DEVERA, CHRISTOPHER L. PS4A 1. what qualities are displayed by Achilles and hector?

Cite the lines or passages to prove your answer.

2. As a reader, to whom do you sympathize with the Greeks or the Trojans? Why?

3. What role do the gods and goddesses play in the action? Cite the lines that express the sense of fate the Greeks have. Find out from the Greek mythology why the deities favoured the side they did.

4. how are the women portrayed in the epic? a. Andromache

b. Helen

c. Hecuba

5. If the translation is faithful to the original, what can you say about homers use of adjectives and comparisons?

Characteristics of an Epic

1. Characters are beings of national importance and historical or legendary significance. Odysseus takes on a larger-than-life quality in the story. These are not the deeds of a normal man. 2. The setting is grand in scope, covering nations, the world, or even the universe. The Odyssey is a journey that involves a large number of places and nations. Odyseeus, himself a prince, must concern himself with the suitors of other great houses once he returns home. 3. Action consists of deeds of great valor and courage. For example, Odysseus must again and again prove his ability to fight his way out of trouble, to cunningly use words, and to bravely face extreme odds. Both his wanderings and his return home to face the suitors are deeds of valor and courage. 4. Style is sustained in tone and language. Read the initial conversation between Zeus and Athena on pages 226-227. The conversation has a high tone and depth of detail that give it a gravity even when involving petty matters. 5. Supernatural forces interest themselves in human action and often intervene directly. Several of the gods are involved in Odysseus' wanderings: Hera and Poseidon keep Odysseus from returning home for several years, Zeua and Hermes at points come to Odysseus' rescue, and Athena especially interests herself in every stage of Odyseeus' journey home.

The following are often (but not always) present: 1. An invocation to the Muse for inspiration in the telling of a story. Each of the following examples shows us a poet who requests divine

help in portraying the epic story he has to tell:

Iliad (A 120) 1.1-9 Odyssey (A 225) 1.1-31 Aeneid (A 1055) 1.1-16 Paradise Lost (C 3001) 1.1-25 (Note this Christian example. Here, Milton's invocation is to the Holy Spirit.) 2. Epics tend to start in medias res. "In the middle of the action." The Odyssey begins near the end of Odysseus' journey, which began with his ships' flight from the shores of Troy. The events that set his wanderings in motion become clear as the story progresses. 3. Epic catalogues list warriors, armies, etc. Look at the following examples on pages 308 (8.115125--a list of participants in the games) and 352-355 (11.241-364--a catalog of beautiful women of the past ). 4. Dialogues tend to be extended, formal speeches. Look at the extensive speeches between Odysseus and Alkinoos in books seven and eight. 5. Epic similes are frequent.

epic simile: "a long, grand comparison which is so vivid that it temporarily displaces the object to which it is compared." Look at the following examples: 8.543-556 (318); 9.408-413 (328); 13.33-42 (377)

Enter the Olympiansby Nancy Conner, PhD

The gods and goddesses took an intense interest in the Trojan War. Many of them chose sides and helped their favorites when

they could. The gods were split in their choices, though, which is one reason the war dragged on for so long. Many of the Olympians supported the Greeks. Poseidon sided with the Greeks because he still held an old grudge against Troy; he never forgot that an earlier king had refused to pay him for helping to build the city's protective walls. Hera and Athena also had a grudge against Troy; Paris had given the golden apple to Aphrodite and not to one of them. Hermes and Hephaestus also supported the Greeks. Even the gods and goddesses weren't invincible during wartime. At least two deities were wounded on the battlefield. Ares was struck by Diomedes' spear, and Aphrodite was hit either by Athena or by Diomedes as she tried to help Ares leave the battlefield. The Trojans also had the support of several gods. Aphrodite, winner of the golden apple, stuck with Paris and sided with the Trojans. Apollo and Artemis also favored the Trojans. Ares had no particular allegiance but was most often seen fighting with the Trojans, probably because his lover Aphrodite supported them. Other Olympians including Hades, Hestia, Demeter, and Zeus remained neutral.

Poseidon and the Trojansby Nancy Conner,

PhD
You'll read about the Trojan War in Chapter 20, but any overview of Poseidon must mention his relationship with the Trojans, a relationship that's central to understanding this god. As punishment for their participation in the uprising against Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo were forced to help Laomedon, the king of Troy, build walls around his city. They were to be compensated for this great work, but when it came time to pay, Laomedon refused, angering both gods. After all, the gods had worked hard for an entire year to build the walls. Apollo inflicted a great plague on the city and was satisfied with this revenge. Poseidon sent a sea monster to harass Troy, but his anger continued. Later, during the Trojan War, Poseidon sided with the Greeks despite Zeus's order to stay out of the conflict. Poseidon wasn't always supportive of the Greeks, however. For example, when the Greeks built a wall to protect their fleet of ships, Poseidon complained bitterly to the other gods because he feared the Greeks' wall would become more famous than the wall he and Apollo had built. Poseidon also sometimes harassed Greek sea captains during their voyages. Because of his anger and bitterness, Poseidon made life hard for everyone during the Trojan War. He was a god who would hold a grudge for as long as it took to get revenge, and his revenge was often brutal. Selfish and disloyal, Poseidon would

switch sides without notice, when it suited him. Like the sea itself, he was powerful, changeable, and treacherous.