An analysis of the plot, characters, literary devices, poetry and more

 Though no one really knows who Homer was, he is credited as the author of both The Iliad and The Odyssey.  He is said to have been a blind poet who lived near the eastern Aegean sea.  It is also commonly accepted that both The Iliad and The Odyssey were sung by bards (poets) until he wrote them down.  Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad are considered to be the basis of Greek and Roman Education.

 Before “The Odyssey”, Homer wrote “The Iliad” which told the story of the Trojan War. The character Odysseus left his home to fight in the war.  The Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta.  "The Iliad" relates a part of the last year of the siege of Troy.  It contains the morals and values Greek society held in war.

 The Odyssey is an Epic poem composed between 700 b. c. and 1000 b. c. It tells the story of Odysseus and his journey home from the Trojan War.  The Odyssey is seen as a metaphor for living one’s life.  It contains the morals, themes and values of the Greek society, adventure, hardship, and life.

 Composed in elevated language, the meter is “dactylic Hexameter” The ideal dactylic hexameter consists of six ( hexa ) metrons or feet called dactyls ( fingers ). Each dactyl consists of three syllables, the first long, the other two short.  The last foot is not a real dactyl, as it only consists of two syllables  - U | - U | - U | - U | - u u | - -  Down in a | deep dark | hole sat an | old pig | munching a | bean stalk |

 AllusionEpic poetyr  AlliterationEpic hero  AssonanseEpic simile  Consonanceflashback  Hyperbolepoetic justice  MetaphorEpithets  Extended metaphorcatalogues and digressions  OnomatopoeiaHero  OxymoronEpic hero  ParadoxEpic invocation  PersonificationEpic conflict  SimileEpic war  SymbolEpic intervention of the gods  Pun

The Odyssey consists of 24 books within the epic poem, these are his adventures, in which he learns significant lessons: I. The Coast of Cicones II. The Lotus Eaters III. The Cyclops IV. Aeolus sends Odysseus off with a bag of wind V. Having wasted the wind, Aeolus casts them out calling them cursed by the gods. VI. Laestrygonians: the cannibals VII. Journey to the land of the dead to consult Tiresias VIII. The Sirens IX. Scylla and Charybdis X. The Cattle of the Sun God

I. The return of Odysseus II. Argus III. The Suitors IV. Penelope V. The Challenge VI. Odysseus’ revenge VII. Penelope’s test VIII. The ending

 The Thematic Structure of Odysseus' Wanderings (in progress)  Troy  war  Ciconia, rounds Malea  war  Lotus Eaters  memory  1  Cyclops  cannabalism, loss of civilization, kleos  2  Aeolus  storm, mutiny  3  Laestrygonians  cannabalism, monstrous female  4  Circe  controlling female, loss of humanity, divine warning  5  Hades  6  Circe  helpful female, divine warning  5  Sirens  memory  1  Scylla and Charybdis  loss of humanity, kleos  2  Cattle of Helius  storm, mutiny  3  Scylla and Charybdis  monstrous female  4  Calypso  controlling female, loss of humanity, divine warning  5  Scheria  helpful female. hyper-civilization  5, 2  Ithaca  war, controlling female