way
the two epics were
written by the same
person
The Trojan War
• 10 Year war in Troy
• Odysseus travels to
•
Troy to rescue Helen
The Greeks are
successful in winning
the war when they
trick the Trojans with
the infamous Trojan
Horse
The Trojan Horse
• The Greeks gave the
•
Trojans a “gift”
Greek soldiers hid
inside the wooden
horse and while the
Trojans slept, the
soldiers opened the
city gates and
ambushed Troy
Calypso’s Island
• Calypso – goddess of
•
•
the sea
Madly in love with
Odysseus
Holds Odysseus
captive (under a
spell) on her island
for 7 years
Phaeacia Ruled by Alcinous
• Alcinous offers to give
Odysseus a ship to
sail back to Ithaca in
exchange for
Odysseus’ story of
adventure
The Island of Ismarus
• Odysseus’ crew kill
•
•
the men and enslave
the women
The crew celebrates
and is attacked (while
they are intoxicated)
by the Ismarus army
Odysseus loses a
large number of men
The Lotus-Eaters Island
• Odysseus sends 3
•
•
men onto the island
to see if the natives
are friendly
The 3 men eat the
lotus flower and lose
their will to go home
The 3 men are tied to
their benches
The Cyclops
• Odysseus takes 12 of
•
•
his best fighters onto
the island with him
The men become
trapped in the
Cyclops’ cave
The Cyclops begins
eating the men two at
a time
Polyphemus guards the door
• Odysseus and his
•
•
men poke out
Polyphemus’ eye
The men tie
themselves to his
sheep and escape
From the ship,
Odysseus teases the
Cyclops
Aeolia Ruled by Aeolus
• Aeolus, the god of wind, gives Odysseus a gift
• The gift is a bag containing all of the winds, except for
the West Wind that would blow them home to Ithaca
• The men open the bag and are blown back to Aeolia
Laestrygonians (Cannibals)
• The Laestrygonians
•
destroy all of
Odysseus’ ships,
except the ship
Odysseus is on
The Laestrygonians
eat all of Odysseus’
men, except the men
on Odysseus’ ship
Aeaea – Circe’s Island
• Circe – sorceress
• In love with Odysseus
• Turns Odysseus’ men into
•
•
swine
Holds Odysseus captive
(under a spell) on her
island for 1 year
Helps Odysseus get to
The Land of the Dead
The Land of the Dead - Hades
• Odysseus must go to
•
•
The Land of the Dead
to find Tiresias the
blind prophet
Odysseus sees
Elpenor and Anticlea
Advice from Tiresias:
DO NOT eat Helios’
cattle - why?
The Sirens and
the Wandering Rocks
• Lure sailors to their
•
•
destruction with their
songs
Odysseus listens to
the song from the
mast where he his
tied
The ears of the crew
are covered with
beeswax
Scylla the Sea Monster and
Charybdis the whirlpool
• Odysseus and his
•
crew are faced with
TWO life threatening
events at the same
time
Why did Odysseus
choose to sail closer
to Scylla? How was
he a hero through
this?
Thrinacia – Helios’ Island
• Odysseus and his crew have been warned not to eat
Helios’ cows, however, the men are starving and decide
to face Helios’ wrath and eat the cows rather than starve
to death. The men are all killed and the ship destroyed.
Ithaca at last!!!
• “Twenty years gone,
•
and I am back again.”
With the help of the
Phaeacians, Odysseus
is finally back home in
Ithaca
Athena’s Assitance
• Athena – goddess of
•
•
wisdom and war
Assists Odysseus in
his attempt to reclaim
his rightful place as
King of Ithaca
She promises to help
Odysseus battle the
suitors
Home Sweet Home
• Suitors attempt to
woe Penelope and
plot to kill
Telemachus
Penelope and Telemachus
• Penelope tricks the
suitors into waiting
for her decision about
the pending marriage
by telling them she
must weave a burial
shroud for her fatherin-law, but at night
she undoes the
weaving of the shroud
The Challenge
• Odysseus challenges
•
•
the suitors to an
archery contest
Odysseus wins the
contest
Odysseus and
Telemachus kill all of
the suitors
Odysseus is Victorious
• Penelope tests
•
Odysseus to see if he
really is who he says
he is and not just a
clever suitor
Odysseus passes the
test by telling
Penelope in detail
about their olive tree
bed