What you need to know before reading the Odyssey

What was the Trojan War?

The Trojan War started when Paris, a Trojan Prince, captured the beautiful Helen from her husband, Menelaus, the king of Sparta.

Helen's jilted husband Menelaus convinced his brother, Agamemnon, to lead an expedition to retrieve her. The group included the Greek heroes Achilles and Odysseus. A fleet of more than a thousand ships sailed across the Aegean Sea to lay siege to Troy and demand Helen’s return.

The Greeks could not get through the Trojan walls and spent nearly 10 years trying to break through. One morning the Greek armies retreated from their camp, leaving a large wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. After much debate, the Trojans pulled the mysterious gift into the city. When night fell, the horse opened up and a group of Greek warriors, led by Odysseus, climbed out and sacked Troy from within.

What you need to know before reading the Odyssey

Odysseus as an Epic Hero:

The Trojan Horse

Traditional Epic

Troy was defeated when Odysseus and his men were able to get inside the walls of Troy concealed within the body of the Trojan horse.

• He possesses a cunning wit, and uses it more than his physical strength.
• He is brave, but he prefers to defeat his enemies with clever deception
• He interacts with the gods and receives both their favors and their curses.
• He has weaknesses, but he must overcome them to complete his journey.
• He is tested and must prove himself again, and again, and again

The author begins by stating the theme and uses someone who is all knowing and wise to help him in his undertaking.

The story starts in the middle of the action, in media res, and at a critical point; the events that happened before the narrative's opening are introduced later on.

HOMER

The Setting: The setting of the epic is vast in scope, sometimes worldwide and even beyond.

The Hero: A figure of great national or international importance.

CIRCE: GODDESS OF MAGIC

ATHENA: GODDESS OF WAR AND WISDOM

POSEIDON: GOD OF SEA

ARES: GOD OF WAR

ZEUS

HERMES: ZEUS' MESSENGER

• enjoyed the great noise of battle
• loved bloody warfare
• lived on Conflict and mindless killing
• wore golden armor

GODS AND GODDESSES

• In Greek mythology, Zeus was the king of Earth and of all the Olympian gods.

• He was also known as the god of justice.

• Zeus's brother
• reputation for having a very bad temper
• three pronged spear known as the trident is symbol of his power

• daughter of the sun god Helios
• witch and trickster
• known for turning men into animals, specifically pigs

• daughter of Zeus and Metis--a nymph
• 1/2 sister of Hercules
• fierce and brave in battle
• She helps Odysseus throughout his journey home

• was the god of games, of business, and of story telling
• loved to play tricks on gods and people
• he is the fastest of the gods

A CRASH COURSE ON THE GREEK GODS AND GODDESSES

The Who's Who in

the Odyssey

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/greek-mythology/videos/greek-gods

• Zeus's wife was Hera, who was very jealous of the attention that Zeus paid to other goddesses.

Charybdis: Whirlpool

Scylla: Six-Headed Monster

CYCLOPS

Sirens or Mermaids

• on the opposite side of the straits of Messina
• 3 times a day she swallows up the sea around her and then spits it back out
• Huge razor sharp teeth are located at the bottom of the whirlpool

• Had body of bird from waist down
• Had body of woman from waist up
• Sang songs to travelers to lure them to their death on the rocks near their island
• Songs were so enchanting that sailors would forget their sense of direction
• Has become the archetype for a female seductress

• Poseidon's son who faced off against Odysseus
• They were an entire race & were ALMOST human
• Giants with one eye in middle of the head

• Had 6 dog heads that were attached to scaly necks
• On one side of the straights of Messina that Odysseus has to travel through
• She loves to snatch sailors out of their ships and eat them. Nom, Nom, Nom.
• Nom, Nom, Nom (remember-6 heads!)

MONSTERS

Homer was a blind, Greek poet who lived around 700 BC.  Little is known about Homer however, what is certain is that his name has been passed in tandem with the two epic poems attributed to him:

The Iliad and The Odyssey. 

So, after all this, WHAT MAKES A HERO?

Iliad

Epic Hero

The Odyssey

Story of the last year of the Trojan War,

which had lasted 10 years.

Epic Stories

Before we read the Odyssey, we need to understand the different types of Heroes in literature.

• Excels in skill, strength, and courage
• Succeeds in a war or adventure
• Is generous to his followers but ruthless to his enemies
• Values honor and glory

The Action:

The action of the epic involves heroic deeds in battle, such as a long hard journey or a war.

The Supernatural:

The gods or other supernatural beings take an interest and an active part in the great deeds performed in the epic.

The epic is a broadly defined genre of poetry which retells in a continuous narrative the life and works of a heroic or mythological person or group of persons.

• The story of the journey of Odysseus and his men trying to get home after the Trojan War
• Takes place over 10 years
• An epic about humans on the journey of life overcoming trials and temptations along the way

As we read The Odyssey:

You must decide if you think Odysseus is a hero. Just because he has been considered a hero by many, is he a hero to you?

What is YOUR definition of hero?