The OdysseyBy HomerTranslated by Samuel Butler

Who wrote The Odyssey?

Though Homer is the supposed author of this poem, many people have contributed to its current state.Originally, this is the product of the oral tradition, in which poets called rhapsodes would recite poetry as a profession. Homer was probably one of these rhapsodes, but the original? Who knows?Possibly, someone else altogether wrote The Odyssey, but history only remembers Homer’s version. Maybe his was the best? Maybe his was the version that was finally written down? We will never know.

TranslationsWe do know, however, that the poem was originally written in Greek. In order for you to read it, it was translated. Fortunately for English speaking people, there are numerous English translations to choose from. We will be reading from Samuel Butler’s translation of the story.

A Note About Translations

Samuel Butler’s translation is not considered to be the best translation. Rather, Robert Fitzgerald’s translation is considered to be the greatest for several reasons:• Considered to have an “openness and

immediacy unsurpassed by any other English translation”

• Maintains the poetry of the original poemBecause Fitzgerald’s translation is considered to be the best, it is also the most closely protected by copy write laws. The Samuel Butler translation is far more accessible in location, though arguably less accessible in its content.

Translation Comparison“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 strongholdon the proud height of Troy.”

- The Odyssey, trans. Robert Fitzgerald

“Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.”

- The Odyssey, trans. Samuel Butler

The OdysseyAside from an epic, what does the title, odyssey, mean?

- a long and eventful or adventurous journey

Focus Question:Consider the three main characters, Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus. What kind of journey do each of these characters take?

So what’s an ‘Epic’?A long narrative poem, that tells about the adventures of a hero who reflects the ideals or values of a nation or race.Epic heroes are larger-than-life figures, usually male, who embodies these previously mentioned ideals.For Example: Superman is an American epic hero. He is larger-than-life. He is male. And he embodies the ‘American’ principals of “truth, justice, and the American way.”Additionally, Superman’s existence on Earth is a part of a long journey from his home planet Krypton.

Epic (cont.)Because epics espouse the values of their nations, they were also used to teach the young. Essentially, they provided young people with role models who behaved in a manner approved of by the country as a whole.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Religion (modern mythology) - Gods and Goddesses - Hospitality

Intelligence and

Wisdom

Warfare - Courage - Skill with weapons - Physical Strength

Seafaring

Greek ideals or values found in The Odyssey:

EpithetsMost poems feature a specific rhyme and meter, commonly focusing the number of syllables per line. Epithets are a tool used by poets to help them accomplish this.Rather than write the name of a character that has a set amount of syllables, poets would use a type of descriptive nickname that uses a different number of syllables.Thus, ‘Odysseys’ which has 4 syllables becomes ‘master mariner’ with 5 syllables or ‘ingenious hero’ with 6 syllables.

Epithets (cont.)Write down your first and last name. How many syllables does your name have?For Example: Ja/cob/ Mont/gom/er/y Jacob Montgomery = 6 syllablesNow write an epithet for yourself. It should be a descriptive noun phrase with a different number of syllables than your name.For Example: English Teacher = 4 syllables that describe me

SettingThough incorporating real locations in the Mediterranean, this story branches to myth, taking characters to unknown locales.

The story occurs around 1200 B.C.

Troy

Ithaca

The Mediterranean Sea

Sparta

(Source 1)

How It All StartedWhen King Peleus and Thetis, a sea nymph, marry, a large party is thrown for all of the inhabitants of Mount Olympus (the gods and goddesses), all except Eris, the goddess of discord.Eris arrives anyway, delivers a ‘gift’ and then leaves as suddenly as she had arrived.The ‘gift’ is a golden apple with the word ‘KALLISTEI’ written on the side of it. This gift is known as the apple of discord and the inscription can be translated as ‘for the fairest’.

How It All Started (cont.)

Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera all claim the apple.Zeus suggests that the three goddess ask Paris for a judgment. This is known as the judgment of Paris.Each goddess tries to bribe Paris. - Athena offers glory in battle against the Greeks. - Hera offers lordship over all of Europe and Asia. - Aphrodite offers the world’s most beautiful woman.Paris chooses Aphrodite’s offer.

Helen of SpartaUnfortunately for Paris, the most beautiful woman in the world is already married to the Menelaus, King of Sparta.By spurning her husband and joining Paris, Helen becomes the cause of the Trojan War. But was it just Helen that Menelaus and Paris are after?Some argue that Paris wants Helen due to love. Others argue that it is for lust. Yet Homer himself writes that it is “for Helen and all her wealth” (The Iliad, Book III).Focus Question:To what extent is the desire for women based on the woman herself or on the wealth attached to her? Note how the suitors approach Penelope.

Helen of Troy

(Source 2) (Source 3) (Source 4)

“Was this the face that launched a thousand ships / And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?” - Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

Entangling AlliancesMenelaus wants his wife back. Fortunately for him, when he is wed, a pact is made stating that all of Helen’s suitors would fight to protect any move made against Helen, her husband, or her country. This pact is created by Odysseus in exchange for Menelaus’ assistance in his suit for the hand of Penelope.Nearly all of the Greek rulers are a part of this pact.This army of Greek warriors is led by Menelaus’ brother Agamemnon.

The Trojan WarEstimated to have occurred around 1200 B.C., this war between the Greeks and Trojans lasted for about 10 years.Both the Greeks and the Trojans brought in their allies to assist. Not all of the Trojan war was fought at the gates of Troy. A large part of this war was fought in the surrounding country. An example of this is when Odysseus fights the Cicones in Ismarus (The Odyssey, Book IX).

Odysseus’ InvolvementBecause his son, Telemachus, had just been born, Odysseus did not want to go to war. Odysseus’ alliance with Menelaus, however, demanded that he support the Spartan’s war against Troy.When Menelaus arrived, Odysseus pretended to be insane by plowing with an ox and an ass yoked together while sowing salt. Menelaus placed Telemachus in front of the plow. When Odysseus stopped the plow, Menelaus knew he was not insane.

Epic SimileSometimes writers use epic similes to poetically explain how something is or feels. Essentially, this is a longer, more complex version of a simile, which is a comparison between two things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.For example:She cried quietly, and each tear dropped like another blow of a hammer pounding shut the lid of the coffin into which she’d placed her heart all those years ago when she’d first met him.

SourcesSource 1:“Mediterranean.” Map. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 5 May 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.

Source 2: Gibson, John. Helen of Troy. 1825-1830. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

V&A. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.

Source 3:Rossetti, Dante Gabriel. Helen of Troy. 1863. Bildarchiv Preussicher

Kulturbesitz, Berlin. Bildarchiv Preussicher Kulturbesitz. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.

Source 4:Persephone Painter. Helen & Menelaos at the Sack of Troy/Youth Departing.

440-430 BCE. Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo. Toledo Museum of Art. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.