1. The Odyssey Copyright  Polly Hoover
HOMER
The Odyssey
Copyright  Polly Hoover

2. Trojan War Background story to The Odyssey Ten years of fighting
Historical
Archaeological evidence

3. Trojan War Mythological: Judgment of Paris
Who is the most beautiful woman?
Aphrodite, prize is Helen

4. Contestants Greeks Trojans Odysseus Achilles Menelaus
Poseidon (until when?)
Athena (why?)
Trojans
Paris
Laocoon
Hector

5. Who wins?
How do we know this?

6. HOMER
A series of poets who each composes orally an entirely different version of the story
Similar to a hip hop DJ, such as Common
Traditionally a blind author of The Iliad & The Odyssey
A bard

7. The Odyssey Odysseus returns home Constructs self through narrative
The encounter with Nausicaa
The meeting with Polyphemus

8. Nausicaa Episode Beauty and Beast or Frog Prince folktale motif
Appropriate host-stranger gift exchange
Non-Greeks (Phoenicians) act like Greeks
Who are you? At end of encounter

9. Polyphemus Encounter Reason for Poseidon’s rage
Transgressive god and human exchange
Inappropriate host-stranger exchange
Greek (son of Poseidon) acts like non-Greek
Who are you? At beginning of encounter

10. Narrative Conventions
Embedded narratives
Folklore motifs
Suspense
Unreliable narrator
Who speaks/who sees?

11. Questions? What are some of the characteristics of Polyphemus?
What are human and inhuman characteristics about Polyphemus?
How are the gods and goddesses represented in The Odyssey? How does this compare with your own conception of divinity/God?

12. More Questions? Is this a good story? Why or why not?
Do you anticipate or know the ending of this story?
Is Odysseus responsible for the trouble he gets into during this episode?
Is Odysseus a hero? Why or why not?