The Odyssey

1
The Odyssey

• An Introduction

2
Who was Homer?

• No one knows for sure who Homer was
• Greek storyteller credited with putting together
  the Iliad and the Odyssey.
• Iliad story of the 10 year Trojan War caused by
  Paris and Helen
• Odyssey story of Odysseus long and wayward
  return from the Trojan War

3
Rhapsodes

• None of these stories were written down. Each
  storyteller would have had to memorize the entire
  work and told it in such a way that it would be
  part performance.
• They did not memorize the story word for word but
  knew the basic story and improvised on the spot,
  following a basic rhythm of the words.
• There is a great deal of repetition in the
  stories, which makes it a bit simpler to tell.

• Homer was a model for a class of storytellers
  called rhapsodes
• Known as singers of tales, they were the
  historians and entertainers as well as
  myth-makers 

4
Epics and Values

• Epics a long narrative poem that tells of the
  adventures of heroes across great spans of time
  and place.
• The epic contains the ideas, morals, themes and
  values of a culture from which it is created.
• Iliad
• An archetype of the war epic.
• Contains the morals and values of the Greek
• society in war.
• Odyssey
• An archetype of the adventure epic.
• Seen as a metaphor for living ones life
• Contains the morals, themes and values of the
  Greek society about adventure,
  hardship, and life.

5
Characteristics of an Epic

• Involves an epic question
• The opening lines of the poem that state the
  theme
• A physically impressive hero of national or
  historical importance
• A vast setting involving not only of the known
  world but also the underworld
• Action such as a quest or journey requiring
  superhuman ability and courage
• Evidence of supernatural forces

6
Myths

• Stories that use fantasy to express ideas about
  life that cannot be expressed in realistic terms
• Considered religious because they are concerned
  with the relationship between human beings and
  the unknown or spiritual realm (gods/goddesses).

7
The Muses

• The Muses preside over the arts and sciences,
  inspire all artists, especially poets,
  philosophers, and musicians.
• Their name denotes memory or a reminder,
  since in the poets relied on their memories when
  telling these stories
• The nine Muses are
• the daughters of the
• Zeus and of Mnemosyne
• (ni-mos-a-ne), the goddess
• of memory

8
The Nine Muses

• Calliope (ka-li-o-pe)
• the muse of epic poetry
• Clio (kl-i-o)
• the muse of history
• Euterpe (yoo-tur-pe)
• the muse of music
• Melpomene (mel-pom-e-ne)
• the muse of tragedy
• Terpsichore (turp-sic-u-re)
• the muse of dancing

• Erato (er-e-to)
• the muse of love poetry
• Polyhymnia (pol-e-him-ne-a)
• the muse of sacred poetry
• Urania (yoo-ra-ne-a)
• the muse of astronomy
• Thalia (the-li-a)
• the muse of comedy