The OdysseyPre-Reading

What is an Epic?• An epic is usually told in

the form of a long narrative poem.

• Epics tell the adventures of epic heroes

What is an Epic Hero?

• epic hero: has superhuman qualities, represents a culture’s admirable ideals and values, gets help and interference from gods, overcomes dangerous situations

What are some parts of an Epic plot?

• epic plot: strange creatures, dangerous weather, divine intervention, world-scale events

Epic Setting

• wide scale of many nations,

• exotic or fantastic places

What are archetypes?

• Archetypes are instantly recognizable characters, setting, or images.

• Two examples are buried treasure or the loyal servant.

What do Epic Themes represent?

• Epic themes reflect universal concerns.

• Two examples are loyalty and beauty.

Homer• poet

• thought to be blind, but describes events as a seeing person

• lived around 1200 B.C.E

Characters• Ulysses or Odysseus

• Sirens - group of females who lured sailors by their singing

Characters• Circe (sir-cee)- goddess,

enchantress, who turned men into swine (pig)

• Scylla (sy-lah)- monster with 12 feet and 6 heads with 3 rows of teeth, carries off a sailor in each mouth

Characters• Charybdis (car-ib-dis)- 3 times

a day pulls sailors into her whirlpool

• Hyperion - the sun (distinct from Apollo, the sun god)

• Jove=Zeus=Jupiter=leader of the gods

• Eurylochus (ur-ee-low-cuss)- one of the crew members with a bad attitude