1. Greek Mythology Trojan War Background Information

2. Wedding on Mount Olympus  Discord not invited - revenge - golden apple - “for the most beautiful”  Athena, Hera, Aphrodite fought

3. Zeus says Paris will choose  Hera offered power, riches  Athena offered glory in war  Aphrodite offered the fairest woman

4. Paris chose Aphrodite Problem: The most beautiful mortal— Helen—is already married! “The face that launched a thousand ships”

5. What was the Trojan War? Greeks King Menelaus  Helen’s husband King Agamemnon  Menelaus’ brother Achilles  fierce warrior Odysseus  wise tactician (skilled in tactics) Trojans Prince Paris  Helen’s lover Prince Hector  Paris’ brother King Priam  Paris & Hector’s father Fought over Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world

6. Who won the war? How?  Greeks built large wooden horse  Hid their ships  Trojans thought Greeks went home and horse was a gift  Trojans brought horse into the city and celebrated  At night, men hiding inside horse climbed out and destroyed Troy

7. Homer’s The Odyssey The story of how Odysseus returned home after the Trojan War. The first epic. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Lion King, The Matrix, Ender’s Game, Harry Potter etc...are all epics.

8. Who was Homer?  blind Greek poet  wandered from town to town  entertained with poems  lived in 700 BCE --OR--  several people who wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey?

9. Who was Odysseus?  King of Ithaca  Husband of Penelope  Father of Telemachus  Clever, witty, convincing  Wanders on long journey home for ten years after Trojan War

10. Why is Odysseus important?  Hero of The Odyssey  One of few epic heroes :

11. What is an epic hero?  Seem larger than life  Descended from or favored by gods  Participate in journey or quest where his worthiness is tested  He encounters woman who hinder his progress.  Interacts with mythical beings and has human and animal helpers/companions  Hero reaches a low point where he gives up or is apparently defeated, but is followed by a resurrection.  Embody beliefs of their culture  Are smarter, stronger, braver, etc.  Possess human weakness usually hubris: arrogance or pride

12. What is an epic ?  Long, narrative poem written in an elevated style  Contains: Adventure Central, heroic figure Vast setting (covers lots of distance/nations) Hero is required to perform deeds of superhuman courage. Supernatural forces (gods)

13. What is an epic?  Usually begins in medias res. Latin for “in the middle of things” Skips over the exposition  Invokes the gods, sometimes by praying to a muse poet prays the god will help him tell the story

14. What is an epic?  Uses epithets (descriptive word added to a name) to characterize or describe people or things “wise wanderer Odysseus” “bright-eyed Athena” “rosy-fingered dawn”  Uses heavy repetition