The Odyssey

Academic English 9

Plunder (v)

steal goods typically using force and in a time of war or civil disorder.

Valor (n)

great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.

Formidable (adj)

Very impressive

Men hold me formidable for guile in peace and war.

Guile (n)

Cunning; Slyness

Men hold me formidable for guile in peace and war.

Ponderous (adj)

Extremely heavy thoughts

Profusion (n)

An abundance

Muster/ed (v)

To gather

All ships’ companies mustered alongside for the midday meal.

Victuals (n)

Food

A wineskin full I brought along and victuals in a bag.

Adze (n)

An ax-like tool

Hale (adj)

Strong

Disdain (V)

to refuse or abstain from because of a feeling of contempt or scorn; reject

She disdained to answer their questions.

Carrion (n)

the decaying flesh of dead animals

Sage (n)

A very wise person.

Dispatch (v)

Defeat, finish

weird

Strange fate or destiny

Odyssey Introduction

Turn to page 592-

Epithet

A descriptive word or phrase that has become a fixed formula

Example: Zeus the lord of the cloud.

Epic simile

An extended simile developed over several lines.

Everyday…

Having a snow day is like a day at the beach. I can lounge on my sofa as if it were my multicolored stripped beach chair. I can close my eyes and listen to my favorite television shows as if it were the waves crashing upon the shore. It is total peace and relaxation as I drift to sleep to all of the sounds around me.

In The Odyssey…

And swift Achilles kept on coursing Hector, nonstop as a hound in the mountains starts a fawn from its lair, hunting him down the gorges, down the narrow glens and the fawn goes to ground, hiding deep in brush but the hound comes racing fast, nosing him out until he lands his kill (XX11.224-229).

Invocation

A prayer; The Iliad and Odyssey both begin with an invocation to the muse of Epic Poetry.

The Odyssey begins with an invocation on page 595 (blue) the poet asks for inspiration in telling the story of his hero…it also gives a brief summary of the hero’s adventures

Muse

One of the nine patrons of fine arts

Important Terms

Hubris: overwhelming pride; considered a sin and great offense to the gods

Homeric Simile: an extended simile elaborated in great detail– Homer usually compared violence with peaceful nature

Elements of an Epic HeroWhat makes Odysseus a classic Greek hero?

Intelligence

-His shrewd intelligence is of the cunning and sly sort….not the book-smart type.

-A man of “twists and turns…” Odysseus is a man of deceptions and disguises.

Physical Strength

While Odysseus demonstrates cunning, farsightedness, adaptability and other aspects of intellectual prowess, he is by no means a physical weakling! He is not enormous, but he is powerful, and he is both an excellent athlete and a formidable soldier.

QUEST

To return home! The sharpness with which

he won the Trojan War is the same devious aptitude he uses to find his way back home. This same intelligence is used to outwit monsters and other foes who block his path and threaten his men’s lives.

FACE DANGER WITH COURAGE

He does not shrink away from his leadership role in times of great peril.

Assistance of the gods

Throughout the epic, Athena represents Odysseus favorably to the other gods, assists and guides him. Circe gives advice and ultimately, Zeus helps Odysseus rule peacefully once he finally arrives home.

Of course, the gods are not always pleased. Poseidon makes Odysseus’s journey a true test of his wit and valor.

Aristocrat

He is ROYAL, a member of the ruling class who seeks to recapture his “rightful” place after his long years away at war. He returns to one last battle of revenge on interlopers…rude, crass suitors of Penelope’s affections and possessions…and reasserts his claim to his palace, a beautiful wife and a loyal son to be his proper heir.

Special Status

Odysseus must prove himself again and again and again, and the perceptions others have of him are of vital importance to his heroic stature, but….

Cont.’

Odysseus is always willing to find another way around the danger if possible. He doesn’t run, but he is willing to hide… behind disguises, behind well-timed silences, amongst sheep and the suitors.

Flaw

Like tragic heroes, Odysseus has faults that lead to disaster.

Unlike tragic heroes, Odysseus is uses his cunning and guile to escape the ultimate price his crew has to pay for his mistakes.

Facts on Odysseus…

He’s all human– he even turns down an offer to be made immortal

Married to Penelope Father of Telemachus

Good Guys

Odysseus Penelope Telemachus Circe: Originally imprisons

Odysseus and his men, but then helps them

Alcinous: King of Phaeacia Nausicaa: Princess of

Phaeacia

Good Guys

Athena: helps Odysseus in battle

Eumaeus: Odysseus’ swineheard, helps him battle the suitors when he returns

Euriclea: Odysseus’ nurse– recognizes him by his scar

Argos: Odysseus’ dog

Bad Guys

Poseidon: Odysseus wounds his son, so they become enemies

Calypso: holds Odysseus prisoner for seven years

Polyphemus: one eyed giant, Poseidon’s son

Sirens: half woman, half eagle– lure sailors to their deaths with beautiful sining voices

More Bad Guys

Antinous: leads the suitors

Eurymachus: another suitor

Suitors: About 100 men camped out in Odysseus’ house, waiting for his wife to pick one for marriage

Facts about the Odyssey

Contains 11,300 lines Story takes 40 days,

but tells the story of Odysseus’ 10 year journey home from the Trojan War

Themes are “man” and “homecoming”

Not told chronologically

More Facts about the Odyssey

Most of the story is told by Odysseus– is he a reliable narrator?

Told in flashback Large setting–

Odysseus wanders through the Mediterranean

Odysseus goes to the Underworld

More Facts about the Odyssey

Has more female characters, but for the most part women are still represented as fickle objects

Gods are portrayed as being envious of men

Family values are important– establishes contrast between a good family and a bad family