The Iliad by Homer

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The Iliad by Homer

• Mrs. Kercher

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The Iliads History

• An epic written 8th century BCE.
• It was attributed to the poet Homer. Theories
  contradict this stating that more than one person
  had to have written it.
• It was commonly paired with the Odyssey.
• It takes place throughout Greece and Troy, a city
  in Northwest Turkey.

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The Story Before the Story

• Legend of Paris and Helen
• Read the short story and the view the video.
• Identify similarities and differences between the
  two versions.
• What do you think really happened to
  Helen?
• Do you think the Trojan War was just a
  dispute
• among men or a desire of the gods?

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(No Transcript)
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Homer in Ancient Greece

• Earliest Greek Literature
• Written c. 750 BCE from oral trad. (c. 1200 BCE)
  
• Recited by Rhapsodes
• Epic dactylic hexameter or long poem on
  war/myth
• Cultural Importance for Greeks
• Taken as History
• Hellenic Unity
• Educational Texts

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Greece and the Trojan War
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Themes and Elements of Text

• CHOICE and PERSUASION
• THE HEROIC CODE
• LEADERSHIP
• TRIANGULAR RELATIONSHIPS
• SIMILES
• THE GODS

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DO NOT Reduce The Iliad to

• PRIDE
• OR
• FATE

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Persons in The Iliad

• Acheans
• Achilles Patrocles
• Agamemnon Menalaos
• Odysseus, Ajax, Phoenix
• Trojans
• Hector Alexandros
• Priam, Helen, Andromache

• Gods
• Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite
• Athena, Hera, Thetis

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Characteristics of Homeric Text

• Beginning in medias res
• Cinematic presentation of events and of warfare
• Look for sense imagery in the text
• Use of SIMILES
• Use of PARALLELISM when discussing events,
  characters and gods

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Homeric Cycle

• Series of texts about Troy
• Some tell the same stories as the Homeric epics
• Many tell entirely different stories
• What still exists contains only a part of the
  entire story of the Trojan War

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The Iliad in Greek Society

• One of the most revered books in ancient Greek
  life. Referred to as the, Greek Bible.
• One epic was performed in 3-4 days by traveling
  entertainers.
• It was enjoyed more than the Odyssey because of
  the Greeks love for valiant war heroes.

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The Iliad in Education

• Ancient Greece
• Almost all Greek children knew the story and
  males were required to memorize it in school.
• It was often performed.
• It was often quoted to prove a point.

• American
• The story is required in most high school
  programs today.
• A knowledge of Homeric similes is required and
  used by teachers and professors.

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Features of Homers Text

• Special formulaic language of the aoidos such as
  fixed and recurring epithets and type scenes
• Exaggerated, leisurely pace of story-telling
• Dislike of suspense
• Fondness for lists (genealogies, catalogues), may
  derive from an oral way of organizing information
• Similes - far more common in the Iliad than the
  Odyssey a way of stopping the action, commenting
  on it, enriching or judging it.

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Homeric Similes
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Questions about The Iliad

• What are the chief motivations for war or
  conflict in the Iliad?
• Compare/Contrast Achilles and Hector as
  representing heroic ideals.
• Does the character of Achilles develop over the
  course of the Iliad?
• If the Iliad is about the wrath of Achilles, what
  is the lesson to be learned, if any?
• What relevance, if any, does the Iliad have for
  us now?