1. Homer
Blind poet credited with compiling stories and information about a great war around 1200 B.C.
First epic is called The Illiad –
10 year war fought outside the walls of Troy
War was fought over Helen, who left her Greek husband, Menelaus, to run off with Paris, a prince of Troy

2. Homer (continued) Second epic is The Odyssey
Story of Odysseus, a Greek soldier, as he tries to return home after the war
ALL EPIC POEMS IN THE WESTERN WORLD OWE SOMETHING TO THE PATTERNS ESTABLISHED IN HOMER’S POEMS

3. The Epic
Definition – long, narrative poem that tells of the adventures of a hero, who in some way, embodies the values of his or her civilization
Greeks used The Illiad and The Odyssey in schools to teach Greek virtues

4. Characteristics of an Epic
Physically impressive hero of national or historical importance
Vast setting – involving much of the physical world and sometimes the Land of the Dead
Quest or a journey searching for something of value

5. Characteristics of an Epic (cont’d)
Evidence of supernatural forces at work
Glorification of the hero at the end
Rooted in a specific culture and society

6. The Epic The Illiad serves as the model for the war epic
The Odyssey serves as the model for the epic of the long journey
theme found in
Literature: The Incredible Journey, Moby Dick, The Hobbit
Movies: The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, The Lion King, Forrest Gump

7. Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
In Homer’s time, heroes were placed in a category between the gods and ordinary people. Heroes were always confident and “on top of the world.”
Homer was different – he created a hero in trouble

8. Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
We can relate to Odysseus because:
We have to deal with unfair authority figures
We know the feeling of being lost in a world of difficult choices
We have to work hard to get what we want

9. Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
Odysseus had to deal with post-war disillusionment

10. Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
Odysseus married a strong woman, Penelope, before the war
Had a son, Telemachus, who was still a toddler when Odysseus was called up by Menelaus & Agamemnon to fight for Troy

11. Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
Odysseus did not want to leave home to fight a war over an unfaithful woman so:
He pretended to be insane when Menelaus and Agamemnon came for him. He dressed up as a peasant and began sowing the field with salt.
The kings were smart and threw Telemachus in front of the oncoming plow
Odysseus revealed his sanity by swerving the plow to avoid his son

12. Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
Odysseus is known more for his brain than his brawn
He is credited with thinking up the whole idea of the Trojan horse, which led to the victory of the Greeks

13. Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
Trojan horse
For 10 years, the Greeks couldn’t get inside Troy’s walls. Finally, they built a horse in which the soldiers hid.
They hid their boats and army camps and rolled the horse to the gate as a “peace offering.”
At night, the soldiers came out of the horse, opened Troy’s gates for the Greek army and took Troy by surprise.

14. The Search for One’s Place in Life
Theme that sets the tone and determines the unusual structure of The Odyssey
Odysseus and his family are people searching for the right relationships with one another and with the people around them.
They want to find their proper places in life.

15. The Search for One’s Place in Life
Unusual structure
The Odyssey does not start with Odysseus departing from Troy, but with Telemachus, Odysseus’ 20 year old son.
Telemachus is struggling with rude, aggressive suitors of him mom, who want to rob Telemachus of his inheritance.

16. The Search for One’s Place in Life
Unusual structure (continued)
Reader learns Odysseus is stranded on an island, trying to return to his son and wife. (It has been 10 years since Odysseus left Troy, so it’s been 20 years since he left home.)
Telemachus, meanwhile, is searching for his dad.
Odysseus is also searching for inner peace (midlife crisis)

17. Relationships with the gods
Myths – stories that use fantasy to express ideas about life that can’t be expressed realistically
Are essentially religious because they deal with relationships between humans and the spriritual realm

18. Relationships with the gods
Homer concerned with the relationship between humans and the gods.
Often portrayed gods as heroes’ alter egos – was a reflection of the hero’s best or worst quality
Examples:
Athena (goddess of wisdom) – Odysseus’ protector – Odysseus is wise
Poseidon (sea god – known for his arrogance and brutishness) – Odysseus’ adversary – Odysseus can be violent and cruel

19. How epics were told No written history in Homer’s time
Rhapsodes – “singers of tales” – historians and entertainers
Oral storytellers used formulas for remembering events like the arrival and greeting of guests, eating of meals, etc. This led to the repetition we find in epics.

20. How epics were told
Homeric similes – compare heroic or epic events to simple and easily understandable, everyday events
Their length can often be several lines

21. How epics were told
The Odyssey could not be told in one sitting (11,300 lines)
Rhapsodes would summarize some sections and sing the rest in detail in as many sittings as he had time for
This is how our version of The Odyssey is told

22. How epics were told
See page 884.