Title: Iliad and Odyssey establish norms for the presentation o
1Homers Iliad
2Homer
3epics
- Greek epos, epe words
- Iliad and Odyssey establish norms for the
presentation of the heroes and their relation
with the gods, and for the omniscience of the
inspired epic narrator.
4Epics
- opens in media res
- The setting is vast, covering many nations, the
world, or the universe. - begins with an invocation to a muse
- starts with a statement of the theme
- the use of epithets.
- includes long lists.
- features long and formal speeches.
- shows divine intervention on human affairs.
5Summary of Book One
- A quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon ensues
over the return of Chryseis to her father. Athena
dissuades Achilles from rash action, but he
swears he will not fight again. He calls his
mother Thetis from the depths of the sea and asks
her to obtain from Zeus some gratification of his
resentment. Thetis agrees to do so when the gods
shall have returned from their twelve day banquet
among the Ethiopians. Meanwhile Odysseus has
returned Chryseis to her father, who placates the
god towards the Greeks. Thetis lays her request
before Zeus, who nods assent. His intentions are
kept secret from all, including Hera, despite her
bitter complaints.
6background
- Homer's tale begins nine years after the Greek
arrival at Troy. Nine years previous, the Greek
fleet had gathered at Aulis from the area's
various city states to depart together in order
to reclaim Helen from Paris for her husband
Menelaus. Paris was given the love of Helen by
Aphrodite in return for presenting her with the
golden apple. Paris, having taken Helen from the
house of her husband, returned to his father's
city, Troy.
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10Important gods in book I
- Apollo son of Zeus and Leto, brother of Artemis.
He is the champion of the Trojans. An archer and
patron of the arts of music and poetry. He brings
the plague on the Greeks when Agamemnon would not
return Chryseis to the Trojans. - Athena daughter of Zeus, patron of the Greeks
(Achaeans), especially of Odysseus. She tries to
make peace between Achilles and Agamemnon in Book
1. - Thetis a sea-goddess, who is the mother of
Achilles after sex with the mortal Peleus. She
wants Zeus to aid the Trojans as a way to get
even with Agamemnon for hurting her son,
Achilles. - Zeus the king of the gods. Brother and husband
of Hera. See fuller note on page 683. - Hera goddess, wife and sister of Zeus. Defender
of the Achaeans/Greeks. - Hephaestus god of fire, the blacksmith, son of
Hera. He will make armor for Achilles later in
The Iliad.
11Theme Achilles' wrath
- (P.1 R1-R8)
- The Text begins with an invocation to the muse
opening with the broad spectacle of war and
narrowing to a specific conflict
12The Rage of Achilles, by Giovanni Battista
Tiepolo
13The Iliad begins with these lines
- The first word of Homer's Iliad is the ancient
Greek word menis, fury, rage, or wrath. This word
announces the major theme of the Iliad the wrath
of Achilles.
14An invocation to the Muse or Muses
- P.1 R9-R16
- Calliope (Beautiful Voice) epic poetry.
Euterpe (Delight) music.Erato (eros (love)
Lovely One) love poetry. Thalia (thallein (to
bloom), Festivity) comedy. Clio (kleos(glory)
history. Urania (ouranos (sky) Heavenly One)
astronomy Terpsichore (Delight of
dancing/choruses) dance. Melpomene (melpein
(to sing)) tragedyPolyhymnia (poly (many) and
hymnos (hymn) sacred poetry. (considered also
as inventor of the lyre)
15Nine Muses
16Apollo and Muses
17HOMER INVOKING THE MUSE
18Muses
- a sisterhood of goddesses or spirits,
- their number set at nine by Classical times,
- ho embody the arts and inspire the creation
process with their graces through remembered and
improvised song and stage, writing, traditional
music, and dance. - They were water nymphs
19Whos daughters?
- the daughters of Zeus, king of the gods, and
Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. - Or springing from Uranus and Gaia
- Another, rarer genealogy is that they are
daughters of Harmonia
20Chryses attempting to ransom his daughter
Chryseis from Agamemnon
21Agamenon refuses to return the daughter
22Chryses is turning to Apollo
- P.2 R1 -R4
- Smintheus an epithet taken from sminthos, the
Phrygian name for a mouse, was applied to Apollo
for having put an end to a plague of mice which
had harassed that territory. - Strabo, however, says, that when the Teucri were
migrating from Crete, they were told by an oracle
to settle in that place, where they should not be
attacked by the original inhabitants of the land,
and that, having halted for the night, a number
of field-mice came and gnawed away the leathern
straps of their baggage, and thongs of their
armor. In fulfillment of the oracle, they settled
on the spot, and raised a temple to Sminthean
Apollo
23Apollo
- Zeus son and Letos
- Latona's son i.e. Apollo.
- Twins Apollo and Artemis
- Silverbrow
- Protector of Chryse
- Lord of Holy Cilla
- Master of Tenedos
- Sminthian
- God of Plague
24The Greeks
- The Danaans
- Achaeans
- Argives
25 Cilla
- P.2 R8
- Cilla, a town of Troas near Thebe, so called from
Cillus, a sister of Hippodamia, slain by OEnomaus.
26Bent was his bow (p.2 R17)
- "The Apollo of Homer, it must be borne in mind,
is a different character from the deity of the
same name in the later classical pantheon.
Throughout both poems, all deaths from unforeseen
or invisible causes, the ravages of pestilence,
the fate of the young child or promising adult,
cut off in the germ of infancy or flower of
youth, of the old man dropping peacefully into
the grave, or of the reckless sinner suddenly
checked in his career of crime, are ascribed to
the arrows of Apollo or Diana.
27Apollo sends a plague on the Greeks
- P.2 R15- P.3 L8
- It has frequently been observed, that most
pestilences begin with animals, and that Homer
had this fact in mind.
28Achilles calls for an assembly
- P.3 L9-L22
- Convened to council. The public assembly in the
heroic times is well characterized by Grote, vol.
ii. p 92. "It is an assembly for talk.
Communication and discussion to a certain extent
by the chiefs in person, of the people as
listeners and sympathizersoften for eloquence,
and sometimes for quarrelbut here its ostensible
purposes end."
29The seer Chalcas dares not t to tell the truth
- P.3 L23-P.3 R14
- Chalcas the wise, the Grecian priest and guide,
seer. Prophet - Calchas
- son of Thestor, was a Argive seer, with a gift
for interpreting the flight of birds that he
received of Apollo "as an augur, Calchas had no
rival in the camp"
30Achilles encourage Chalcas to tell the truth
- P.3 R15-P.3 R24
- Achilles Pelides
- Achilles was the son of the nymph Thetis and
Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons.
31Chalcas points out Agamemnon . . .
32Agamemnon's Defense
33Achilles blames Agamemnon
34Agamemnon's rejoinder
35Achilles argues angrily
36Agamemnon argues with Achilles
37Achilles anger is building up . . .
38Athena presenting the fury of Achilles
39Achilles vow to withdraw from the war