TELL ME, MUSE, OF THE MAN OF MANY DEVICES Homer s Epics - The Iliad & The Odyssey What is an Oral Epic? What are some of the stylistic devices of the Oral Epic? What do we know about Homer? Can he be trusted as a historical source? Did the Battle of Troy and the wanderings of Odysseus actually happen? What do the Homeric epics reveal to modern readers/ historians? What were some of the causes of the Trojan War? DIFFICULT JOURNEY
Too much DRAMA! Hera, Athena, Aphrodite & the Golden Apple Helen & Menelaus The Abduction of Helen Agamemnon & Clytemnestra as offering Too much DRAMA! as demigod and Thetis the sea nymph The Prophesy If you do not come to Troy, your godhead will wither in you, unused. Your strength will diminish. At best, you will be... moldering on a forgotten island with only daughters to succeed him. When Achilles dies, people will say, who? (Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles) (Best of the Greeks) Would you rather choose a life of insignificance if it meant you were happy, or choose an eternity of fame if it meant sacrificing yourself and your happiness? Compare and contrast the characters of Hector and Achilles. Which seems more heroic to you and why?
What mistakes did the Trojans make that led to their downfall? What major themes about Greek culture did the film reveal, and how did these also help enable the success of the Greeks at Troy? REALITY CHECK Achilles & Patroclus Odysseus Plan Menelaus & Helen and the Trojan Flight return home to Clytemnestra (& Aegisthus)
THE ODYSSEY & BEYOND The next Aristos Achaion? Odysseus failure to offer sacrifice for the slaughter of Troy In book 1, Zeus tells Athena: Ah how shameless the way these mortals blame the gods. From us alone, they say, come all their miseries, yes, but they themselves, with their own reckless ways, compound their pains beyond their proper share. The Greeks put high value upon the ideals of kleos (glory & renown). How did these prove to be both beneficial and problematic for the development of Homer s characters in the Odyssey & the Iliad? Analyze the Greek ideal of hospitality. Why is this such an important ideal? What are some examples in the story of this ideal, and the antithesis to it?
What were Odysseus heroic characteristics? What are some examples of his heroism? How does he display his Metis (cunning/wisdom)? Do the Greeks view heroism differently than we do, if so, how? Do The Odyssey & The Iliad present a double standard for women? Why is Odysseus so fearful of Penelope s allegiance and faithfulness when he s plotting his return? Where are there symbols of misogyny? What does the epic reveal about Greek idyllic characteristics of women?, the daughter of Helios Her gift to & the creation of Scylla Banishment to Aeaea The Witch at her crafts Odysseus a captive?
What does the story reveal about violence, war, and mankind? Did Odysseus want to go home immediately? all the hours he had spent at war, managing the fine glass tempers of kings, the suns of princes, balancing each proud warrior against his fellow. It was a feat equal to taming Aeëtes fire-breathing bulls, with only his wiles for aid. But back home in Ithaca, there would be no such fractious heroes, no councils, no midnight raids, no desperate stratagems that he must devise or men would die. And how would such a man go home again, to his fireside and olives? (Madeline Miller, Circe) Is Odysseus actually capable of stopping the cycle of violence? restlessness after the Suitors Telemachus Conspiracy? Revolt in Ithaca? Loss of Athena s patronage Prophesy Odysseus death from the sea Circe s Legacy (born far away) Trygon s Tail = poisontipped spear THE ODYSSEY & BEYOND Penelope & Telemachus exile Athena offers Odysseus Inheritance rival city to Rome Telemachus I choose to be. Comparison to other Greek heroes?