The Odyssey: Overall Notes Flashcards
What is the brief story of the main character?
Tells the 10 year journey of Odysseus the great hero of the Trojan war as he tries to get back to Ithaca where his son and wife (Penelope and Telemachus) are.
As he travels he meets all kinds of gods,creatures,friends and foe but he must overcome all his troubles to get home.
What is the subplot?
Telemachus goes on a coming of age journey searching for news of his father.
While Telemachus is away Penelope is courted by 100 suitors who are attempting to marry Penelope and take Odysseus’ place as king.
How old is the poem?
What style is the verse?
How many lines are there?
2,700 years old
Hexameter verse (measurement of words)
12,109 lines
What monsters are in the odyssey?
Calypso, cyclops, Circe, the sirens, the lotus eaters, Scylla, charybdis, cattle of the sun
What do we know about the author - Homer?
We know nothing. He apparently has 7 different birth places, we assumed he lived during c.7BC
There’s a great debate about whether homer was literate or not
Suspected he was blind
Some thought it was all one story others thought it was multiple stories
1488 continuously printed the book; could have been around for longer, told orally / papyrus vowels
How does Homeric language help us understand the context and content of the odyssey?
Epithet- quality or characteristic of a person/place
Xenia- hospitality
The language used by homer is not one that was ever spoken. However, homers simplicity, action and directness made it popular among ordinary Greeks. It presented the ordinary Greek people, culture and politics alongside their gods. There is a variation in the language used that keeps the audience intrigued and want to read more.
Is there an answer to the Homeric question?
The main argument is a comparison between less intelligent modern day Serban style performers who recited old work and more creative and intelligent Greek style performers working within the traditions and created complex characters within standard work
We struggle to know exactly when the poem was composed, homer appears to have detailed knowledge on unavailable items that had been unattainable for hundreds of years. The Trojan war roughly was about 1250 but homer also had knowledge on items that weren’t present until after the 7th c.BC there is a 500 year gap between composition dates. Wolf argues that the odyssey was many small poems passed down through oral tradition and homer was illiterate. Others argue differently
