ENGLISH NOTES (add to Homer file)
Epic Poem
The language of the poem is grand and elaborate to match the story
The epic poem includes an invocation of the muses
Muse (in Greek and Roman mythology) each of nine goddesses, the
daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and
sciences.
source of inspiration for a creative artist
Also includes epithets used as poetic device
Muses
According to Hesiod, there were nine muses
Believed to be the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (goddess of
memory)
Another version stated that they were daughters of Uranus and Gaea
Epithet
an adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as
characteristic of the person or thing mentioned: old men are often unfairly
awarded the epithet ‘dirty’.
Glorified nickname which may be used to give someone’s style
Significant, assigned by elders to represent one’s distinction
Describe people and places to make them distinct
Hector: tall, man-killing
Achilles: son of Pelius
Agamemnon: son of
Trojan War
Eris: daughter of Zeus and Hera, goddess of discord, strife, and rivalry.
Sibling of Ares, the god of war
The banquet
Thetis – a sea nymph, immortal devoted to the mother of Achilles,
nurtured Haphaestus
Peleus – mortal with Achilles as the offspring
The Judgement of Paris
Paris was on the slopes of the mountain, known for keeping his word
Zeus instructed Hermes to bring the nymphs
Perception of beauty through the naked body
Bribes: Paris was bribed by Hera, Athena, Aphrodite. Yes to Aphrodite
because he would be given Helen, the most beautiful woman
Despite Aphrodite’s promise, Paris was still a humble shepherd.
King Priam had a contest for a bull in his festival. Paris’ boss did not allow
him to join because he would be exposed to his parents.
Paris went to Sparta as the leader of the peaceful delegation. When
Menelaus went to Crete, Helen and Paris and sailed for Troy
Menelaus asked help from his brother, Agamemnon, king of Mycenae
the daughter of Zeus and Leda, born from an egg because Zeus was
disguised as a Leda. In the Homeric poems she was the outstandingly
beautiful wife of Menelaus, and her abduction by Paris (to whom she had
been promised, as a bribe, by Aphrodite) led to the Trojan War
Suitors of Helen came from all over Greece hoping to win her heart.
Helen’s stepfather, King Tyndareus, was worried that choosing one suitor
might anger the others
All the suitors of Helen were asked to take an oath to accept Helen’s
choice and to support the person whenever the need arises
Stormy winds prevented the Greek fleet from sailing
Artemis was angered by the Greeks killing one of her sacred
animals/Agamemnon boasted that he was a better hunter than Artemis.
Either the Greeks’ fault or Agamemnon’s
Agamemnon was asked to sacrifice his daughter, Ephiginea
Menelaus treated Paris as his own son
Discord was not invited to the banquet but presents a golden apple: for
the fairest
Helen was married to Menelaus king of Sparta. They went to Troy. The
rage started the Trojan war
Agamemnon summoned all the Greek cities n gods to plot against his
brother
TROY: Hector, Priam, Paris, Hekabe, Helen
The Iliad happened in Troy nine years after the start of the Trojan war
In medias res (in the midst of things) is a way to start a work somewhere in
the middle of the plot [last years after the Trojan war]
The Iliad
Started with
Chryses, Chryseis’ father, went to the Greek camp and tried to ransom
his daughter with gifts
As Chryses walked, he prayed to the god, Apollo
Calchas was taken by Agamenon to accompany the Greeks to war
He predicted that the war against the trojans would last 10 years
Calchas also suggested that the fleet would only escape the raging
sea if Iphigenia were sacrifices
He also explained why Apollo was slaughtering the army with the
plague
Chryseis was given back to her father by Odysseus
Agamemnon sent his soldiers to bring Briseis, Achilles’ prize, to his tent
Achilles acted immaturely; he widthrew his troops and men after going
to his tent and sulking
Athena (Minerva) came down from heaven and seized Achilles by his
yellow hair (Athena could only be seen by Achilles)
GREEK SIDE: Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, Hephaestus
TROJAN SIDE: Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Ares