1. The Odyssey
By Homer

2. Epic
 Long, narrative poems that tell of the adventures of heroes who
in some way embody the values of their civilizations
 Impressive hero
 Involves physical world and sometimes the land of the
dead as well
 Quest or journey taken in search of something of value

3. The Iliad
 The prequel to The Odyssey
 Story of the Trojan War of 1200 BC
 Odysseus was a war hero of this war
 He devised the plan of the Trojan Horse
that led to the fall of Troy
 The Gods favored Troy, so they cursed him
for this idea and cursed his voyage back
home from the Trojan War (story of The
Odyssey)

4. Terms for the Odyssey
 Myths: Stories that use fantasy to express ideas
about life that cannot be expressed easily in
realistic terms
 Alter Ego: A reflection of a hero’s best or worst
qualities
 Rhapsodes: “Singers of tales” were the
historians and entertainers as well as the myth-
makers of their time
 Homeric or heroic similes: Extended
comparisons that compare heroic or epic events
to simple and easily understandable everyday
events - events the audience would recognize
instantly

5. The Plot and Virtues
VIRTUES
PLOT
-love of home
Plot 1- Ten years have passed
since the fall of Troy and -loyalty
Odysseus is unable to get home
-hospitality
because of the gods
-courage
-bravery
Plot 2 - Suitors try to convince
his wife he is dead and try to
marry her
This is a story of all people who
look for peace and a place to
belong but who must overcome
Plot 3- Odysseus returns home
a series of external and internal
and must seek revenge on the
obstacles to reach that
suitors
contentment.

6. Characters and Places of The
Odyssey
 Aeaea - Home of Circe, the witch-goddess
 Alcinous - King of Phaeacia
 Calypso - Beautiful goddess-nymph who keeps
Odysseus on her island for seven years
 Charybdis - Female monster who sucks in water
three times a day to form a deadly whirlpool
 Cicones - People living on the southwestern coast of
Thrace, who battled Odysseus and his men on their
journey home
 Circe - Witch-goddess who turns Odysseus’s men into
swine

7. Characters, cont’d
 Cyclops - Polyphemus
 Erebus - Dark area of the underworld where the dead reside
 Eurylochus - One of Odysseus’s loyal crew
 Lotus Eaters - People who feed Odysseus’s men with the lotus
plants
 Phaeacia - Island kingdom ruled by Alcinous
 Polyphemus - The Cyclops; he is the son of the sea god
Poseidon
 Scylla - Female monster with six serpent heads, each with a
triple row of fangs
 Sirens - Sea nymphs whose beautiful and mysterious music
lures sailors to steer ships towards sharp rocks
 Teiresias - Famous blind prophet from city of Thebes
 Thrinakia - Island where the sun god Helios keeps his cattle

8. Characters, cont’d
 Ithaca - Odysseus’s homeland
 Antinous - One of Penelope’s leading suitors; arrogant and
mean
 Eumaeus - Swineherd, one of Odysseus’s loyal servants
 Eurycleia - Odysseus’s old nurse
 Eurymachus - Suitor of Penelope
 Eurynome - Penelope’s housekeeper
 Penelope - Odysseus’s faithful wife
 Philoetus - Cowherd, one of Odysseus’s loyal servants
 Telemachus - Odysseus’s son

9. Gods and Goddesses
 Athena - Favorite daughter of Zeus; the great
goddess of wisdom and the arts of
war/peace; she favored the Greeks and
helped Odysseus
 Helios - Sun god
 Hermes - Messenger god
 Poseidon - The god of the sea; brother of
Zeus; enemy of Odysseus
 Zeus - Most powerful god