The Odyssey

Summary and explanation of the poem at http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/odyssey/summary.html

Ideas to Consider:

• "Our Proper Place": Do people test the boundary or stay where they belong? (Hero as rebel or hero as "saint"?)
• The Journey: The Quest is both a journey"out into the world" and  a journey into our nature. And there are always ironies along the way.
• Justice: How does the punishment fit the crime? 

Humanities textbook notes on Homer and the epic

EPIC: An epic in its most specific sense is a genre of classical poetry. It is a poem that is (a) a long narrative about a serious subject, (b) told in an elevated style of language, (c) focused on the exploits of a hero or demi-god who represents the cultural values of a race, nation, or religious group (d) in which the hero's success or failure will determine the fate of that people or nation. Usually, the epic has (e) a vast setting, and covers a wide geographic area, (f) it contains superhuman feats of strength or military prowess, and gods or supernatural beings frequently take part in the action. The poem begins with (g) the invocation of a muse to inspire the poet and, (h) the narrative starts in medias res (see above). (i) The epic contains long catalogs of heroes or important characters, focusing on highborn kings and great warriors rather than peasants and commoners.

J. A. Cuddon notes that the term primary epic refers to folk epics, i.e., versions of an epic narrative that were transmitted orally in pre-literate cultures; the term secondary epic refers to literary epics, i.e., versions that are actually written down rather than chanted or sung (284). Often, these secondary epics retain elements of oral-formulaic transmission, such as staggered intervals in which the poet summarizes earlier events, standardized epithets and phrases originally used by singers to fill out dactylic hexameters during extemporaneous performance, and so on.

The term epic applies most accurately to classical Greek texts like the Iliad and the Odyssey. However, some critics have applied the term more loosely. The Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf has also been called an epic of Anglo-Saxon culture, Milton's Paradise Lost has been seen as an epic of Christian culture, and Shakespeare's various History Plays have been collectively called an epic of Renaissance Britain. Other examples include Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered and the anonymous Epic of Gilgamesh, which is the oldest example known. Contrast with mock epic. See epic simile below. Click here to a download a PDF handout discussing the epic's conventional traits.

Epic tone, diction and style

The language is elevated and ornate. The sentences are complex and rich in description. These poems were sung, so they have a musical cadence. These elements make the poem sound like a ritual, an occasion for connecting with concerns beyond the ordinary and mundane.

As in a ritual, images and descriptions are repeated. These motifs and epithets contribute to the musicality of the poem. They also reinforce how these elements are universal, even archetypal.

The syntax is inverted to suggest the language is not common speech but the language of ritual, the language of the gods.

The tone is serious. The speaker imparts to the audience that Odysseus's fate is crucial to an understanding of human nature and our place in the world.

The genius of the poem lies in Homer's ability to present different characters with different attitudes. Take note of the difference in tone between Odysseus and Achilles or Agamemnon.

Mythological figures in Book 11

Tyro

http://www.theoi.com/Heroine/Tyro.html

Antiope

http://www.theoi.com/Heroine/Antiope.html

Alkmene

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkmene

Epikaste (Iokaste, Jocasta)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jocasta

Orion

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/o/orion.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(mythology)

The "fields of asphodel" are important. Look up Asphodel Meadows, a section of the Greek Underworld.

Tityos

http://www.theoi.com/Gigante/GiganteTityos.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tityos

Tantalus

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/tantalus.html

Sisyphus

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/sisyphus.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus

Odyssey 3 Good Ideas paragraph