Odysseus blinding the Cyclops Polyphemus

THE EPIC:
Homer is, of course, credited with having written The Iliad, the oldest known work in Western literature, and The Odyssey, the tale of Odysseus eighteen-year journey back to Ithaca (Id have long given up on him, but his wife Penelope remains faithful). However, the tales are probably the work of more than one author and part of a collection of oral stories known to court singers and finally transcribed probably during the 9th century BCE. The Iliad is thought to predate The Odyssey. Homers blindness: Many call Homer the blind bard. That is because a poet described in The Odyssey is described as blind, and many think the writer of the epic based the character on himself. The convention of the blind Seer is also common in ancient Greece. Some consider the creation of the Homeric epics to be the beginning of classical Greek cultures ascendancy. In that case, poetry would mark the beginning of Western civilization.

The structure of the epic: I. Invocation to the Muse: Opening of Book One (page 77) The Muses were the goddesses of the arts, the embodiment of the Classical idea that poetry was inspired by the gods. There were nine Muses: Calliope, muse of epic poetry Clio, of history Euterpe, of lyric poetry Melpomene, of tragedy Terpsichore, of choral songs and the dance Erato, of love poetry Polyhymnia, of sacred poetry Urania, of astronomy Thalia, of comedy

Archelaos of Priene, The Apotheosis of Homer, marble relief , ca. 220-150 BCE, London, British Museum, H. 1.18 m. The Hellenistic age saw the rise of a historical sense, a historical selfconsciousness. Libraries were established in Hellenistic countries, run by the worlds first professors, experts in esoteric areas who pursued knowledge as a pleasure and for its own sake. The above relief, made for a poet who had won some kind of poetic competition, is divided into three registers. The top register shows a mountain at whose peak sits Zeus, who can be identified by his scepter and eagle. Near Zeus stands Mnemosyne, thereby identifying the mountain as Helikon, the peak on which the Muses resided. In fact, along the slope of the mountain are Zeus and Mnemosynes daughters, the nine Muses. In the middle register is a Muse in a cave with the chief god of poetry, Apollo. He wears the robes of a poet who sings to the accompaniment of the musical instrument represented, the kithara. Near Apollo is a conical object, probably

the omphalos, the sacred center of the world and a symbol of Apollos holy seat in Delphi. On the far right of the middle register is a poet who stands on a pedestal in front of a tripod, which is probably a prize for a poetry contest he has won. In the bottom register is an earthly sanctuary, where, seated on a throne in front of an altar is the poet Homer. Homer is deliberately depicted as a Zeuslike figure. Homer holds a scroll in one hand and a scepter in the other. Kneeling figures on each side of the bard are personifications of The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homers poetical children, who are identified by inscriptions at the bottom of the relief, A winged male figure and a female figure with a headdress are behind Homer, crowning him with a wreath. These figures are also identified by inscriptions, which say they are Chronos, Time, and Oikoumene, the Inhabited World. In front of Homer is an altar where a boy standing with a sacrificial jug represents Myth, and a girl sprinkling incense represents History. To the right of the children are figures representing Poetry, Tragedy and Comedy. At the far right, a child called Human Nature lifts his hand to four women who embody the moral virtues Excellence (arte), Mindfulness (mneme), Trustworthiness (pistis), and Wisdom (sophia).

Odysseus, Nausicaa and Athena

II. Epic epithets:

Athena:
o o o o o o

Pallas gray-, bright-, clear-, sparkling-eyed (- glauk-pis) daughter of Zeus whose shield is thunder hope of soldiers tireless one

Odysseus:
o o o o

wily son of Laertes loved of Zeus famed

More Homeric epithets: http://www.angelfire.com/art/archictecture/articles/008.htm The epithets help with the constraints of hexameter and function as mnemonic devices. III. Statement of theme:

Heroism: o Nostos homecoming o Kleos -- glory, fame, earned, of course, in heroic battle o For most, kleos is earned in victorious nostos o Not for Achilles: he must decide between nostos and kleos Fate: o Propels most events o Once fate is set, gods and men obey it. It seems as if gods can defy it, but choose instead to honor it as well. Possible that gods are subject to it as well. o Greeks do believe in free will, but honor fate.

Odysseus passing the Sirens, oil lamp

IV. Epic similes stress physical motion and emotional disturbance. Lets compare to Shakespeares mock-epic sonnet: SONNET 143 Lo! as a careful housewife runs to catch One of her feather'd creatures broke away, Sets down her babe and makes a swift dispatch In pursuit of the thing she would have stay, Whilst her neglected child holds her in chase, Cries to catch her whose busy care is bent To follow that which flies before her face, Not prizing her poor infant's discontent; So runn'st thou after that which flies from thee,

Whilst I thy babe chase thee afar behind; But if thou catch thy hope, turn back to me, And play the mother's part, kiss me, be kind: So will I pray that thou mayst have thy 'Will,' If thou turn back, and my loud crying still.

Odysseus slaying the suitors