Transcript Homer (c. 8th century B.C.)

Homer (c. 8th century B.C.)
• Ascribed to the Iliad and the Odyssey by the Ancient
Greeks
• His name means “hostage”
• Referred to as the “Ionian Bard” or the Poet
• Likely came from Ionia in the eastern Mediterranean
• Legend has it that he was blind – may be true due to
age or – this may have arisen out of its symbolic
implications
o Tiresias, the blind prophet in Oedipus and
Oedipus himself
o Tiresias, the blind prophet in the Odyssey
o Homer’s image is of the blind bard singing the
myths of his people
The Iliad
The Greek Epic Form
• Homer used a style that was formulaic…of or pertaining to
a formula (everybody was doing it)
• The epic poem is a long narrative poem written in an
elevated style that presents characters of high position in
various adventures that form a complete story
• There exists a central hero who is human but typically
possesses god-like attributes
• The hero in an epic is usually on some sort of a quest
• Kleos – Greek word for glory
The Iliad
Composed between 750 and 650 BC most likely in the oral tradition
• Set in Mycenaean Greece in the Bronze Age (12th century BC)
• The Achaeans (Greeks) were the tribe occupying Greece at this time
• A most glorious age when the gods still frequented the earth and
mortals were heroes
• Because of this it was written in “high” style
• Written in dactylic hexameter
Dactyl = stressed beat followed by two unstressed beats
Picture your self in a boat on a river with
tangerine tree-ees and marmalade skii-ii-es
Hexameter = six stressed beats in a line
Epic Devices
• The poem opens by invoking the muse
 Request for divine help in writing the poem
• The poem begins in medias res (in the middle of
things)
• The poet includes detailed catalogues of warriors,
ships and armies
• The setting is vast, covering great nations, the world,
or the universe
Epic Devices – cont’d.
Epic simile
• An extended simile elaborated in such detail or at such length as
to eclipse temporarily the main action of a narrative work,
forming a decorative digression.
• Usually it compares one complex action (rather than a simple
quality or thing) with another:
o e.g., the approach of an army with the onset of storm‐clouds.
• Sometimes called a Homeric simile after its frequent use in
Homer's epic poems
• Often depict scenes of domestic life, animals, or natural
catastrophes
• Removes the reader from the scene at hand and place us into
other areas of human experience where events are equally tense
and crucial
Epic Devices – cont’d.
• The epic hero is a figure of high stature, of national
importance, and of great historical or legendary
significance
• The action consists of superhuman courage and
superhuman strength
• Supernatural forces – gods, angels, and demons interest
themselves in the action and intervene in it from time to
time
• The characters give frequent formal speeches.
 presented either in dramatic monologues or informal
dialogues
 gives the poem and its characters an immediate
presence
 may have offered opportunities for dramatics during
recitals
Epic Devices – cont’d.
• Anthropomorphism – ascribing human qualities to the
gods
• The poet often introduces a character and then
presents a capsule history either of the character’s
noble genealogy or his heroic deeds.
• heightens the social nature of the poem
• places characters within the context of their
homelands and families
• gave listeners a sense of their own past, their
ongoing social order, and their values
• Ekphrasis – the weighing of lots
Epic Devices – cont’d.
• The poet makes frequent use of the
Homeric or stock epithet
 an adjective phrase used to define a distinctive
quality of a person or thing.
• In Homer, this generally means a compound of two
words used as a formula in referring to someone or
something.
(e.g. Grey-eyed Athena, Rosy-fingered dawn)
• Defines characters by placing them in their social roles
• Shows how a character’s heroic stature is usually due to a
particular skill or virtue
• Often helps to fill out the metrical line
Epic Devices – cont’d.
• The poet makes frequent use of repetition and many
phrases—sometimes whole passages—are repeated
verbatim throughout the poem.
• Repeated phrases possibly part of a “fund” of stock
phrases used frequently by the oral poets
• Repetition of stock epithets and names helps certain
characters grow to legendary dimension
• Often occurs at the ends of lines to fulfill the demands
of the meter
Greek Ideals
• Respect for the Gods, Order, & Fate
• Homecoming, Vengeance, & The Restoration
of Order
• Loyalty
• Hospitality & Generosity (xenia)
• Intelligence
• Experience
• Growth & Maturation
• Courage, Strength, & Determination
The Afterlife
• Generally believe that the home of the dead is dark and
dismal. Consequently, their main purpose in life is to
achieve immediate rewards and to live for the moment.
• The idea of a heaven that will reward them for good
deeds, whether on or off the battlefield, is of less
importance to them.
• However, they generally do revere the gods of Olympus,
who take sides in human conflicts.
• Offending the gods could incur their wrath and affect
the outcome of the conflicts.