Homeric Epics
What 2 epics is Homer famous for?
Iliad & Odyssey
Who is Paris?
A Trojan prince
Where do the gods and goddesses ‘live’?
Mt. Olympus
True or False:
Homer is thought to have been blind.
True
List 5 characteristics of the epic.
Epic Hero, Epic plot, Epic setting,
archetypes, epic themes
True or False:
The epics were written by Homer.
False: told orally or sung
How did the war begin?
Paris kidnapped Helen (wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta)
What side of the war did Aphrodite support?
Trojan
True or False: There is unambiguous evidence that Homer existed.
False: The evidence is ambiguous. Scholars debate if he really existed.
What is an epic simile?
*Comparing things using like/as
*extended- goes on for several lines
When were the epics composed?
750-725 BCE
When was the Trojan War?
Sometime around 1200 BCE
What side of the war did Athena support?
Greek
The Iliad and the Odyssey are part of a series of poems about ….?
The whole story of Trojan War
What is an epithet?
*Descriptive phrase for a person or thing
*used by the poet to fill out a line
*son of Laertes. *raider of cities
Name three important plot elements
*Trojan War
*Heroism
*interference of gods
At what point in the war is the story of the Iliad?
10 years after the war began
True or False: The Greek gods in Homer’s time were known for being patient, humble, kind, and forgiving.
False: they were known for quarrels and jealousy.
True or False: The Iliad and the Odyssey did not have an impact on English literature, only Greek.
False: It had great impact on Roman and English poets
What is an allusion?
A reference to a famous person, place, or event that the Greek reader would understand
What is ‘epic form’?
narrative poetry about a hero’s adventures
List 2 Greek warriors and 2 Trojan warriors
Achilles/ Agamemnon/ Menelaus/ Odysseus
Paris/ Hector
Who is the father of Apollo?
Zues
What modern movie is about the Iliad?
2004- Troy
What are 3 important things to keep in mind when reading the Iliad?
Read it as a narrative
Read it as poetry
Read it as a product of its time