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Heroes Unit Homer's Odyssey

Heroes Unit Homer's Odyssey. Background. The Iliad and the Odyssey contain timeless portraits of several heroes, including Odysseus, king of Ithaca. The themes, characters, and plots are present in Western literature to this day. Trojan War Background.

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Heroes Unit Homer's Odyssey

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  1. Heroes Unit Homer's Odyssey

  2. Background • The Iliad and the Odyssey contain timeless portraits of several heroes, including Odysseus, king of Ithaca. • The themes, characters, and plots are present in Western literature to this day.

  3. Trojan War Background • The Trojan War began after Paris, prince of Troy, kidnapped Helen from the King of Sparta. • For ten years, Greeks and Trojans fought to avenge the kidnapping. • To break the stalemate, Odysseus, “the master strategist”, thought of a plan to deceive the Trojans into thinking the Greeks abandoned the war. • A giant wooden horse was built and left at the gates of Troy. • The Trojans brought the “peace offering” into the gates of Troy. • At night, the Greeks that were hiding in the horse emerged and conquered Troy.

  4. A Trojan War? • The Iliad and The Odyssey are based on an event that might have actually happened. • The Trojan War was a war between a number of Greek city states against the city of Troy. • For centuries, Troy was considered to by a myth fabricated and made famous by Homer. • In 1871, an archeologist discovered remains of nine ancient cities built on top of one another in northwest Turkey, near where The Iliad placed Troy. • It is widely believed that one of those cities may have been the site of the legendary Trojan War.

  5. The Epic • The epic is a long, narrative poem that tells about the adventures of a hero who reflects the ideals and values of a nation or race. • Although epics are based on legends, they contain some truth. • An epic portrays the past as a time supposedly better than the time in which we are living.

  6. Heroic Tradition • The Heroic Tradition set standards on the value of a man’s honor and the importance of honor. • Consider this: A king’s wife is kidnapped, and he starts a war to avenge this act. A great hero refuses to fight in this war because he too feels dishonored in a dispute over a woman. That hero’s dear friend borrows the hero’s armor and is killed in battle. Now the hero, full of anger, must avenge this death by killing the warrior who killed his dear friend in battle. Afterward, he must overcome his anger and return the body of his slain enemy to his enemy’s father (this is the honorable thing to do after killing the enemy). Peace must be made. Honor must be restored.

  7. The events you just heard make up the story of The Illiad, which takes place during the Trojan War. The hero is Achillies. • If these events sound familiar, you may have seen them in the 2004 movie, Troy, starring Brad Pitt as Achillies & Orlando Bloom.

  8. We will be studying:The Odyssey • The Odyssey begins where The Iliad leaves off. • Odysseus is a different type of hero. • Odysseus, also known as Ulysses, is the craftiest of all Greeks. He was the mastermind of the end of the war, using a trick horse full of soldiers. After the war, he longs to get home and see a bit of the world along the way. • His struggle to get home and maintain his honor along the way is the story of The Odyssey.

  9. EPIC HERO? • An epic hero is a larger-than-life figure, usually male, who embodies the ideals of a nation or race. • They take part in long dangerous adventures and accomplish great deeds that require courage and superhuman strength. • Keep in mind: Because they are human, they also display human faults.

  10. Characters We Will Meet • Calypso: A sea goddess who lives on the island of Ogygia. • Alcinious: The king of the Phaecians. • Laertes: Odysseus’ father. • Circe: A sea goddess who lives on the island of Aeaea. • Zeus: The chief of the Greek gods; father of Athena and Apollo.

  11. Characters (con’t) • Cicones: Trojan allies who live in Ismarus. • Lotus Eaters: Inhabitants of an island Odysseus visits. • Cyclopes: a race of one-eyed giants. • Apollo: The god of music, poetry, prophecy, and medicine. • Poseidon: The god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses; father of the Cyclops that battles Odysseus.

  12. Words to Know • Adversary: noun. Enemy • Appalled: adjective. horrified • Avenge: verb. To take revenge on behalf of. • Entreat: verb. To beg • Guile: noun. Skillful slyness; craftiness • Indifferent: adjective. Having no interest or concern • Ponderous: adjective. Bulky • Whim: noun. A sudden impulse or notion.

  13. Connecting to Your Life • Who is your favorite monster? • What science fiction or horror creature do you think is the scariest? • On a clean sheet of paper, write the monster’s name & make 3 columns: Physical Appearance, Actions, Attitudes. List the qualities of the monster. • Briefly explain why you think it is the best (or worst) monster ever created (in 3-5 sentences).

  14. Monsters We Will Meet • In Books 9-12 of The Odyssey, Odysseus runs into several types of monsters. • How he deals with them is what makes him a hero. • After we encounter each monster, we will list the characteristics of them and the heroic qualities Odysseus shows as he battles them.

  15. Notes Table

  16. INVOCATION • Evaluate lines 1-18; what qualities are described about Odysseus that might make him an epic hero?

  17. En Medias Res: In the middle of things • In the opening lines the poet (HOMER) calls upon the goddess of poetry (MUSE) to give him inspiration in telling the story of Odysseus. Almost every epic since The Odyssey begins with invoking the muses or a god of some sort. • During 7 of Odysseus’ 10 years at sea, he is held captive by Calypso. With Athena’s help Odysseus finally persuades Calypso to let him go, and she helps build a raft to leave her island. After Odysseus sails away, his raft is destroyed by violent storms. • Now alone, Odysseus washed up on the land of the Phaecians, where Alcinous is king. Alcinious gives a banquet in honor of Odysseus and asks him to reveal who he is and where he came from. Odysseus tells about all the adventures that brought him to this point.

  18. Internal and External Struggles • Most stories center on the experiences and actions of one or more main characters. • Other characters who interact with the main characters and help move the story along are called minor characters. • A conflict, or struggle, may be either external or internal. • External conflict: A character struggles against an outside force, such as: nature, a physical object, or another character. • Internal conflict: There is a struggle within the character’s own mind.

  19. Character Type • Characters are the people who take part in the action of the story. • Major Characters: the most important to the story. • Minor Characters: interact with the characters and help move the story along. • Dynamic Characters: those that undergo changes. • Static Characters: characters that remain the same.

  20. Character Type • Round Characters: They have many personality traits that are revealed by the author. We learn how they talk, think, and behave, and what motivates them. • Flat Characters: Simple characters do not have a lot of personality traits. They are simple & uncomplicated.

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