The Iliad and The Odyssey Homer The Iliad and The Odyssey

Little is known about the poet Little is known about the poet. The Greeks accredit the works, the Iliad and the Odyssey as his. The Greeks called him, “The Poet” or the “Ionian Bard” since he more than likely came from Ionia in the Eastern Mediterranean. Historically, both epics take place in the Bronze Age, an era 500 years before Homer’s time. These two epics were generated by the stories he inherited through oral tradition, and generations of Greeks had knowledge of the stories as seen through Homer’s eyes.

Background The Iliad was considered history; children in the 5th century BC memorized large sections of the poems. The fact that Homer’s epics were the first poems to be written down helps to explain their tremendous influence on the generations of Greeks. As Greek culture spread through the eastern Mediterranean and west to Italy, Homer’s epics formed a common text for a large part of the Western world. In later centuries, The Iliad and The Odyssey were the basis of Greek and Roman education.

EPIC An Epic is a long poem about the adventures of heroes. The epic’s central character, its epic hero, is a larger-than-life figure from history or legend. The hero undertakes a dangerous voyage, demonstrating traits such as courage, loyalty, and honor that are valued by the society in which the epic originates. Epic poetry is narrative poetry dealing with actions and heroes in an “elevated” (formal and flowery) style.

Terms Bard – a poet, composer, singer of epic or heroic verse. Muse – goddess Trojan – a native inhabitant of Troy Helen of Troy – wife of Menelaos, king of Sparta, cause of the Trojan War

Trojan War A ten year war between the Greeks (Achains) and the Trojans brought on by the abduction of Helen by Paris and ended with the destruction of Troy. “A Face That Launched a Thousand Ships” – a reference to Helen who was responsible for the Trojan War. She was so beautiful that a war erupted and thus responsible for ships from both sides to set sail and commence battle.

Achilleus’ Heel His mother, Thetis (sea goddess) dipped him into the river Styx, making him immortal everywhere except his heel, where she held him. Paris discovers this vulnerability and shoots a poisoned arrow into Achilleus’ heel. This phrase is now used to mean – one’s vulnerability.

Invocation and Muse Invocation – Homer begins the epic powerfully by stating a theme and invoking a muse. Muse – Omniscient goddess of poetry, art, music, and dance. From their all-knowing perspective, muses were thought to inspire the poet with the material he needed to recite his story.

In Medias Res In Medias Res – Latin for in the middle of things. Homer could begin his poems in medias res because the general outline of the story, characters, setting . . . Were already familiar to his audience.

Stock Epithets Noun-adjective combinations that describe an object or character in terms quickly in terms his audience will recognize. A characterizing word or words. The repetition of familiar expressions also helped the audience to follow the narrative. Examples: “swift-footed Achilles” “ wine dark sea”

The Epic Poem The singers who spread the tale before it was written down were highly skilled poets. Each would change the tale slightly, embellishing certain parts to create his own dramatic effects and style. To receive the most out of a story told in verse, ignore the line breaks and read in sentences. Although the line breaks reveal the structure of the verse, they may make it harder to follow the meaning. Let the words flow to you in complete sentences.

The Wooden Horse Trick The siege of Troy finally ended when the Greeks pretended t depart, leaving a giant wooden horse behind. Thinking they had won the war, the Trojans dragged the horse inside the walls of their city. That night, Greek warriors who had hidden within the hollow horse crept out and opened the city gates to their waiting comrades, who then conquered the city.

THE ODYSSEY Odysseus is the hero. Heroes in Homer’s day were thought of as a special class of people—somewhere between gods and human beings. It is an epic poem dealing with the adventures of Odysseus after the fall of Troy told in 24 books. As the story begins it has been ten years since Troy feel ending the Trojan War, but Odysseus has not yet returned home.

The Epic The action of the story covers no more than a 6 week period, through 10 years of adventures. Odysseus wanders through the world undergoing an unbelievable series of adventures and torments caused by Poseidon. In his absence, the noblemen of Ithaka and beyond are trying to win the hand of Penelope, Odysseus’ wife. As Odysseus’ son, Telemakhos, grows up, he tries to learn if his father is still alive and he begins to mature.

Odysseus Odysseus has a special relationship with Athena, but has offended Poseidon. Odysseus is known as much for his brain as his brawn. He did not want to fight a war being fought over an unfaithful woman. He was the solider who thought of the Wooden Horse Trick. The epic opens with the help of a muse. Athena is on Mt. Olympos pleading with Zeus to free Odysseus from Kalypso’s island and allow this hero to return home.