The document provides background information on Homer and his epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. It discusses that Homer is credited with writing the two most famous Greek epics around 850 BC, which were passed down orally. The Iliad tells of the Trojan War, while The Odyssey follows Odysseus' 10-year journey home after the war. It describes the setting of Ithaca before Odysseus left for war and the problems that arose during his long absence, with suitors overrunning his palace and threatening his wife and son.

1. The Odyssey
An Introduction (of Epic
Proportions)

2. Homer, the Poet
• Credited with writing
the two most famous
epics of all time: the
Illiad and the
Odyssey.
• Stories passed down
orally during the
Homeric Age.
• Poetic form & rhyme–
easy for story-teller to
remember.

3. Who Was Homer?:
• True identity is unknown
• Likely a bard or rhapsode
• Could have been a
combination of many
men?
• Lived around 850 B.C.
• Blind: Many people
believed romantically that
performers were blind.
• homeros = blind
• Lived in Greece

4. Did Homer Write the Odyssey?
• Some Believe He Did • Some Believe He Did Not
• The Greek alphabet • Because the Greek
originated in early 8th or alphabet did not originate
late 9th century BC. until early 8th or late 9th
• Homer could have been century BC, it is unlikely
one of the first authors to Homer would have
use the Greek alphabet to written down oral epic
write down oral epic poetry.
poetry. • Homer likely had a
literate scribe write down
his oral epic poetry.

5. Greek Story-Telling
• Homer passed his stories on via traveling
story-tellers called “rhapsodes”
• Sometimes stories were turned into plays
• Greek theater performed outside
• No actresses, only actors
• No scenery
• Actors wore masks and high platform
shoes– they moved very slowly

6. Greek Theater

7. Homer’s Two Epics
• The Illiad tells about a 10 year war fought
on the plains beyond the walls of Troy,
Greece
• War fought between the people of Troy
and an alliance of early Greek kings

8. The Illiad
• The war began when
Helen, the wife of
Greek king Menelaus
and the most beautiful
woman in the world,
ran off with Paris, the
prince of Troy.

9. The Illiad
• The 10-year battle
ended when
Odysseus, king of
Ithaca (a Greek
island), broke into the
walls of Troy with the
Trojan horse “gift.”
• Troy was burnt to the
ground & many were
killed

10. The Trojan War
• Was there ever a Trojan
War?
• There probably was a Trojan
War but was much different
from Homer’s depiction of it
in The Iliad
• Archaeological evidence
shows the War may have
taken place around 1220 BC
and that the city Homer calls
Troy was likely destroyed by
fire
• The Odyssey was likely
composed 500 years after
the War

11. Before The Odyssey
• Laertes, King of Ithaca
and a great fighter in his
youth, marries Anticlea.
• They purchase a slave
woman, Eurycleia
• Laertes and Anticlea
have a son.
• He is named Odysseus
by his grandfather
Autoclycis, and looked
after by Eurycleia

12. Before The Odyssey
• Odysseus is raised with his younger sister
Ctimene and another family slave Eumaeus.
• On a boar-hunt with Autoclycus’ sons, he is
badly wounded in the thigh
• Odysseus loves hunting, especially with his dog
Argus.
• When he is sent of a mission to Messene, he
meets Iphitus, son of Eurytus, who gives him a
special bow as a gift. Odysseus uses this in
Ithaca but takes it nowhere else.

13. Before The Odyssey
• Odysseus becomes the wise and gentle
king of Ithaca and marries Penelope,
daughter of Spartan King Icarius.
• He builds their bedroom and constructs a
bed around the base of an olive-tree.
• Odysseus does not want to join the Trojan
War, but he does so just after his son
Telemachus is born.

14. Before The Odyssey
• Odysseus and his wife Penelope had one
son, Telemachus, who was a toddler when
Odysseus was summoned to join the
kings
• Odysseus really didn’t want to go to war
so when the other kings came for him, he
pretended to be insane and not recognize
his visitors. He continued to plow his
fields.

15. Before The Odyssey
• Because Odysseus
ignored the other kings,
King Menelaus and
Agamenon threw
Telemachus in front of
the plow.
• Odysseus revealed his
sanity when he turned the
plow to avoid running
over his son.

16. Before The Odyssey
• As he leaves,
Odysseus tells
Penelope that if he
does not return, she
is to remarry when
Telemachus comes of
age.
• He leaves Mentor or
Laertes in charge of
the palace in Ithaca.

