The OdysseyAuthor and Background Information

Simple:

The Fate of a Nation. (Ithaka, to be precise)

What is at risk?

Witty

Strong and well built

Handsome and does quite well with the women.

Intelligent

Manages to get out of bad situations with his cleverness.

He appears superhuman, yet flawed.

Main Character: Odysseus

His wife, Penelope.

His son, Telemachus.

Suitors: This is a term for people who court or try to woo another.

Eurykleia, Odysseus and Telemakhos’ nurse

Supplemental Characters

Laertes, Odysseus’ father.

His Crew

Many others as he travels; keep track of who is who and who is connected/related to whom. It will save you lots of re-reading!

Supplemental Characters (cont.)

Akhaians or Danaans = the Greeks. You will hear Telemakhos call to them or

criticize them. It is just another name of the Greeks to distinguish them from the Trojans.

Other Important Background Info

This takes place in Greece and throughout the Mediterranean world.

Time estimates for this journey are variedMost scholars place the story telling to be

over 3,000 years old.Talk about writing a 3,000-year-best-seller!

Phew!

Setting

Epic poet begins in the middle of the action – “in-

medias res”

Tells significant prior events through flashback

Begins with an invocation to the muses (Calliope is

muse of epic poetry)

Each line is the same poetic meter (dactylic

hexameter!)

Epic: a long narrative poem on a serious subject

In-media res

Invocation of the muses

Poetic meter

Flashbacks and repetition

Epic Poetry

Some things you are familiar with:

• similes and metaphors• epithets• symbols and omens• repetition

• This is a function of the fact that this was a STORY TOLD ORALLY

Epic Structure Devices:

Some things you may not be so familiar with:• long speeches and little dialogue• catalogues • great listing of people, especially in battle

sequence• Digressions• Moving away from the topic at hand to discuss

something related, often from the past or tied to the matter at hand in some way, but still off topic. (The phrase, “And I digress” means you’ve gotten away from your point.)

Epic Structure Devices: (cont.)

Dactylic Hexameter = a form of poetic meter or rhyme schemeThe meter consists of lines made from six

("hexa") feet. A “dactyl” is a long syllable followed by two

short syllables, as determined by syllable weight.A useful mnemonic for remembering this long-

short-short pattern is to consider the relative lengths of the three bones of a human finger: beginning at the knuckle, it is one long bone followed by two shorter ones (hence the name "dactyl").

Language

1. Creation of characters with uncomplicated motives

2. Actions that are true to Human Nature3. Plots that blend the joys of living with the

tragic sense of life.4. Long, musical lines (in the original Greek or

in a poetry translation)

Elements that make it a “Classic”

people of importance to society national hero monsters - for the purpose of playing up the good

traits of the hero fate of a nation (ex. Ithaca) setting of worldwide scope (ex. Mediterranean world) journeys or quests tests for the hero divine intervention

Elements included in epics:

intelligent and clever courageous strong and well built performs heroic feats wants to defeat evil adventuresome manages to get out of every bad situation

using his cleverness faithful to family, country and gods

Hero has outstanding traits of that nationality:

 These are the lasting and enduring lessons we aim to take from this reading:

1. The Oral Tradition and its devices were used to explain and teach natural and religious origins, political origins, history of culture, and acceptable behavior for society.

2. Understanding how an epic poem is structure and the devices it employs enables full appreciation of its message.

3. Epic heroes are both courageous, intelligent leaders and flawed humans; they reflect the culture from which they emerge.

4. An odyssey takes one well beyond the familiar geography and explore the boundaries of human psyche and human society both literally and figuratively.

5. An individual’s understanding of self, his interaction with others and the world form his identity. 

6. Home is a vital link to one's past, present, and future.

Why Read it?

Let’s read the opening together to get a feel for the dactylic hexameter!

Reading!