Homer’s Iliad
Bell Ringer
What
is rage? How can
rage be used positively, if
at all? Think about a time
when you were filled with
rage. What happened?
Free-write

“Great heroes need great sorrows and
burdens, or half their greatness goes
unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.”
― Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

What does this mean?
Vocabulary
Epic
 Epic Hero
 Epic Elements
 Archetype
 Point-of-View
 Epithet (Homeric)
 Narrative
 Invocation
 Symbolism
 Simile

What do you know?

Has anyone ever read this work?

What do you know about this work?
http://tupamahu.blogspot.com/2010/10/leadership-lesson-from-iliad.html
Homer
 Credited
for writing the Iliad
& the Odyssey
 Known
 Born
as a great poet
around 8th - 9th century B.C
http://www.crystalinks.com/homer.html
Homer’s Iliad

Homer is said to be
the first teller of
adventures of all
times. He was not
the first author
because in his day
stories were passed
down---they were
told. He was a blind
man whose date of
birth is unknown.
Epic
 An
epic is a long poem which tells a
story involving gods, heroes and
heroic exploits.
 The
events narrated in epic are
usually drawn from legend rather than
invented by the poet and are typically
of great significance as in the case of
the Iliad.
The Iliad

Background
 Video
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccdneMY
VVVo
Map
http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/iliad.html
Paris

Son of Hecuba & King Priam

Hecuba has a nightmare, that prophets
believe baby Paris must die

Paris is taken to a mountain side to be
killed, but a shepherd raises Paris
instead
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_%28mythology%29
Oedipus, Fate,
& Divine Intervention
How the story begins…

Zeus holds a wedding for
Thetis & Peleus

Eris is not allowed to come
because she is the
Goddess of Discord

Eris gets angry
http://www.ancientsites.com/aw/Post/1076084&authorid=18966
Apples

Eris leaves an apple for the
most beautiful goddess

Hera, Athena, & Aphrodite

Zeus tells Hermes to make Paris decide
who is most beautiful
http://weheartit.com/entry/3578065
Mirror, Mirror…
The Decision
Hera offered to
make Paris ruler of
Europe and Asia
 Athena offers great
skills in battle
 Aphrodite offered
him the most
beautiful woman in
the world

And the winner is…

Paris chooses Aphrodite because she
promises Helen in exchange for the apple
http://finithajose.blogspot.com/2012_06_01_archive.html
And the War Begins…
Helen

Very beautiful

Daughter of King Tyndareus

Wife of Menelaus, chosen
by her father

Aphrodite’s gift to Paris

Leaves Spartan with Paris to go to Troy
The Beginning of War
King Menelaus called on all those who were loyal to him.
 They gathered a huge army, and built a thousand ships to
carry the army to Troy
 Helen of Sparta was now called “Helen of Troy”
 She was “The face that launched a thousand ships”

Why did Odysseus object to the
Trojan War?


He believes no war
should be fought
over an unfaithful
woman (Helen)
He wants to stay at
home with his wife
and newborn son
Odysseus attempts to
“Draft Dodge”



Tried to appear insane by planting salt instead
of seeds.
Draft recruiters throw his son in front of his plow
Odysseus reveals his sanity by avoiding running
over Telemachus
The Trojan War
The battle raged for
10 years
 Many great heroes
lost their lives
 A prophet predicted
that Troy could be
captured only with
the help of Achilles.

The Hero Achilles
Knowing of the prophecy, and worried
that her son would be killed in war,
Achilles’ mother dipped him in the river
Styx to make him immortal.
 His only weakness was the place on
his heals where she held him.
 During the war, Achilles is forced to
give up his war prize, a slave girl, to
Agamemnon, and so he refuses to
fight.
 Patroclus, his friend, asks Achilles if
he may ride out in his armor so the
Trojans would lose heart.

10 Years of War

The Gods are tired of watching men kill each
other, and decide to help end the war.
Athena whispers an idea in the Spartan hero
Odysseus’s ear.
How were heroes characterized
in Homer’s day?


Special Aristocrats
or Demigods
Placed
somewhere
between Gods
and ordinary
humans.
Clips




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e0BLcd_WsE&
list=PLzDOiHLXaIXTB_z4IiYiLOEfK945iUZIg&inde
x=2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpLtXIlkyYA&list
=PLnl0vqNFsXbTHbap00bOtRYWMdQJDfsx3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRlABnHYY68
(Achilles and Agagmemnon)
Venn Diagram: Who is the
epic hero?
Today, we are going to decide who the
epic hero is in the Iliad
 You will need your textbook, paper, and
a pen/pencil

Venn Diagram
 Looking
at the characters Achilles
and Hector, you are going to
figure out who is the epic hero
 Using the Venn Diagram,
compare and contrast the 2 to
determine the epic hero (Use
textual evidence)
Action Figure Project
You are going to design an action figure
for a character from the Iliad, along with
a poster
 Your action figure must have 3
accessories and 3 key features
 You must write a character analysis for
the character you choose (Who is the
character and what does he or she do in
the Iliad)
