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