1. Creative Writing IV Classical Antiquity
Homer & The Trojan War
Creative Writing IV
Classical Antiquity

2. What is Classical Antiquity?
a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome
Lasted between 8th centuries BC to the rise of Neo-Classicism in 7th centuries AD
The largest time span to tell the history of the beginning

3. Homer
Not much is known about him personally other than said to have been blind and lived in Ionia (present day Turkey)
Created two of the most well known epic poems, The Illiad & The Odyssey
Some believe he id not write them due to different sytles

4. Some Features of Homer’s Style
Special formulaic language of the aoidos (oral epic poet) such as fixed and recurring epithets (a metaphor that glorified a name) and type scenes
Exaggerated, leisurely pace of story-telling
Dislike of suspense
Fondness for lists (genealogies, catalogues), may derive from an oral way of organizing information
Similes - far more common in The Iliad than The Odyssey; a way of stopping the action, commenting on it, enriching or judging it.

5. Homeric Similes

6. Motif Any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story.
Homer use them in an interesting way so make note of it when it happens.

7. The Iliad The Iliad starts nine years into the Trojan War
The Trojan War took place in Troy which is in the northwest corner of what we now call the Republic of Turkey

8. Peleus and Thetis’ Wedding
Peleus was a mortal man.
Thetis was a sea nymph and the daughter of Zeus.
Peleus had been on many adventures and had already been married, but things went sour when he accidentally killed his father-in-law.
He saw Thetis, fell in love with her, and tried to kidnap her.
She managed to fight him off with a snake until he eventually won her over.

9. Peleus and Thetis’ Wedding
With Zeus’ consent, all the famous mortals, gods, and goddess attended
Eris, the goddess of strife was not invited & therefore insulted

10. A Golden Apple Eris tossed a golden apple onto the dance floor.
To the fairest
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Eris tossed a golden apple onto the dance floor.
On the apple were the words, “To the fairest.”
The golden apple was a serious party killer. Who was the most beautiful?

11. Who is the fairest of them all?
The competition was between:
Athena – Zeus’ daughter and a real daddy’s girl
Hera – Zeus’ wife and Queen of the Gods
Aphrodite – The Goddess of Love
They asked Zeus, as the King of the Gods, to award the prize

12. The Judgment of Paris
Zeus gave the task to Paris, son of Priam, the King of Troy.
Zeus knew that Troy was fated to be destroyed because of Apollo and Poseidon (They tried to over through Zeus).
Paris was the “torch to set the whole city on fire.”

13. Paris’ Ill-fated Choice
Athena offered him victory in war
Hera offered him power over nations
Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world
What would you choose?
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14. Helen of Troy Paris accepted Aphrodite’s offer
He then learned that the most beautiful girl in the world was ALREADY MARRIED
She was Helen, daughter of Leda and Zeus
She was married to Menelaus, king of Sparta
Paris decided to visit Menelaus under false pretenses then basically kidnapped Helen.

15. Troy in Trouble
When Menelaus discovered that his wife was kidnapped, he ran to his brother Agamemnon who agreed to get help wage war to get Helen back
Helen is known as the “face that launched a thousand ships”
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16. Clever Odysseus!
Odysseus tried to get out of joining Agamemnon and Menelaus in their fight for Helen by pretending to be crazy.
Thetis (whose wedding started all this) tried to get her son Achilles out of fighting as well but he still ended up fighting...and so The Iliad Begins
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