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2. For years Menelaus tried to assemble an army, but he was unsuccessful because Greece was not unified nation
The war lasted for ten years and The Iliad begins with the last year of the Trojan War

3. Achilles is the greatest warrior of Greece and Agamemnon is the leader of the Greeks
These two argue over Achilles love for a Trojan girl and Achilles withdraws from the war- without Achilles the Trojans have an advantage
It is not until one of Achilles friends are killed that he decides to return to war

4. The man responsible for the fall of Troy is Odysseus, who left his pregnant wife, Penelope, to fight in the war

5. He had a plan to build a huge wooden horse filled with warriors and leave it outside the gates of Troy
When the Trojans are off guard, the warriors climb out of the horse and defeat the Trojan army

6. Due to Odysseus being responsible for the destruction of Troy, the gods are angry. They are sympathetic to Troy and now he has a long and difficult journey home

7. This journey, which takes Odysseus ten years, is the story of The Odyssey

8. A brief descriptive phrase
Epithet
A brief descriptive phrase
Characterizes a person, place or thing
Gives story-teller a “breather”
Helps with rhyming or meter
Examples:
rosy-fingered dawn
gray-eyed Athena
The blue-maned god who makes the islands tremble
Son of Laertes and gods of old, master mariner and soldier
Ep a that [ep-uh-thet]

9. Compares epic events to everyday events
Homeric Simile
Compares epic events to everyday events
“…in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor.”

10. In Medias Res in the middle
In Medias Res: literary technique in which the plot sequence is out of order; Latin for “in the middle,” the story begins in the middle of the action, flashes back to the beginning to catch up, then skips to the end
Example: Forrest Gump
Odysseus' Timeline

11. (composed between 900 & 700 BC!)
Homer’s Epics
(composed between 900 & 700 BC!)
First there was…
The Iliad

12. The Iliad Primary model for the epic of war
Set in 10th and final year of the Trojan War
Achilles’ role and eventual end

13. After The Iliad (Aneid by Virgil)
Odysseus’ wooden horse trick
Greeks defeat the Trojans
Odysseus heads for home

14. The Odyssey
Tales of Odysseus

15. The Travels of Odysseus

16. The Odyssey
Primary model for the epic of the long journey home

17. THE ODYSSEY
Meaning: a long journey with many adventures or a spiritual or intellectual quest
The word “odyssey” derives from the name Odysseus, the main character from the Odyssey (he is also referred to as Ulysses in classic literature)

18. The Odyssey Involves 3 Sets of Characters:
The Greek GODS
Humans
Supernatural monsters and creatures

19. Post War Trauma Long, exhausting, brutal war (10 years)
Odysseus heads for home with
nothing but ships and crew

20. The Odyssey
A story
told in
3 stages

21. PART ONE
A story of what happens in Ithaca to Odysseus’ wife (Penelope) and son (Telemachus) as they await his return

22. PART TWO
A story of Odysseus’ wanderings after the Trojan War (the war lasted 10 years and his wanderings lasted another 10 years!)

23. PART THREE
A story of how Odysseus returns home to Ithaca and joins forces with his son to destroy his enemies

24. Why does it take Odysseus 10 years to get home?
Read and find out!

25. And so the epic begins… Meanwhile…there’s trouble at home!
In Ithaca, Odysseus is suspected to be dead
Suitors have invaded the palace
Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, is in an awkward position and must trick the men into leaving her alone
Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, resents the imposing situation
And so the epic begins…