Homeric Epics Flashcards
What starts the Trojan war?
Aphrodite offers Paris Helen of Troy in exchange for him declaring her the winner of a beauty contest. Menalaus ( Helen’s husband ), and his friends (Odysseus, Achilles, Agamemnon, etc) go to Troy to get her back
What does Agamemnon do to anger Achilles?
Takes one of his slaves for himself, after having to give up one of his own for upsetting Apollo
What happens at the end of the Iliad?
Achilles agrees to give Priam Hector’s body, Priam holds a funeral for Hector
what is the first word of the Iliad?
“menis”, which means anger
what do kleos, timē, and aretē mean?
glory, respect, and excellence
What is Achilles motivated by? how does this affect his outlook during the war?
Kleos aphthiton (immortal glory) is what Achilles wants. In order to acheive this, he knows that he will have to die in battle
what does aresteia mean?
a hero’s defining moment
What does Odysseus do to upset Podeidon?
pokes out his son Polyphemus’ eye, in order to escape with his crew
what does nostoi mean?
nostoi are stories about Greek hero’s adventures on their way back from the Trojan war.
what does Circe do to Odysseus’ crew?
turns them into pigs
What do the sirens tell Odysseus? why would this be enticing to him?
they promise him knowledge of the future, which is very tempting to him since he is often looking to become more knowledgable
What happens to Odysseus’ crew? Why?
Zeus hits the boat with lightning, which kills them. This happens after they anger him by eating the cattle of the sun.
What themes are found in the Odyssey?
Nostos (journey home), Metis (cleverness), Xenia (hospitality/ guest friendship)
