THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY

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 INTRODUCTION OF ILIAD

The Iliad is an epic that tells about only a few weeks during the Trojan War. 
The Iliad does not tell the entire story of the war, which is supposed to have
lasted for ten years.  But the audience is expected to be familiar with the
entire story of the Trojan War, including all the events that occurred before
and after the war.  These pre- and post-war events are referred to in the Iliad,
but they are not explained, so here are a few of the most important stories.
INTRODUCTION OF ODYSSEY

• The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer circa 750 BCE … it dynamically relates the story of the
journey of Odysseus from Troy to his island home of Ithaka after the Trojan War.

• The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer are the epic poems that form the basis of the Epic Cycle, which in
their totality describe the sack of Troy and the return of the Greek heroes to their various homes.

• The Odyssey is divided into twenty-four books and is presented in the form of a poem. the Iliad and the
Odyssey are presumed to have been recited or sung for hundreds of years before being written down but
that is not a proven fact. the Iliad and the Odyssey could have been composed by Homer and then passed
from generation to generation of singers who memorized the poem.
 THE ILIAD
• In the midst of the Trojan War, Greek leader Agamemnon refuses to return captive Chryseis, causing Apollo to send a
plague to the Greek encampment and alienating powerful Greek warrior Achilles.
• Zeus listens to the insulted Achilles’ prayer and supports the Trojans. The tide turns in the Trojans’ favor. Agamemnon
tries and fails to bribe Achilles to fight for the Greeks again.
• Trojan prince Paris, who sparked the war by stealing Menelaus’ wife Helen, offers to battle Menelaus to end the conflict;
he is defeated, but rescued by Aphrodite. The temporary truce is overthrown by Hera’s schemes and fighting resumes.
• The Trojans attempt to light the Greek ships on fire, but the gods intervene on behalf of the Greeks. Achilles’ friend
Patroclus disguises himself as Achilles and joins the fray; despite initial success, he is ultimately killed by Trojan prince
Hector.
• Achilles re-enters the battle to avenge his fallen friend. He kills Hector and attempts to maim the body, but fails when
the gods preserve it. Achilles buries Patroclus and returns Hector’s body to Troy, where it is buried.
 THE ODYSSEY
• Years after the end of the Trojan War, the Greek hero Odysseus still hasn't come home to Ithaka. Most people figure he's dead.
But we don't: Homer lets us know right away that Odysseus is being held as a (willing) sex captive on the island of the goddess
Kalypso. Oh, and sea god Poseidon is ticked off at Odysseus, and sees no reason to let him get home.
• Back in Ithaka, Odysseus' wife Penelope is getting swarmed by a horde of unwanted suitors. Odysseus and Penelope's son,
Telemachos, now a typically moody teenager, gets a visit from the goddess Athene (who was always chummy with Odysseus).
She tells him to go looking for news of his missing father, so he heads to Pylos to visit King Nestor. Nestor takes him in, gives
him a dinner—and then tells him to go see King Menelaos in Sparta. Once again, he does as he's told.
• In Sparta, Telemachos learns from Menelaos that Odysseus is alive and…well, being held captive on Kalypso's island. Menelaos
also tells Telemachos about how his bro, King Agamemnon, was murdered when he got home from Troy by his unfaithful wife,
Klytaimestra, and her lover, Aigisthos. It's cool, though: Agamemnon's son Orestes killed the murderers. This fun story raises
the question of whether Odysseus will be killed when he gets home, and, if so, whether Telemachos will step up to avenge his
father's death. Meanwhile, back in Ithaka, Penelope's suitors plot to ambush and kill Telemachos when he returns home. Oh,
the tension!
• Up on Mount Olympos, where the gods all hang out, the goddess Athene asks her father, Zeus, the King of the gods, to have
mercy on Odysseus and force Kalpyso to release him. Zeus says whatevs, and in no time, Odysseus sails off on a makeshift raft.
 THE ILIAD CHARACTERS
• Agamemnon, leader of the expedition
• Menelaos, his brother and the husband of Helen
• Achilles, chief warrior, leader of the Myrmidons and son of the Nereid Thetis
• Patroklos, Achilles' companion and close friend, beloved of Achilles in later tradition
• Phoinix, friend and mentor of Achilles
• Ajax, chief warrior after Achilles
• Diomedes, one of the greatest Greek warriors
• Odysseus, prominent warrior and advisor
• Nestor, older warrior from Pylos, chief advisor of Greeks
• Hera
• Athena
• Poseidon
• Hermes
• Hephaistos
• Priam, ruler of Troy, father of Hektor
• Hektor, son of Priam, chief Trojan warrior
