Introduction to the Odyssey

Name______per___ date___

“The Introduction to the Odyssey”

Directions: Read pages 640-646. Then fill in the following CLOZE note sheet.

 Three thousand years ago; stories about a great war in the land we know as ______ One man, ______, is credited with gathering all these stories and telling them as an ______ Homer’s stories traced to historical struggles for control over waterways in the Mediterranean area  Battles may be as early as 1200 BC (Homer to battles = us to Pilgrim’s landing)  1st epic –Iliad: 10 Year war in Troy over sexual ______ Ruins of Troy can be seen in modern ______ 2nd epic – Odyssey – one warrior tries to get home from war

Epics and Values  Epics: Long narrative ______that tell of the adventures of ______who in some way represent or embody the ______of their civilization.  Characteristics of an epic usually include:

 other cultures copied Homer’s epic style but used their own values 1  Iliad ______ Odyssey ______

The War-Story Background: Violence and Brutality

 Background is the Iliad – ______ War was fought because Paris, prince of Troy, stole Menelaus’ wife Helen  Greek kings ______ Audience of Odyssey would have known this story  Audience would have been attracted to a hero known for his ______

Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble

 Heroes were considered somewhere between gods and other humans  Heroes may have had pain and death but always confident -Odysseus different  He______ when he left: ______ didn’t want to go because of young family- ______

The Wooden-Horse Trick

 Odysseus’ plan to finally end war with trick  Present to Trojans – ______ Ended the war

The Ancient World and Ours

 “worldly goods” – ______ “palaces” ______

A Search For Their Places In Life

 Odysseus and his family - ______ Theme: ______2  Story begins with Telemachas and the threat by rude men trying to take over his kingdom  These men move in – ______ Telemachas a man who needs his father’s guidance and strength  In search for ______

Relationships With The Gods

 Myths – ______ Necessary – concerned with relationships between man and unknown spiritual world  In Homer’s stories a god can be an alter ego, a reflection of a hero’s best or worst qualities ( like a mirror of their identity) i.e. ______

Who Was Homer?  No one really knows  Greeks: ______ Maybe several people  Rhapsodes: “singers of tales” – ______ No written history – ______

How Were the Epics Told and A Live Performance

 Told aloud to illiterate people  Formulas; memorable and familiar passages most people knew – ______ Homeric similes – compare heroic or epic events to simple and easily understandable everyday activities – i.e. ______ Not told in one sitting – rhapsode would “_____” events over a couple of days  Like a Broadway show or huge concert or film opening debut