1. Ms. Teter English 1 April 10th, 2017
Intro to The Odyssey

2. Meet Homer (ca. 800 b.c.) Legendary Poet of The Iliad and The Odyssey
Stories of heroes, gods, and monsters while exploring themes of fate and destiny
Captured reader’s imagination for ~3,000 years

3. Homer cont.
Did he exist?
Scholars disagree whether he really wrote them
Born in western Asia minor and was blind (?!)
Scholars believe they are the result of oral poetic composition
Masterpieces
Homer’s stories have been used for many Hollywood movies, including Troy

4. History of the Trojan War
Bronze Age (Helladic Era) – 2800 BC till 1050 BC
Conflict between Troy (now western Turkey) and Mycenaean Greece
War began after abduction/elopement of Queen Helen of Sparta by Trojan prince Paris

5. Judgement of Paris
Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera asked Zeus to decide who deserved the golden apple “For the Fairest**”
Zeus declined and stated that Paris of Troy would decide
The three sought Paris out, however, Aphrodite promised him a woman in her likeness as a reward for giving her the apple
Helen chose to marry Menelaus, King of Sparta
Menelaus’ brother was Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, most powerful of all of Greece
**Fairest= most beautiful

6. Trojan War cont. Paris never forgot Aphrodite’s promise
As Paris entered the palace in Sparta, Eros shot an arrow of love into her heart
She ran away to Troy, who welcomed her, with Paris
Menelaus and Helen’s old suitors*, bound by oath, set sail to fetch Helen back
**Suitor= a man who pursues a woman in hopes of marriage
**Oath= a binding contract/promise

7. Trojan War cont.
Troy was difficult to conquer due to their high walls built by Poseidon and Apollo
War lasted 10 years
Trojan Prince, Hector, was killed
Achilles, Paris, Patroclus, and Ajax also died
Achilles dragging Hector’s body

8. The end of the Trojan War
Odysseus (Ulysses-Roman name) planned the Trojan Horse which helped to end the war
Afterwards, the Greeks made their own way home
The Odyssey is the epic of Odysseus’ journey home