Transcript Slide 1

*
The Epic and the Hero’s Journey
*The Odyssey is an epic or long
narrative poem.
*An epic recounts the adventures
of an epic hero, a larger-thanlife figure who undertakes great
journeys and performs deeds
requiring remarkable strength
and cunning.
*
*Often possesses
supernatural strengths or
abilities
*Is charged with a quest
*Is tested, often to
improve the worthiness of
himself and his quest
* Restitution. Often this
takes the form of the hero
regaining his rightful
place on the throne.
*
* There is often the
presence of numerous
mythical beings, magical
and helpful animals, and
human helpers and
companions
* The hero’s travels take
him to a supernatural
world, often one that
normal human beings are
barred from entering.
*
• An archetype is a pattern in literature
that is found in a variety of works
from different cultures throughout the
ages.
• An archetype can be a plot, a
character, an image or a setting.
*
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Heroes
Shadows
Mentors
Heralds
Threshold Guardians
Shape-shifters
Tricksters
Allies
Woman as Temptress
*
SHADOWS
•
•
Villains
Enemies or perhaps
the enemy within.
*
Voldemort from
Harry Potter
MENTORS
The hero’s guide or
guiding principles
*
Gandalf from The
Hobbit and The Lord
of the Rings
THE HERALD
* The one who brings
the call to adventure
* Can be a person or
event
*
The tornado is a herald in
The Wizard of Oz
THRESHOLD
GUARDIANS
* The forces that stand
in the way at the
turning points
Draco Malfoy in Harry
Potter
SHAPE-SHIFTERS
* Creatures who change
their shape
The goddess, Athena, can become
most any person or animal.
TRICKSTERS
* Clowns and mischief
makers
*
Pippin and Merry from
The Lord of the Rings
ALLIES
* Characters who help
the hero through the
quest
Donkey from Shrek
WOMAN AS
TEMPTRESS
•
•
Femme fatale
Offers danger to the
hero
Princess Leia from
Star Wars
*
*
An example of what the Hero’s Journey
would look like in a diagram.
•
Discovered by
Joseph Campbell in
his analysis of epic
stories.
•
The hero’s journey is
a cycle that is
followed in hero
myths and stories.
*
The Ordinary
World – the hero
lives in a world
that is normal or
uneventful – (ex.
Frodo Baggins
and the Shire)
The Call to
Adventure – the
hero is charged
with a quest –
(ex. Dorothy and
the red slippers)
*
Refusal of the Quest –
the hero decides whether
to accept or deny quest –
(ex. Simba refuses to
return to Pride Rock)
Accepting the call
The hero makes the
decision to accept the
call
(ex. Luke in Star Wars)
Entering the Unknown –
the hero enters a world
previously unknown to
him/her (ex. Frodo
outside of the Shire)
*
*Supernatural Aid –
could be a being or
object (Frodo –
Gandalf the Wizard)
*Allies/Helpers – the
hero is aided by
helpers (ex. Dorothy
and the lion, tin
man and scarecrow)
*
*Tests/Belly of the Whale –
the hero is tested (ex.
Dorothy – defeating the
Wicked Witch)
*Reward and the Journey
Home – The hero claims
reward (ex. Shrek – Fiona)
*Master of the Two
Worlds/Restoring the
World – the hero restores
order in his former home
(ex. Simba and Pride Rock)
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGV1Bvnyv
Go
*
*
*
*
*Credited with writing
the two most famous
epics of all time: the
Illiad and the Odyssey.
*Stories passed down
orally during the
Homeric Age.
*Poetic form & rhyme–
easy for story-teller to
remember.
*
• True identity is unknown
• Likely a bard or rhapsode
• A combination of many
•
•
•
•
men?
Lived around 850 B.C.
Blind: Many people
believed romantically that
performers were blind.
homeros = blind
Lived in Greece
*
*Some Believe He Did
*The Greek alphabet
originated in early 8th or
late 9th century BC.
*Homer could have been
one of the first authors to
use the Greek alphabet to
write down oral epic
poetry.
*Some Believe He Did Not
*Because the Greek
alphabet did not originate
until early 8th or late 9th
century BC, it is unlikely
Homer would have
written down oral epic
poetry.
*Homer likely had a
literate scribe write down
his oral epic poetry.
*
*Homer passed his stories on via traveling
story-tellers called “rhapsodes”
*Sometimes stories were turned into plays
*Greek theater was performed outside
*No actresses, only actors
*No scenery
*Actors wore masks and high platform
shoes– they moved very slowly
*
*Singing or reciting, a poet kept the
audience enthralled with epic similes,
epithets and allusions.
*An epithet is a brief descriptive phrase
used to characterize a particular person or
thing. Examples: “son of Laertes” and
“raider of cities”
*Allusion – a reference to a famous person,
place, event or literary work.
*
Homer often
develops the simile
(a comparison
between two unlike
things) at great
length, so that it
goes on for several
lines. This is known
as an epic simile.
*
His rage
Held hard in leash, submitted to his mind,
While he himself rocked, rolling from side
to side,
As a cook turns a sausage, big with blood
And fat, at a scorching blaze, without a
pause,
To broil it quick: so he rolled left and right,
..
Odysseus is being compared to
a sausage roasted over a fire.
