The Odyssey Intro

1
Heroes Unit Homer's Odyssey
2
Background

• The Iliad and the Odyssey contain timeless
  portraits of several heroes, including Odysseus,
  king of Ithaca.
• The themes, characters, and plots are present in
  Western literature to this day.

3
Trojan War Background

• The Trojan War began after Paris, prince of Troy,
  kidnapped Helen from the King of Sparta.
• For ten years, Greeks and Trojans fought to
  avenge the kidnapping.
• To break the stalemate, Odysseus, the master
  strategist, thought of a plan to deceive the
  Trojans into thinking the Greeks abandoned the
  war.
• A giant wooden horse was built and left at the
  gates of Troy.
• The Trojans brought the peace offering into the
  gates of Troy.
• At night, the Greeks that were hiding in the
  horse emerged and conquered Troy.

4
A Trojan War?

• The Iliad and The Odyssey are based on an event
  that might have actually happened.
• The Trojan War was a war between a number of
  Greek city states against the city of Troy.
• For centuries, Troy was considered to by a myth
  fabricated and made famous by Homer.
• In 1871, an archeologist discovered remains of
  nine ancient cities built on top of one another
  in northwest Turkey, near where The Iliad placed
  Troy.
• It is widely believed that one of those cities
  may have been the site of the legendary Trojan
  War.

5
The Epic

• The epic is a long, narrative poem that tells
  about the adventures of a hero who reflects the
  ideals and values of a nation or race.
• Although epics are based on legends, they contain
  some truth.
• An epic portrays the past as a time supposedly
  better than the time in which we are living.

6
Heroic Tradition

• The Heroic Tradition set standards on the value
  of a mans honor and the importance of honor.
• Consider this A kings wife is kidnapped, and
  he starts a war to avenge this act. A great hero
  refuses to fight in this war because he too feels
  dishonored in a dispute over a woman. That
  heros dear friend borrows the heros armor and
  is killed in battle. Now the hero, full of
  anger, must avenge this death by killing the
  warrior who killed his dear friend in battle.
  Afterward, he must overcome his anger and return
  the body of his slain enemy to his enemys father
  (this is the honorable thing to do after killing
  the enemy). Peace must be made. Honor must be
  restored.

7

• The events you just heard make up the story of
  The Illiad, which takes place during the Trojan
  War. The hero is Achillies.
• If these events sound familiar, you may have seen
  them in the 2004 movie, Troy, starring Brad Pitt
  as Achillies Orlando Bloom.

8
We will be studyingThe Odyssey

• The Odyssey begins where The Iliad leaves off.
• Odysseus is a different type of hero.
• Odysseus, also known as Ulysses, is the craftiest
  of all Greeks. He was the mastermind of the end
  of the war, using a trick horse full of soldiers.
  After the war, he longs to get home and see a
  bit of the world along the way.
• His struggle to get home and maintain his honor
  along the way is the story of The Odyssey.

9
EPIC HERO?

• An epic hero is a larger-than-life figure,
  usually male, who embodies the ideals of a nation
  or race.
• They take part in long dangerous adventures and
  accomplish great deeds that require courage and
  superhuman strength.
• Keep in mind Because they are human, they also
  display human faults.

10
Characters We Will Meet

• Calypso A sea goddess who lives on the island of
  Ogygia.
• Alcinious The king of the Phaecians.
• Laertes Odysseus father.
• Circe A sea goddess who lives on the island of
  Aeaea.
• Zeus The chief of the Greek gods father of
  Athena and Apollo.

11
Characters (cont)

• Cicones Trojan allies who live in Ismarus.
• Lotus Eaters Inhabitants of an island Odysseus
  visits.
• Cyclopes a race of one-eyed giants.
• Apollo The god of music, poetry, prophecy, and
  medicine.
• Poseidon The god of the sea, earthquakes, and
  horses father of the Cyclops that battles
  Odysseus.

12
Words to Know

1. Adversary noun. Enemy
2. Appalled adjective. horrified
3. Avenge verb. To take revenge on behalf of.
4. Entreat verb. To beg
5. Guile noun. Skillful slyness craftiness
6. Indifferent adjective. Having no interest or
   concern
7. Ponderous adjective. Bulky
8. Whim noun. A sudden impulse or notion.

13
Connecting to Your Life

• Who is your favorite monster?
• What science fiction or horror creature do you
  think is the scariest?
• On a clean sheet of paper, write the monsters
  name make 3 columns Physical Appearance,
  Actions, Attitudes. List the qualities of the
  monster.
• Briefly explain why you think it is the best (or
  worst) monster ever created (in 3-5 sentences).

14
Monsters We Will Meet

• In Books 9-12 of The Odyssey, Odysseus runs into
  several types of monsters.
• How he deals with them is what makes him a hero.
  
• After we encounter each monster, we will list the
  characteristics of them and the heroic qualities
  Odysseus shows as he battles them.

15
Notes Table
READING CHECK READING STRATEGY LITERARY ANALYSIS



16
INVOCATION

• Evaluate lines 1-18 what qualities are described
  about Odysseus that might make him an epic hero?

17
En Medias Res In the middle of things

• In the opening lines the poet (HOMER) calls upon
  the goddess of poetry (MUSE) to give him
  inspiration in telling the story of Odysseus.
  Almost every epic since The Odyssey begins with
  invoking the muses or a god of some sort.
• During 7 of Odysseus 10 years at sea, he is held
  captive by Calypso. With Athenas help Odysseus
  finally persuades Calypso to let him go, and she
  helps build a raft to leave her island. After
  Odysseus sails away, his raft is destroyed by
  violent storms.
• Now alone, Odysseus washed up on the land of the
  Phaecians, where Alcinous is king. Alcinious
  gives a banquet in honor of Odysseus and asks him
  to reveal who he is and where he came from.
  Odysseus tells about all the adventures that
  brought him to this point.

18
Internal and External Struggles

• Most stories center on the experiences and
  actions of one or more main characters.
• Other characters who interact with the main
  characters and help move the story along are
  called minor characters.
• A conflict, or struggle, may be either external
  or internal.
• External conflict A character struggles against
  an outside force, such as nature, a physical
  object, or another character.
• Internal conflict There is a struggle within
  the characters own mind.

19
Character Type

• Characters are the people who take part in the
  action of the story.
• Major Characters the most important to the
  story.
• Minor Characters interact with the characters
  and help move the story along.
• Dynamic Characters those that undergo changes.
• Static Characters characters that remain the
  same.

20
Character Type

1. Round Characters They have many personality
   traits that are revealed by the author. We learn
   how they talk, think, and behave, and what
   motivates them.
2. Flat Characters Simple characters do not have a
   lot of personality traits. They are simple
   uncomplicated.