Written down around between 800 and 600 BCE, the Odyssey is of the best knownworks of ancient literature made than any literature. Composed by a poet named Homer, it tells the story of a man trying to make his way home from war. But not just any man, and not just any war. The hero is Odysseus, who is basically the Jon Hamm of Ancient Greece: smart, strong, attractive, and brave.
In a way, the Odyssey is a sequel to Homer's Iliad, a poem about the decade-long Trojan War. But don't let any prejudice about sequels throw you off: the Iliad and the Odyssey may have a lot of the same characters, but they're more like fraternal than identical twins: they complement each other.
In a way, the Odyssey is a sequel to Homer's Iliad, a poem about the decade-long Trojan War. But don't let any prejudice about sequels throw you off: the Iliad and the Odyssey may have a lot of the same characters, but they're more like fraternal than identical twins: they complement each other.
Epics and ValuesEpics are an inlongated poems, usually from an ancient oral
tradition. Telling the adventures of a herioc or legendary figure. They are usually significant to a particular culture or society. Examples of this are the Odyssey and Iliad. |
The War-story Background: Violence and BrutalityThe background for Odysseus's story is in the Iliad, which is set in the tenth and last year of the trojan war. According to the Iliad, the war began after Pans: Prince of Troy kidnapped Helen from her husband Menelaus: King of Sparta. Resulting in the war between The Greeks and the city of Troy.
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Odysseus: A hero in TroubleIn Homers time heroes were placed between the gods and the ordinary humans. Heroes did experience pain and death, but they were always sure of themselves. Odysseus is a hero in trouble. Throughout the story he has to make a lot of difficult choices, to insure that he'll make it home.
The Ancient World and OursOdysseus's world was somewhat different then ours. Odysseus and his men would raid people's houses and nobody would have the power to stop them. Odysseus and others had little in common with the Athenian culture that developed centuries later. Which has a lot to do with us.
A Search for Their Places in LifeOdysseus and his family are people searching for their place in life. This theme sets the tone for the Odyssey. Instead of beginning the poem with Odysseus they start of with his son Telemachus, who is now twenty years old. Who is searching for his place in life as well as his fathers safe return home.
Who Was Homer?No one knows for sure who Homer was. The later greeks thought he was a blind man who was from the island of Chios. Some people thought there must have been two Homers; while others thought he was just a myth.
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The Wooden-Horse TrickOdysseus had the original idea for the wooden horse trick, that would eventually lead to the downfall of Troy. For ten years the Greeks had been fighting the Trojans, outside the city walls. Until Odysseus came up with a plan to build a enormous wooden horse and a couple of Greek Soldiers inside. The offer the horse to the Trojans as a gift.
Relationships with the GodsHomer always sheds light between the humans and the gods. In the Odyssey you see that the Gods are more powerful then the humans, and they control everything. Athena the goddess of wisdom is always by Odysseus's side. While Poseidon the god of the sea is always against him.
How Were the Epics Told?Scholars have found that oral epic poem writers are still around today. And suggest that stories like the Iliad and the Odyssey were originally told out loud by people who could not read or write. The stories had a basic story line, but most everything else was improvised.
A Live PerformanceWe can assume what it must have been like because the Odyssey itself has many parts in which the traveling singers appear and sing their tales. In the court of Alcinous; the Phaeacian King, a wonderful singer makes us wonder if Homer is talking about himself. Imagine being in Homer's world and getting ready for a live performance. Drinking wine eating and eating rich food.
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