THE ODESSY WITH VIDEO CLIP

1. The Odyssey – Homer

2. A long time ago in a place far, far
away…
There was a man named Homer…

3. …and his epic called The Odyssey

4. An
Introduction
to Homer’s
The Odyssey

5. Homer
A Man of Mystery

6. Who was
HOMER?
Homer was a blind minstrel (he
told stories to entertain and to
make his living); audiences had to
listen carefully (this is “oral
tradition” so there was a lot of
repetition and improvisation used).

7. Other traveling poets (called
rhapsodes) memorized and
recited these epics in the
banquet halls of kings and
noble families.

8. •History is vague on Homer’s identity; some
say he is just a legend, others say that a
whole series of rhapsodes composed
various parts of the epics.
•The epics were not originally written. The
Greek alphabet didn’t appear until 725 BC.

9. Cultural Capital
common knowledge that a group of people
from the same culture shares.
Cultural Capital knowledge can come from:
• Literature
• Stories/History
• Religion
• Famous People
• Media

10. Why do we read The Odyssey?
• The Odyssey is part of our cultural
capital as Westerners.
• Birthplace of Western civilization
GreeceRomeEuropeAmerica
• Great adventure story!
• Has stood the test of time—it’s a classic!
• Follows the Hero’s Journey pattern!
• AND because it's part of our cultural capital
as Westerners.

11. GREEK VALUES
It is important to understand
some of the main Greek Values
of the time because
these values help explain
characters’ motivations.

12. Greek Values
(explains characters’ motivations)
Reciprocity
• Mutual exchange between
two people.
• You give to me, I give to you.
• You help me now, and I have
to help you later.

13. Greek Values
(explains characters’ motivations)
Hospitality
• Treat all guests with respect.
• Be nice first, ask questions later.
• A stranger could be a god in disguise!
Be our guest,
be our guest,
put our service
to the test. . .

14. Greek Values
(explains characters’ motivations)
Arete
• Greek idea of excellence, an ideal of
human perfection
• Intelligence (be smart and cunning)
• Strength
• Courage
• Duty

15. Greek Values
(explains characters’ motivations)
Religion
• Actions should please the gods.
• Fate is controlled by the gods.
• Humans need the gods (man, without
the gods, is nothing) [Odysseus’s
revelation].
• Humans should honor the gods
through sacrifices, asking gods for
help, and giving credit to the gods.

16. Epics and Heroes
What is Hubris?
Hubris is extreme arrogance or self-pride. Often in
Greek tragedies, hubris would be the fatal flaw of
the main character, often resulting in their downfall.
In Mythology, humans sometimes demonstrated
hubris, which angered the gods.
Tony Stark
(Iron Man)

17. MYTH AND EPIC
A myth is a story that uses fantasy to
express ideas about life not easily done in
realistic terms (it also stresses the
relationship of human beings to a higher,
spiritual realm).

18. The Epic

19. Characteristics of the Epic:
1. Long, narrative poem
2. Reflects the values of a nation or
culture.
3. Addresses universal concerns
4. Focuses on the adventures of a
historical or legendary hero.
5. The supernatural plays an
important role.

20. 6. The story is set in many locations.
7. The hero is against the odds –
strong and courageous.
8. The story is simple and written in
formal language.

21. EPICS
Things you will discover once you have
read an Epic
Classical Allusions – references to mythology
• Example – “She had the face that launched a thousand
ships.” This is a reference to Helen of Troy from The
Iliad.
• You will find these allusions in other literature, movies,
everyday conversations, and even in modern day
advertising.
• Examples – Percy Jackson series, Honda Odyssey van,
Venus razors, Good Year tires with Hermes wings.

22. Things you will discover once
you have read an Epic:
The Hero’s Journey Pattern
•Most epic heroes go on some sort of quest.
•Look for examples of the Separation, Transformation,
and Return.
•Be able to chart Odysseus’s Hero’s Journey through
the eight stages and apply the Hero’s Journey
concepts to his journey.
•How does Odysseus change?
EPICS

23. Conventions of
the Epic

24. Epithet
-a brief descriptive phrase
•characterizes a person, place, or thing
•gives the story-teller a “breather”
•helps with rhyming or meter
Examples
•rosy-fingered dawn
•gray-eyed Athena
•The blue-maned god who makes the islands tremble
•Son of Laertes and gods of old, master mariner and soldier

25. Epic Simile
compares epic events to
everyday events
Example – “…in one stride he clutched at my
companions and caught two in his hands like
squirming puppies to beat their brains out,
spattering the floor.”