17. Odysseus & the Trojan Horse
• Odysseus originated idea of the Trojan horse
• His army built a large wooden horse and hid
Odysseus & members of his army inside.
• The Greeks offered it to the Trojans as a sign of
their surrender and the Trojans accepted the gift
and brought it inside the walls of their city.
• In the night, Odysseus and his men crept out,
unlocked the gates of the city, and the battle
began.

18. The Odyssey
• The Greek kings parted ways and went
home after their victory
• The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus’ 10-
year journey to return home to his family.
• He must use his heroic strength and guile
to outsmart monsters, gods, and women
and goddesses who try to seduce him

19. The Odyssey Background
• On Odysseus’s way home from war, Athena
arranged for storms to blow the Greeks
(Achaeans or Argives) off course as they
attempted to sail home from the war.
• Athena was outraged because a Greek warrior
Ajax had desecrated her temple by attempting to
rape Cassandra (daughter of last king of Troy) at
her temple.
• The Greeks did not punish the man who tried to
rape Cassandra at Athena’s shrine

20. The Odyssey Background
• Athena’s anger lead
to the Greeks’
wanderings off course
• However, Odysseus
was Athena’s favorite
Greek warrior, so she
does help him on his
way home

21. Before The Odyssey
• After conquering Troy, the Greeks depart for
home from Troy and various adventures befall
them.
• In particular, Nestor, King of Pylos, arrives home
safely and soon.
• The lesser Ajax is drowned, presumably for his
rape of Cassandra at Athena’s temple.
• Menelaus, husband of Helen, has adventures at
sea for eight years, especially in Egypt.

22. Before The Odyssey
• Agamemnon, leader of the expedition, arrives
home in Argos to be killed by Aegisthus, lover of
his wife Clymenstra;
• Agamemnon’s death is avenged by his son
Orestes eight years later;
• (Before the war Agamemnon had sacrificed his
daughter Iphigenia for a favorable wind to help
his sailors arrive in Troy.)
• Odysseus has one false start leaving Troy
before he eventually sets off

23. Odysseus’ Voyage

24. The Odyssey Background
• Because Odysseus is gone, his home is over-
run with over 100 suitors (men who want to
marry his wife).
• Penelope, his wife, and Telemachus, his 21-
year-old son, do not have the power to eject the
suitors from their home
• Telemachus, the heir to Odysseus, is constantly
in danger.
• Due to his young age and lack of power, he
cannot seek help from other Greeks; he cannot
eject the suitors from his home

25. The Setting of Ithaca
• Odysseus, the king of the island Ithaca
maintains control over Ithaca—even though he
is away for 20 years—because of his skills which
lead to his control.
• The city of Ithaca was based on power
• Odysseus is a great warrior, an excellent sailor,
the best carpenter, the best hunter, the finest
marksman, and the leading expert on caring for
farm animals. He is also extremely intelligent.

26. The Setting of Ithaca
• Ithaca has no coined money; wealth is
measured by livestock, household furnishings,
servants, slaves, and treasure.
• Slavery is encouraged in Ithaca; having slaves is
a symbol of power and wealth
• Piracy, war, raids on foreign cities, and the
capture of women are all accepted means of
increasing wealth
• The first thing Odysseus does after leaving Troy
is to sack Ismarus, take their goods and steal
their women.

27. The Odyssey Background
• In Ithaca, if
Telemachus tried to
assume his father’s
throne, he would
likely be overthrown
and killed
• If Penelope does not
soon choose a suitor,
a civil war may begin
on Ithaca.

28. The Odyssey Background
• If Penelope does
choose a suitor,
Telemachus’s life is in
danger unless he is
willing to give up his
claim to the throne
• Penelope may have
to choose a suitor to
save her family’s life
and Ithaca

29. Odysseus’s Journey Home
• (will be reveled in detail in The Odyssey in flash-
back)
• For 3 years Odysseus is blown around the
Mediterranean, experiencing adventures with the
Cicones, the Lotus Eaters, the Cylops
Polyphemus; Aeolus, the wind-god, giant
cannibals; the witch Circe; the underworld; the
Sirens; more monsters;
• Eventually he is swept ashore to the island of
Calypso where he spends 7 years. (It is at this
point where we first meet Odysseus.)

30. The Gods in The Odyssey
• To the ancient
Greeks, the gods
were real,
controlled
everything, &
interacted with
human affairs.

31. Athena
• Goddess of Wisdom
• Known as “the grey-eyed
goddess”
• Zeus’s first wife was Metis,
meaning Wisdom
• Zeus swallowed Metis
before she was to give birth
to Athena.
• He knew 2nd child would
dethrone him.
• Athena was born from her
father Zeus’s head
• Always at Odysseus’s side,
offering help and advice.
• She also helps Telemachus
on his journey.

