1. Epics/Odyssey Homer Written in the 8th Century

2. Epics- (Left-hand section)
Notes on right-hand section
Epic: A long narrative poem that tells the tale of a society and its morals.
Epic Hero: The hero within the epic that must:
Go on a journey
Fight supernatural creatures
Posses and use a weapon only he or she can wield
Has an extra-ordinary ability (he is intelligent)

3. Epics Continued (Left-hand section)
Right-hand section:
Odysseus is the one archetype, next to Beowulf, that all heroes are based on. He is the ideal that most authors base their own heroes on.
The main characters and places are:
Odysseus- Hero Poseidon- Villian
King Alcinous- King of the Phaeacians
Phaeacia- Where the epic begins
Calypso, Circe, Cyclopes, etc- all the dangers and characters he meets

4. Odyssey –New left-hand section
New right-hand notes
The Odyssey starts “En Medias Res” or “In the middle.”
The story begins after the Trojan War and when Odysseys offends Poseidon about who actually won the war.
Poseidon then becomes enraged at Odysseus and tells him he will never see his home again.

5. Odyssey Continued- Left-hand section
Right-hand notes:
In part I, Odysseus and his men begin their travels and go to various islands and lands:
Calypso’s island- he washes ashore alone after all of his men parish
Circe’s island- a witch that casts a spell on his men that only he can break.
Cyclops island- he encounters Polyphemus, one of Poseidon’s sons.

6. Odyssey Continued Right-hand notes: Part I continued:
He then travels to the land of Hades, Tartarus, to seek the help of Tiresias, a blind prophet, in order to find his way home.
Part II:
Odysseus comes home to find his kingdom is overrun by suitors (who want to take over Ithaca). He must take back his home, complete a test, and then reunite with his wife.

7. Summary Activity
On the left hand side of your notes write down summary activity and then below it write down: What makes a great leader (qualities)? On the right-hand side answer this question with 100+/- words.
Start a new page of notes and make sure to follow the on- line directions for notes for Part I.