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5 Introduction to the Odyssey CN SETTING: GREECE 1250 B.C the Trojan War: What Started It?

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5 Introduction to the Odyssey CN SETTING: GREECE 1250 B.C the Trojan War: What Started It? #5 Introduction to The Odyssey CN SETTING: GREECE 1250 B.C The Trojan War: What started it? • 1260-1250 B.C. • Scholars believe the war began over control of the trade route between the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea between the Trojans and Greeks. • Ancient mythology states the catalyst for the war was Helen, queen of Sparta. The Golden Apple • King Peleus marries sea nymph Thetis (parents of Achilles) • All gods on Olympus invited to wedding except ERIS, the evil goddess of Discord • Apple – “For The Fairest” • Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all claim apple. • Paris, Prince of Troy, is appointed judge by Zeus. The Bribe • Hera - POWER • Athena - WISDOM • Aphrodite - MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN (Helen) Paris chooses Aphrodite Abduction of Helen • Helen – offspring of Zeus and Leda; daughter of Spartan king • Helen had many suitors; they swear oath to protect Helen and her new husband, King Menelaus of Sparta. • Paris abducts Helen while Menelaus is away, taking advantage of his hospitality, a huge taboo. The Bloody Battle • Calling upon his alliances, Menelaus sets sail for Troy to reclaim Helen • Lasted for 10 long years • Hand to hand combat • Periods of temporary truce to bury the dead • No fighting after sunset The Gods Take Sides TROJANS GREEKS (Paris, Hector) (Achilles, Patroclus, Odysseus, Menelaus) • Aphrodite • Hera • Ares, God of War • Athena • Apollo • Poseidon • Artemis • Zeus (favored, but tried to stay neutral) The Clever Odysseus • Greeks build a gigantic hollow horse & hide inside. • Sinon chosen to tell a tale of the Greeks leaving and the horse as an offering to Athena. • Priest Laocoon tried to warn Trojans “I fear the Greeks even when they bear gifts.” • Poseidon sent serpent to kill Laocoon. Sack of Troy • In middle of night, Greeks leave horse and attack. • Troy is in flames before Trojans know what has happened. • King of Troy dead • Women and children spared but became slaves • Helen is returned to Menelaus Odysseus, King of Ithaca, angers the Gods • Trojans were slaughtered and city sacked and burned. • Greeks violated Trojan temples. • Greeks did not offer sacrifices to the gods to thank them for their victory. • Odysseus, mastermind behind the Trojan Horse, suffers the most. Definition of Odyssey • a long wandering and eventful journey • a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the journey of Odysseus after the Trojan War 2 Epic Poems written in 725B.C. by Homer The Iliad The Odyssey • First written record of • Describes the 10-year Greece. journey of Odysseus as he tries to go home to • Describes the last year of Ithaca after the war the war when Achilles kills Hector. What is an epic? • An epic is a story-poem about a great hero who performs daring deeds that require superhuman courage • long narrative poem • great and serious subject • related in an elevated style • centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe, a nation, or the human race. • In Greek epics the gods either help or hinder the hero 1) Hero journeys across vast settings and supernatural realms, encountering supernatural beings as well 2) Invocation or prayer to the Muses Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy. He saw the townlands and learned the minds of many distant men, and weathered many bitter nights and days in his deep heart at sea, while he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home. But not by will nor valor could he save them, for their own recklessness destroyed them all--children and fools, they killed and feasted on the cattle of Lord Helios, the Sun, and he who moves all day through heaven took from their eyes the dawn of their return. Of these adventures, Muse, daughter of Zeus, tell us in our time, lift the great song again. 3) Begins in media res (in the middle of things) The Odyssey begins ten years after Odysseus set sail from Troy: Telemachus searching for his father and Odysseus in Phaeacia, telling his story about trying to return home. 4) Includes Epic Similes: elaborately extended comparisons relating heroic events to simple, everyday events using like, as, so, or just 5) Includes Epithets: descriptive adjectives or phrases used repeatedly with or in place of a noun or proper name Ex. Hector, the tamer of horses ~Conflict~ Conflicts put the traits of the epic hero on display. External Conflict: man vs. man man vs. gods man vs. nature Internal Conflict: man vs. himself (emotions like pride, courage, etc). Summary Something that is becoming clear to me about the epic The Odyssey is… (2-3 sentences).
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