The Odyssey Background

Information Notes ~Ms. Manus~

Author: Homer

• authorship of The Odyssey (and The Iliad) is not known for sure

• epic poems were passed down through an oral tradition and Homer attached to the poems

The Odyssey • story of Odysseus, the cleverest of the Achaeans, who have just defeated the Trojans in the ten-year siege of Troy

• Odysseus endures a voyage filled with monsters, meddling gods, and other obstacles that lengthen his journey home to ten years

The Odyssey story cont.

• Tells of his voyage and his experiences along the way, and the story of Penelope, his wife, who is faithfully waiting at home for him

• The Odyssey tells what happened to the Greeks as they returned home.

Penelope

• She is under great pressure to re-marry

• Has numerous suitors that are staying at her house, depleting her wine and food sources

• Her son, Telemakhos is too young to stop them

The Odyssey is…..

• one of hospitality and human kindness towards others

• But it is also an exploration of story-telling through Odysseus and others in the story that demonstrate the very kind of oral storytelling that has allowed The Odyssey to survive so many centuries.

Trojan War • In the tenth year, the

Greeks tricked the enemy into bringing a colossal wooden horse within the walls of Troy.

• The Trojans had no idea that Greek soldiers were hidden inside, under the command of Odysseus.

• That night they emerged and opened the city gates to the Greek army. Troy was destroyed!.

Trojan Horse

• Replica of the Trojan horse

• Brought the Trojan War to a brutal end at about 1184 B.C.

Adventure

• Now it was time for Odysseus and the other Greeks to return to their kingdoms across the sea.

• Begins the tale of the Odyssey.

What is an epic? BASED ON WESTERN EPIC

1. Long narrative poem on serious subject

2. Told in formal, elevated style

3. Centers on heroic or quasi-divine figures on whose action depend the fate of a group, a nation, and/or humankind

4. Action is heroic deeds in battle, long, arduous journeys, or quests

5. Gods and other supernatural beings take an interest and an active role in human affairs.

What is A Myth?

• A myth is a story. • A myth is often a story of gods and goddesses,

heroes, great deeds, and supernatural powers. • It may explain things that are mysterious or

unknowable to us • In ancient times, myths sometimes explained

things that we now understand through science, ex. like the movement of the stars and

planets and the changing of the seasons. 

Who wrote the myths?Ancient Greek myths evolved over hundreds of

years.

-At first the stories were simply told by one person to another (Oral tradition).

-Details changed with each telling and the stories passed through many generations this way.

-Eventually, some of the myths were written down.

-Many of the Greek myths that we know today were first recorded by the poets Homer and Hesiod in the 8th century BC.  

What were the gods like? • The most powerful Greek

gods lived high atop Mt. Olympus.

• They looked and acted much like humans, but they were more powerful, beautiful, and far more gifted.

• The gods also had human feelings and emotions, like love, anger, and jealousy.

• They married, had children, fought with each other, and generally acted like the Greek people they ruled. 

• For example Aphrodite was the goddess of love, Dionysus was the god of wine, and Zeus was the king of the gods.  – Each god had a special

area of influence.• such as love, war,

hunting, music, or agriculture.

***Many of the best-known gods had temples dedicated to them. People thought that the gods would treat them well if they brought offerings of grain or animals to these temples.

Mt. Olympia

• drawing of Olympia• Not a city; Olympia

was merely a sacred area dedicated to Zeus, the supreme deity in the Greek pantheon.

Answer the following questions:

Why do societies create heroes? What values do we expect our heroes to represent? What values did the Greeks expect their heroes to represent? How does the idea of the "tragic flaw" change the way we look at our heroes? Do we look for tragic flaws today?