Iliad, Odyssey and Homer Lit. key terms and context

Question 1

Dactylic Hexameter

Answer 1

meter of epic poem

Question 2

Epithets

Answer 2

repeated nicknames for each character to show some feature or skill

Question 3

Repeated scenes

Answer 3

religious ritual, cataloguing- scenes w same structure and different characters so the bard can remember easily

Question 4

Formulae

Answer 4

techniques used in oral poetry to help the bard remember the poem

Question 5

ekphrasis

Answer 5

e.g. explanation of a piece of art, a story within a story

Question 6

Cataloguing

Answer 6

listing

Question 7

Invocation

Answer 7

the poet asking for permission from the muses to tell the story- shows piety and respect

Question 8

Rhapsode

Answer 8

people who performed the Iliad and Odyssey to music

Question 9

why is Homer seen as blind

Answer 9

Demodocus, bard in book 8, is blind
associated with divine inspiration

Question 10

When was Troy destroyed

Answer 10

1200 BC

Question 11

in media res

Answer 11

when starts in the middle of action

Question 12

paradeigma

Answer 12

mythical example