The Odyssey Honors English 9

HOMER The Odyssey is said to be composed by Homer (maybe), a blind Greek poet Some say the Iliad and Odyssey were not written by one person but instead are a collection of Greek poems The Odyssey is said to have been written down sometime between 800 and 600 BC; however, the setting of the story takes place during the Bronze Age in Greece (12 th century BC) – even though there are some inconsistencies with that, as well. This guy Not this guy

THE ORAL TRADITION The Odyssey – approximately 12,000 lines - is an example of an epic poem (which we will define later). Epics have roots in oral, rather than literate, traditions. These stories were originally passed on by bards, or professional poets, who made their living by singing folk tales and epic poems to audiences. While the details of the poem often shifted from one telling to the next, the most important elements of the story always remained the same.

DUDE, THAT’S EPIC! An epic is an extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes and written in a high style (with ennobled diction, for example). It is typically written in hexameter verse, especially dactylic hexameter, and it may have twelve books or twenty four books

DACTYLIC HEXAMETER The Odyssey was ORIGINALLY spoken in dactylic hexameter Hexameter = Six feet/12 syllables It is fair to say that dactylic hexameter defines epic. That is, it is impossible to conceive of an epic poem not composed in hexameters; and the hexameter rhythms, when heard, signal that the poem being recited is an epic of some sort.

DACTYLIC HEXAMETER (aka Heroic Hexameter) The word dactylos is Greek for "finger“ It has a rhythmic shape consisting of one long syllable, which represents the long bone, or phalanx, of the finger, plus two short syllables, which represent the two short phalanges. In other words, it is a stressed beat, followed by two unstressed beats (Sounds like: “dum diddy”) Ex: ELephant, MURmuring, MOCKingbird For the most part, English isn't a great language for dactylic hexameter and translators don't usually bother with it. When translators do work with meter, they tend to switch to the English's tried-and-true iambic pentameter

EXAMPLES OF EPICS

DUDE, THAT’S EPIC! The main character or protagonist is heroically larger than life, often the source and subject of legend or a national hero The deeds of the hero are presented without favoritism, revealing his failings as well as his virtues The action, often in battle, reveals the more-than-human strength of the heroes as they engage in acts of heroism and courage The setting covers several nations, the whole world, or even the universe The episodes, even though they may be fictional, provide an explanation for some of the circumstances or events in the history of a nation or people The gods and lesser divinities play an active role in the outcome of actions All of the various adventures form an organic whole, where each event relates in some way to the central theme

EPIC MACHINERY Poem begins with a statement of the theme ("Arms and the man I sing") Invocation to the muse or other deity ("Sing, goddess, of the wrath of Achilles") Story begins in medias res (in the middle of things) Catalogs (of participants on each side, ships, sacrifices) Histories and descriptions of significant items (who made a sword or shield, how it was decorated, who owned it from generation to generation) Epic simile (a long simile where the image becomes an object of art in its own right as well as serving to clarify the subject). Frequent use of epithets, which are words or phrases firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of a name ("Aeneas the true"; "rosy- fingered Dawn"; "tall-masted ship") Use of patronymics (calling son by father's name): “Odysseus‘s son" Long, formal speeches by important characters Journey to the underworld/”darker” location Use of the number three (attempts are made three times, etc.) Previous episodes in the story are later recounted

THE HERO’S JOURNEY Note: You do not have to copy this slide or the next. After looking at these two slides, ask the sub for the Hero’s Journey worksheet. Joseph Campbell, an American psychologist and mythological researcher, wrote a famous book entitled The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In his lifelong research, Campbell discovered many common patterns running through hero myths and stories from around the world. “The monomyth” is what he calls the common structure that almost every hero-quest goes through

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

YOUR TURN! Think of a movie that tracks the “hero’s journey.” Record the elements on a piece of computer paper..