The Illiad
* tells about a 10 year war fought on the plains
beyond the walls of Troy, Greece
* War fought between the people of Troy and an
alliance of early Greek kings
*
The Odyssey
* Tells of Odysseus’ 10 year journey back to
Ithaca.
*
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
intelligent
proud
dedicated
optimistic
curious
leader
*
*
*Laertes, King of Ithaca
and a great fighter in his
youth, marries Anticlea.
*They purchase a slave
woman, Eurycleia
*Laertes and Anticlea have
a son.
*He is named Odysseus by
and looked after by
Eurycleia
*Odysseus becomes the wise and gentle king of
Ithaca and marries Penelope, daughter of
Spartan King Icarius.
*He builds their bedroom and constructs a bed
around the base of an olive tree.
*Odysseus does not want to join the Trojan War,
but he does so just after his son Telemachus is
born.
*
* Odysseus and his wife Penelope had one son,
Telemachus, who was a toddler when Odysseus
was summoned to join the kings
* Odysseus really didn’t want to go to war so
when the other kings came for him, he
pretended to be insane and not recognize his
visitors. He continued to plow his fields.
*
*
*Because Odysseus ignored
the other kings, King
Menelaus and Agamenon
threw Telemachus in front
of the plow.
*Odysseus revealed his
sanity when he turned the
plow to avoid running
over his son.
*
*As he leaves,
Odysseus tells
Penelope that if he
does not return, she is
to remarry when
Telemachus comes of
age.
*He leaves Mentor or
Laertes in charge of
the palace in Ithaca.
*Odysseus originated the idea of the
Trojan horse
*His army built a large wooden horse
and hid Odysseus & members of his
army inside.
*The Greeks offered it to the Trojans
as a sign of their surrender and the
Trojans accepted the gift and brought
it inside the walls of their city.
*In the night, Odysseus and his men
crept out, unlocked the gates of the
city, and the battle began.
*
*Because Odysseus is gone, his home is over-run
with over 100 suitors (men who want to marry
his wife).
*Penelope, his wife, and Telemachus, his 21year-old son, do not have the power to eject the
suitors from their home
*Telemachus, the heir to Odysseus, is constantly
in danger.
*Due to his young age and lack of power, he
cannot seek help from other Greeks; he cannot
eject the suitors from his home
*
*Ithaca has no coined money; wealth is measured
by livestock, household furnishings, servants,
slaves, and treasure.
*Slavery is encouraged in Ithaca; having slaves is
a symbol of power and wealth
*Piracy, war, raids on foreign cities, and the
capture of women are all accepted means of
increasing wealth
*The first thing Odysseus does after leaving Troy
is to sack Ismarus, take their goods and steal
their women.
*
*
*(will be revealed in detail in The
Odyssey in flash-back)
*For 3 years Odysseus is blown
around the Mediterranean,
experiencing adventures with the
Cicones, the Lotus Eaters, the
Cylops, Polyphemus; Aeolus, the
wind-god, giant cannibals; the
witch Circe; the underworld; the
Sirens; more monsters;
*Eventually he is swept ashore to
the island of Calypso where he
spends 7 years. (It is at this point
where we first meet Odysseus.)
*
*To the ancient
Greeks, the gods
were real,
controlled
everything, &
interacted with
human affairs.
*
*Homer used both
Athena and Poseidon
as alter-egos for
Odysseus: good vs.
evil
*
*Poets and poetry were
an important part of
ancient Greek life for
entertainment &
instruction.
*Gave gifts to guests
upon arrival and
departure.
*Strangers were always
welcome.
*
* Hospitality as a serious and important
obligation in Greek culture: always be polite
to your guests; however, this expectation
prevents Telemachus and Penelope from
removing the suitors from their home
*The danger of hubris: hubris is
excessive pride that leads to
destruction. Odysseus is often guilty of
hubris and Athena must rescue him
*The importance of moderation: Giving
in to excess or temptation, whether
food, drink, or other pleasures, will
cause a person harm. The Sirens’ song
leads to destruction and the suitors’
desires lead to their destruction.
*
*
*The expected roles for
women and men in
Greek society: Men are
almost always superior to
women, except in Sparta
where women have more
rights.
*The role of fate:
Characters receive hints
as to their fate; however,
some choose to ignore the
foreshadowing
*The similarities between Greek gods and
mortals: The gods have many of the same
negative traits as humans and often cause
destruction.
*Gods may choose to save one person and many
others will die as a result.
*The gods are given credit for all that is good,
they are sometimes blamed for bringing
destruction to mortals.
*
*
*Loyalty: Penelope is
expected to wait for
Odysseus, gone for more
than 20 years.
*Telemachus must stand
for his father, who he
does not even remember,
against the suitors.
*However, there are
characters who do not
remain loyal to Odysseus
and their fate is not good.
*
*Perseverance: work
to survive in any
situation
*Vengeance: It is
acceptable to hurt or
kill those who are
disloyal. The end of
the epic shows what
happens to those who
defy Odysseus
*
*Appearance vs. Reality:
Athena takes on many
different characters’
identities and even
animals’ when helping
Telemachus or Odysseus.
*Athena can even change
others’ appearances for
reasons such as checking
on someone’s loyalty or
making a good impression
on a king.
*
*Spiritual Growth:
Telemachus and
Odysseus both
experience struggles
which cause them to
mature spiritually by
the end of the epic.