1. The Iliad An Epic Poem

2. Epic Poem An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. Characters of high position form an organic whole through their adventures, their relation to a central heroic figure, and their development of episodes important to the history of a nation or race.

3. Main Characteristics Opens in medias res (in the middle of things) Has a vast setting, which covers many nations, the world or the universe. Begins with an invocation to a muse Starts with a statement of the theme. Includes long catalogues (lists) of things like ships or booty Is written in verse Dactylic hexameter

4. Main Characteristics Uses epithets descriptive term (word or phrase) accompanying, or occurring in place of, a name, and having entered common usage. Pelides, signifying the "son of Peleus", to identify Achilles “her fingers of pink light” = dawn “winedark” = sea Features long and formal speeches. Shows divine intervention on human affairs. Contains “star" heroes who embody the values of the civilization. Highlights heroic characters bound by a code of honor.

5. Prominent Epic Poems Greek The Iliad about the role of Achilles in the Trojan War The Odyssey about the misadventures of Odysseus trying to return from the Trojan War and the shenanigans of the suitors trying to usurp his place back in Ithaca Latin The Aeneid about the travels of the Trojan prince Aeneas on his way from the Trojan War to Italy where he founds a new home for the future Romans

6. Epic Hero Participates in a cyclical journey or quest Faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey Returns home significantly transformed by his journey. Illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society from which the epic originates. Depicts recurring characters in the legends of their native culture.

7. Epic Heroes The Iliad the Greek Achilles The Odyssey the Greek Odysseus The Aeneid the Trojan Aeneas

8. The Stories The Iliad and The Odyssey Tells the different parts of a single story A Greek military expedition to the distant city of Troy A war with the Trojans The return of the heroes to their cities and kingdoms Both divided into 24 books Each book corresponds to the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet

9. The Iliad Author Homer No one really knows for certain who wrote the poem Blind Probably written in the eighth century B.C. when alphabetic writing was introduced to Greece Stories handed down orally before then Events described in the story took place in the 13th century B.C. or approximately 500 years before the story was written down.

10. The Iliad Narrator The poet declares himself to be the medium through which one or many of the Muses speak Point of view Third person omniscient Themes The interaction between fate and free will Pride as a source of greatness and ruin The pursuit of glory as a legacy The glory of battle and the horror of war

11. The Iliad Most famous account of the Trojan War Means “Tale of Ilios” or “Tale of Troy” Based on a body of mythic stories known as “The Judgment of Paris”

12. “The Judgment of Paris” Begins with the wedding between Peleus and Thetis Eris, goddess of discord, rolls a golden apple inscribed with the words “For the Fairest” Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all claim the apple. Zeus chooses Paris, the most handsome prince of Troy, to decide who deserves the title. All out she-war to gain title as the goddesses bribe Paris for the honor

13. “The Judgment of Paris” Paris chooses Aphrodite She promised him the most beautiful woman in the world in return Helen, wife of Menelaus Paris falls in love with Helen and takes her and other treasures back to Troy. Agamemnon, Menelaus’ brother, and other Greek kings seek revenge. Revengers cannot sail to Troy because there is no wind.

14. “The Judgment of Paris” A seer convinces Agamemnon to sacrifice his youngest daughter as a means of restoring the winds Revengers reach Troy but are unable to secure the return of Helen and the stolen treasures War begins. The Iliad begins.

15. The Iliad Trojan War is in its 10 th year. Action of the war A quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles The death of Achilles’ close friend Petroclus The death of Hector, the Trojans’ greatest warrior.

16. Between the Two Epics Achilles is poisoned by an arrow. When Priam’s son, Helenus, is captured, he tells the Greeks that Troy will fall only when Philoctetes renters the war with Achilles’ son, Neoptolemus Odysseus and Neoptolemus lures Philoctetes to Troy, where he kills Paris with Herakles’ bow. The actions still do not destroy Troy. Odysseus and Diomedes sneak into Troy and steal the sacred statue of Athena, believed to be the source of Troy’s strength

17. Between the Two Epics Troy still does not fall. Finally, the Greeks resort to deception. They build a large, hollow wooden horse The belly is filled with Achaeans (Greeks). When Odysseus and the others sail away, the curious Trojans come out of the city and find Sinon, a lone Greek soldier, and the horse. Sinon relays the he has been abandoned and that the Greeks have left the horse as atonement for stealing the statue. Greeks drag horse inside the city walls.

18. Between the Two Epics In the middle of the night, the Achaeans emerge from the horse and call their compatriots back from a nearby island. The Greeks then ransack and burn Troy. The prizes Menelaus gets Helen. Agamemnon gets Priam’s daughter, Cassandra Odysseus gets Hecuba, Priam’s wife Neoptolemus gets Andromache, Hector’s wife Odysseus, who angered three gods, spends 10 years making his way back to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus

19. The Odyssey Finally Odysseus returns to Ithaca after the Trojan War He has been gone 20 years. Series of episodes of Odysseus’s protracted homeward voyage, which are divided into three songs. 1 – Telemachus, who is old enough to be king, must undergo rites of passage before assuming that role. 2 – Odysseus’s adventures on his return trip. 3 – Odysseus and Penelope reunite, and Odysseus disposes of her suitors.