• Deiphobos, brother of Hektor, Trojan warrior; marries Helen after death of Paris
• Paris, also called Alexandros, brother of Hektor and seducer/husband of Helen
• Polydamas, Trojan warrior and advisor
• Aeneas, Trojan warrior, son of Aphrodite
• Euphorbos, Trojan warrior who wounds Patroklos
• Pandaros, Trojan ally, Lycian archer
• Sarpedon, Trojan ally, leader of the Lycians, son of Zeus
• Ares
• Apollo
• Artemis
• Aphrodite
• Skamandros, the river god
 THE ODYSSEY CHARACTERS
• Odysseus The central figure in the epic, he employs guile as well as courage to return to Ithaca, defeat the suitors, and
resume his proper place as king.
• Penelope Wife of Odysseus and mother of their son, Telemachus, she is shrewd and faithful in fending off the suitors.
• Telemachus Son of Odysseus and Penelope, the prince struggles to gain his own maturity while attempting to deal with the
problems of the palace.
• Laertes Odysseus' father, the old king lives humbly and in solitude on a small farm where he mourns the absence of his son;
once reunited with Odysseus, he is restored to dignity.
• Anticleia Odysseus' mother, she dies grieving her son's long absence and sees him only during his visit to the Land of the
Dead.
• Eurycleia Faithful old nurse to Odysseus (as well as Telemachus), she identifies her master when she recognizes an old scar
on his leg.
• Eumaeus and Philoetius Odysseus' loyal swineherd and cowherd, they assist him in his return to Ithaca and stand with the
king and prince against the suitors.
• Argos Trained by Odysseus some twenty years before, the discarded old dog, dying on a dung heap, recognizes his
master as Odysseus and Eumaeus approach the palace.
• Antinous and Eurymachus The two leading suitors, they differ in that Antinous is more physically aggressive while
Eurymachus is a smooth talker.
• Eupithes Father of Antinous, he leads the suitors' families and friends who seek revenge for the slaughter and is killed by
Laertes.
• Melanthius and Melantho Odysseus' disloyal goatherd and an insolent palace maidservant, these two are
representative of those who serve their master poorly, and each is rewarded with a grisly death.
• Agamemnon King of Mycenae and commander of the Greek expedition to Troy, he was assassinated by his wife and her
lover upon his return home. Homer frequently refers to him, comparing Penelope favorably to Agamemnon's wife,
Clytemnestra. Odysseus sees him in the Land of the Dead.
• Tiresias The blind seer of Thebes, he meets Odysseus in the Land of the Dead, warns him of impending dangers, offers
advice, and foretells a later quest and a long life.
• Alcinous King of the Phaeacians, he encourages Odysseus to tell the story of his wanderings and helps the hero return to
Ithaca.
• Nausicaa Daughter of Alcinous and Queen Arete, she finds Odysseus when he washes ashore on Phaeacia and expresses
an attraction toward him.
• Gods, Monsters, and Supernatural Beings
• Zeus King of the gods, he is somewhat unpredictable but usually supports wayfaring suppliants, hospitality, and his
daughter Athena in her concern for Odysseus.
• Athena Sometimes called "Pallas Athena" or "Pallas," she frequently intervenes on Odysseus' or Telemachus' behalf,
often in disguise and sometimes as Mentor, the prince's adviser.
• Polyphemus Also known as "the Cyclops," the one-eyed cannibal giant who traps Odysseus and a scouting party in his
cave and is blinded when they escape.
• Poseidon God of the sea and father of Polyphemus, he seeks revenge on Odysseus for blinding his son.
• Calypso A goddess-nymph, she holds Odysseus captive for seven years, sleeping with him, hoping to marry him, and
releasing him only at Zeus' order.
• Circe A goddess-enchantress who turns some of Odysseus' crew into swine, she reverses the spell and becomes
Odysseus' lover for a year, advising him well when he departs.
• Aeolus Master of the winds, he helps Odysseus get within viewing distance of Ithaca but later abandons the voyager,
concluding that anyone so unlucky must be cursed.
 SETTINGS:

• Sparta (Greek: Σπάρτη, Spártē) is a town and municipality in Laconia, Greece.

• Troy - archaeological site in the north-west of Asia Minor (now Turkey)
• Olympus Mt Olympus was historically also known as Mount Belus, after Iliad 1.591, where the seat of the gods is
referred to as "heavenly threshold".
QUESTIONS:
____1.The son of king priam and queen hecuba.
____2.The son of peleus and nereid thetis,prince of the myrmidons,and mightiest of the achalan warriors at the siege of
troy.
____3.Is the greatest of the trojan warriors.
____4.The devoted wife of hector and the mother of astyanax.
____5.The young son of hector and andromache.
A.Prince Hector
____6.The wife of king menelous.
B.Helen
____7.The son of king priam and queen hecuba. C.Priam
____8.The king of troy and the beneficent father of a large family. D.Achilles
E.Paris
____9.The wife of king priam.
F.Helenus
____10. The goddess of love. G.Astyanax
H.Andromache
I.Aphrodite
J.Hecuba