26. In Medias Res
in the middle
•literary technique in which the plot
sequence is out of order; Latin for “in the
middle,” the story begins in the middle of
the action, flashes back to the beginning to
catch up, then skips to the end
Example – Forrest Gump

27. Homer’s Epics
(composed between 900 & 700 BC)
First there was…
The Iliad

28. The Iliad
•Primary model for the epic
of war
•Set in the tenth and final
year of the Trojan War
•Details Achilles’ role and
eventual end

29. After The Iliad
•Odysseus’s wooden horse trick.
•Greeks defeat the Trojans.
•Odysseus heads for home.

30. The Odyssey
Tales of Odysseus

31. The Travels of
Odysseus

32. The Odyssey
Primary model for the epic of
the long journey home

33. THE ODYSSEY
• Meaning – a long journey with many
adventures or a spiritual or intellectual
quest
• The word “odyssey” is derived from the
name Odysseus, the main character from
The Odyssey (he is also referred to as
Ulysses in classic literature)

34. The Odyssey
Involves three Sets of Characters
1. Greek Gods
2. humans
3. supernatural monsters and
creatures

35. Post War Trauma
• Long, exhausting, brutal war (10 years)
• Odysseus heads for home with nothing but
ships and his crew.

36. The Odyssey
A Story
told
in
Three
Stages

37. PART ONE
A story of what happens in Ithaca to
Odysseus’s wife (Penelope) and his son
(Telemachus) as they await his return.

38. PART TWO
A story of Odysseus’s wanderings after
the Trojan War (the war lasted 10 years
and his wanderings lasted another 10
years!)

39. PART THREE
A story of how Odysseus returns home to
Ithaca and joins forces with his son to
destroy his enemies.

40. Why does it take
Odysseus ten years
to get home?
Read and find out!

41. Meanwhile…there’s trouble at
home!
•In Ithaca, Odysseus is suspected
to be dead.
•Suitors have invaded the palace.
•Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, is in
an awkward position and must
trick the men into leaving her
alone.
•Telemachus, Odysseus’ son,
resents the imposing situation.
And so the epic begins…

54. Zeus
Zeus is the
supreme ruler
of Mount
Olympus and
of the gods
who reside
there.

55. Athena
Athena is the goddess of
wisdom, war, the arts,
industry, justice and skill.
She is also Zeus’s daughter.
She frequently helps
Odysseus, who was well-
known for his clever mind.

56. Hermes
the messenger of the
gods
In addition to being the god
of invention, commerce, and
cunning, Hermes is also
Zeus’s son.
Hermes helps Odysseus several times in The
Odyssey.

57. Some goddesses both help and hinder Odysseus
during his journey home.
Circe, a goddess and
enchantress will use her
magic to toy with
Odysseus.
The sea goddess Calypso
delays Odysseus’s return
home because of her desire for
companionship.

58. Poseidon
Odysseus’s excessive pride
angers Poseidon.
Poseidon is the god of the
sea, earthquakes, and
horses.
Poseidon is also the father
of the one-eyed cyclopes.

59. Helios/Apollo
As the god of the Sun, Helios
rides a chariot drawn by
horses through the sky,
bringing light to the earth.
Odysseus angers Helios
when his men ignore
Helios’s warnings.

60. The Heroic Story of Odysseus
• Odysseus longs to return home after ten years
of fighting in the Trojan War.
• He begins the trip home with 12 ships carrying
720 men.
• The gods and goddesses toy with Odysseus,
creating obstacles which delay his journey
home another ten years.
• Odysseus’s intelligence set him apart from
others.

61. The trip home from Troy
• Athena felt wronged after the war and
convinced Poseidon to make the Greek’s
trip home difficult.
• Storms blew ships in all different
directions
• Odysseus wouldn’t arrive home for
another 10 years.

62. Back in Ithaca
• In Ithaca, all assumed Odysseus dead
except his wife, Penelope and son,
Telemachus. Penelope was receiving
suitors at her door, but she stalled by
claiming to be weaving a burial shroud
for Odysseus’ father, Laertes, which had
to be done before she could marry. She
wove during the day and unwove it at
night until the suitors found her out.

63. Story within a Story
• The Odyssey has two plots: the main plot
is of Odysseus traveling from Calypso’s
island home to Ithaca.
• While Odysseus is traveling to Ithaca, he
stops at many places along the way telling
the story of where he has been as he goes.
This is the second plot, or the “story
within the story.”

64. Agamemnon
Menelaus
Achilles
Ajax

65. The role of gods
and goddesses in
Homer’s
The Odyssey

66. The Ancient Greeks believed
in many different gods and
goddesses. The Greeks
believed that these gods and
goddesses controlled
everything in their lives.
There was a god for many
aspects of life. It was
important to please the gods;
happy gods helped you, but
unhappy gods punished you.

67. The Greeks believed that the most
important gods and goddesses lived at the
top of Mount Olympus, the highest
mountain in northern Greece.

68. The gods were a family and, just like
a human family, they argued as well
as looked after each other.

69. During Odysseus’s
journey home, some
gods and goddesses
helped him.
Other gods and
goddesses attempted
to keep Odysseus
from returning home.