Introduction to The Odyssey by Homer

Myth• A traditional, typically ancient story, dealing with

supernatural beings, heroes, and ancestors.– Myths are stories that shape the psychology, customs, or

ideals of society

The Traditional Epic

• The Epic Hero is superhuman – braver and stronger than ordinary people

• There is some all-knowing or wise person who helps the protagonist (hero)

• The story starts in the middle of the action in medias res and earlier events are introduced later on

Epics

The Traditional Epic (continued)

• The setting is vast in scope – sometimes worldwide and even beyond

• The hero is on a quest for something of great value to him or his people

• The action of the epic involves heroic deeds and battle, often including a long journey or war

Epics

The Traditional Epic (continued)• The villains that try to keep the hero

from his quest are uglier, more evil and more cunning than anything in ordinary life

• The gods or other supernatural beings take an active role in the story– This means that they intervene and

interact with the human characters

Epics

Archetype

– An image, pattern, or character type that occurs frequently

– Found in current movies, books and songs

– Recognizable in many times and cultures

The Epic Hero

The Epic Hero• Great stature –

larger than life• Possesses the

character traits most valued by society (i.e. determination, courage, wit, wisdom)

The Epic Hero (continued)• Pursues his goal in the face of many

setbacks• Has human traits and failings that make

him seem like a real person (i.e. too curious, foolish, angry)

Epithets• Brief descriptive

phrases• Characterizes a person

or thing• Sometimes set off by

commas• Used to help the person

delivering the poem & listener better remember details• Task: Create an epithet for your own name.

Consider what you like to do, who your parents are and what you are best known for.

• Examples:– Ms. Heath, the teacher of children– Blue-eyed Ms. Heath– Ms. Heath, sarcastic of wit and avid reader

Epithets (continued)• Examples of Epithets:– The Strategist, Odysseus– Odysseus, master mariner– Grey-eyed Athena–Muse, daughter of Zeus– The ocean, the winedark sea– Rosy-fingered dawn

TASK:• Create an epithet for your own

name. Consider what you like to do, who your parents are and what you are best known for.

• Examples:–Ms. Flanagan, the teacher of children– Blue-eyed Ms. Flanagan–Ms. Flanagan, brown of hair and tall of

stature

Epic Similes

• Also known as the Homeric Simile• Uses like or as• Comparison between two things• An elaborate version of a regular

simile

Epic Similes (continued)• Homer uses these similes for

emphasis• Example: “Athena prevented an

arrow from striking Menelaus. She brushed it away from her skin as lightly as when a mother brushes a fly away from her child who is lying in sweet sleep.”–What two things are being compared?

Epic Similes (continued)• Example: “And Odysseus let the

bright molten tears run down his cheeks, weeping the way a wife mourns for her lord on the lost field where he has gone down fighting.” – Book 8–What two things are being compared?

Foreshadowing• When the story hints at something

that could happen but the reader or audience doesn’t know for sure

• In the Odyssey:– Circe’s warnings about the sirens,

Scylla and Charibdys and the cattle of HeliosCheck out the foreshadowing in this scene from Batman Begins! -

Dramatic Irony• When the reader or audience knows

something that the characters don’t• In the Odyssey:–We know in Part I that Odysseus’s men

will all die

Check out the dramatic irony in this scene from The Dark Knight!-