32. Poseidon
• God of the Sea
• Odysseus’s enemy
• Known for his
arrogance and
brutishness
• Often seen with a
trident
• The father of the
Cyclops

33. Odysseus & the Gods
• Homer used both
Athena and Poseidon
as alter-egos for
Odysseus: good vs.
evil
• Odysseus is known
for his cleverness but
can also be stubborn
and arrogant.

34. Domestic Life in Ancient Greece
as seen in The Odyssey
• Real men cry. Crying is a natural
expression of emotion.
• Even royalty are expected to do chores.
• Parents are involved in arranging
marriages.
• Embracing someone’s knees shows
respect, humility, and petition.

35. Domestic Life in Ancient Greece
• Poets and poetry
were an important
part of ancient Greek
life for entertainment
& instruction.
• Gave gifts to guests
upon arrival and
departure.
• Strangers were
always welcome.

36. Themes in The Odyssey
• Hospitality as a serious and
important obligation in Greek
culture : always be polite to your guests;
however, this expectation prevents
Telemachus and Penelope from removing
the suitors from their home

37. Themes in The Odyssey
• The danger of hubris : hubris is excessive
pride that leads to destruction. Odysseus is
often guilty of hubris and Athena must rescue
him
• The importance of moderation : Giving in to
excess or temptation, whether food, drink, or
other pleasures, will cause a person harm. The
Sirens’ song leads to destruction and the suitors’
desires lead to their destruction.

38. Themes in The Odyssey
• The expected roles
for women and men
in Greek society : Men
are almost always
superior to women,
except in Sparta where
women have more rights.
• The role of fate :
Characters receive hints
as to their fate; however,
some choose to ignore
the foreshadowing

39. Themes in The Odyssey
• The similarities between Greek gods and
mortals : The gods have many of the same
negative traits as humans and often cause
destruction.
• Gods may choose to save one person and many
others will die as a result.
• The gods are given credit for all that is good,
they are sometimes blamed for bringing
destruction to mortals.
• Why do you think their gods are so similar to
humans?

40. Themes in The Odyssey
• Loyalty : Penelope is
expected to wait for
Odysseus, gone for more
than 20 years.
• Telemachus must stand
for his father, who he
does not even remember,
against the suitors.
• However, there are
characters who do not
remain loyal to Odysseus
and their fate is not good.

41. Themes in The Odyssey
• Perseverance : work
to survive in any
situation
• Vengeance : It is
acceptable to hurt or
kill those who are
disloyal. The end of
the epic shows what
happens to those who
defy Odysseus

42. Themes in The Odyssey
• Appearance vs.
Reality : Athena takes on
many different characters’
identities and even
animals’ when helping
Telemachus or
Odysseus.
• Athena can even change
others’ appearances for
reasons such as checking
on someone’s loyalty or
making a good
impression on a king.

43. Themes in The Odyssey
• Spiritual Growth :
Telemachus and
Odysseus both
experience struggles
which cause them to
mature spiritually by
the end of the epic.

44. Greek Monster Q & A
• What is the name of
the mortal woman
who could turn into a
dragon-like monster
with snakes for hair?
• A) Athena
• B) Medusa
• C) Scylla
MEDUSA

45. Greek Monster Q & A
• What is the name of
the giant who only
has one eye in the
middle of his
forehead?
• A) Cyclops
• B) Charybdis
• C) Circe
CYCLOP
S

46. Greek Monster Q & A
• What is the name of the sea
monster with four eyes, six
long necks with grisly heads,
each of which contained three
rows of sharp teeth. Her body
consisted of twelve tentacle-
like legs and a cat's tail and
with four to six dog-heads
ringing her waist.
• A) Charybdis
• B) Harpie
• C) Scylla
SCYLLA

47. Greek Monster Q & A
• What is the name of
the giant whirlpool
who sucked in and
burped out the waters
of the sea and
anything in his path?
• A) Siren
• B) Pandora
• C) Charybdis
CHARYBDIS

48. Greek Monster Q & A
• Who were the sea
goddesses and
seductresses who
had the heads of
women and the
bodies of birds?
• A) the Harpies
• B) the Sirens
• C) the Sphinx
The SIRENS

49. Greek Monster Q & A
• Who was the
sorceress who turned
people into hideous
beasts with human
brains?
• A) Circe
• B) Hera
• C) Artemis
CIRCE