Homer’s The Odyssey

1. Background Information on Homer’s The Odyssey

2. The Odyssey is an epic. • An EPIC is a long poem that is usually passed down by word of mouth before it gets put in writing. • An EPIC follows a HERO on some type of journey.

3. The Odyssey is an epic. • You have probably watched, or at least have heard of, Star Wars. This is an example of an epic in movie form.

4. The Odyssey is an epic. • The Odyssey tells the story of a king named Odysseus during the ten years it takes him to travel home from the Trojan War.

5. The Trojan War • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_36-H0-Vsps

6. The Trojan War • The events of the Trojan War are often referenced in popular culture (other books, TV, movies, music, etc.) • Where have you heard this story before?

7. The Trojan War

8. The Trojan War • The story as we know it goes like this… • The Trojan War began sometime between 1300 and 1100 BCE after Queen Helen of Sparta was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris. • Helen’s husband had over 1000 ships full of men invade Troy to get Helen back. • One of these men included the Greek hero Odysseus.

9. The Trojan War • The war lasted over ten years. • The last battle occurred after the Greeks left a large wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. • Greek soldiers were hiding in the horse, and they snuck out and attacked at night. • This attack was led by Odysseus.

10. The Trojan War • Trojan Horse

11. The Trojan War • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbiR6IMf5KQ

12. Trojan War Epics • Two epics, both written by Homer, depict the Trojan War • The Iliad = takes place towards the end of the war • The Odyssey = takes place in the years following the war as Odysseus returns to his home in Ithaca • The Odyssey is the sequel to The Iliad.

13. Homer • Not much is known about Homer, and some people wonder if he ever existed at all • He was probably born between the 12th and 8th centuries BCE, and lived in Greece • No exact date of birth is known because Greece did not really keep track of dates until the first Olympic Games in 776 BCE • It is also thought that Homer may have been blind

14. Homer

15. What to look for when you read • The Odyssey was originally written as a poem, but the version we read in class will be in prose • Prose = the text reads like a story, with paragraphs instead of lines and stanzas

16. What to look for when you read • What heroic traits does Odysseys have? • Are they the same traits or different from the ones Atticus Finch possesses?

17. What to look for when you read • What is Homer trying to teach his readers about morality (right vs. wrong)?