Today we continued the lesson from 10/18/2021. The aim of the lesson was:
Aim: How can a concise understanding of both an epic poem and the Iliad enhance our reading of the Odyssey?
We began the class by watching a video about the Trojan War.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euD0fqeI_9o&ab_channel=AncientHistoryGuy
After watching the video, we the discussed the following questions:
How do the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities?
What is the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” ?
How does xenia play a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris?
How is this ironic?
To answer the first question, we discussed that the gods and goddesses in the story display human qualities in the way that they argue and have emotions, in the same way as humans. For example, in the story, the three goddesses, Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera, were arguing about who deserved the apple. Next we discussed what the role of prophecy and fate in “The Golden Apple of Discord” is. The role of prophecy in the story is that Paris would be the downfall of Troy, while the role of fate is that Eris’s apple would lead the prophecy to come true. To answer the third question, xenia plays a role in King Menelaus’ treatment of Paris in the way that the king showed hospitality to Paris. This is ironic because Paris later runs away with the king’s wife, Helen.
Promise vs. Oath
Afterwards, we discussed the difference between a promise and an oath.
We discussed that the denotations of “promise” and “oath” are similar, however “oath” has a connotation that holds more weight. An oath is more strict than a promise and, in theory, is believed to not be broken.
Xenia
An important term we learned is xenia. It is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality -- the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest and host. For example, Zeus was known as the protector of guests. He embodied the religious obligation to be hospitable to travelers. We also watched a video about what xenia is to better understand this topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYQRIQtnvII&ab_channel=GreekMythComix
The Trojan War
We then discussed the next slides titled “The Trojan War.” To summarize, the wife of Spartan King Menelaus, Helen, left the king for Prince Paris of Troy. Although King Menelaus had shown Paris xenia, Paris ran away with Helen to Troy after Aphrodite made her fall in love with him. Prior to this, all of Helen’s suitors had made an oath to respect and protect her marriage, so they were obligated to help King Menelaus. Then, the Greeks attack Troy.
Odysseus
Next, we discussed Odysseus, who is the main character of Odyssey, and one of the heroes of the Trojan War. He was a previous suitor of Helen, so he had sworn an oath to protect her. Consequently, he went to Troy even though a prophecy informed him that he wouldn’t return home for a long time. He is known for his strength and cunning intelligence, and he guided the Greeks to victory. Additionally, it was his idea to construct the Trojan horse and try to break the 10 year stalemate of the war.
Odysseus Hero of The Odyssey
Wife: Penelope
Son: Telemachus
Great soldier of the war
Originally tried to get out of going to the war by pretending he was crazy
Came up with the strategy of using the Trojan Horse which would successfully lead to Troy’s collapse.
The Odyssey is the account of Odysseus’ journey home after the war.
Achilles, who was leading the armies, went to fight Paris one on one. Paris shot an arrow into Achilles’ foot with the help of the gods, and Achilles died (final year of the war)
Greek forces were victorious
The Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse was a giant wooden statue of a horse, a symbol of Troy, which the Greeks presented to Troy as a “gift,” but in reality it was a way to enter the city and destroy it. The Greeks hid in the statue, while their ships were taken a mile away to deceive Troy and make it seem as though they had given up. Once they were inside the city, they destroyed Troy and wreaked havoc by enslaving the women, slaughtering children, and destroying the temples. Consequently, the Greeks were victorious in the war.
The Trojan Horse in the modern world is a computer virus. A Trojan horse is a type of virus that downloads onto a device disguised as a legitimate program. This idea is similar to that of the original Trojan Horse because both are using deception to defeat others.
Importance of Homer’s Epics
The Iliad and the Odyssey were used in schools to teach Greek virtues.
->Values: honor, bravery, hospitality—"xenia", intelligence, respect for the gods, loyalty to home and family
->Major faults: disrespect for the gods, lack of hospitality, excessive pride—"hubris"
Iliad is the primary model for epic of war
Odyssey is the primary model for epic of the long journey
The Odyssey
The Odyssey was the sequel to the Iliad (900 and 700 BC). The Iliad focuses on the times toward the end of the Trojan War (mid 1200s BC), while the Odyssey focuses on Odysseus -- one of the soldiers who fought in the Trojan War returning home 19 years after the war. Together, the Iliad and the Odyssey were considered sacred to the Greeks—much like the Bible to many people today. Neither book was originally written down, and both were originally recited orally.
Three Major Plot Strands
The Odyssey contains three main plot strands. The first strand is the story in Ithaca about Odysseus’ wife and son as they await his return (called the Telemachy). The second strand is the tale of Odysseus’ wanderings during the ten years after the Trojan War.
This part deals with the adventures he has to overcome as he tries to make his way home to Ithaca, Penelope, and Telemachus, whom he has not seen since Telemachus was just born. Additionally, Odysseus leaves Troy with 12 ships and approximately 720 men. Although he does not encounter military opponents, he encounters monsters and enchanting women who try to keep him from his wife. Lastly, the third strand is the merging of the strands when Odysseus returns to Ithaca and joins forces with his son, Telemachus, to destroy their enemies
The first lines of an ancient epic poem typically offer a “capsule summary” (a shortened version of a written work) of the subject of the poem. The first lines of the Iliad and the Odyssey follow this pattern. In the original Greek of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, the first word announcing the subject is followed by a specially chosen adjective setting the mood to be followed in turn by a relative clause that frames the story by outlining the plot. Here are some examples:
Next, there are some enrichments provided.
Eris: The Goddess of Discord and Strife - Mythology Dictionary #05 - See U in History (Fixed) [2:28]
How and why the Trojan war started [3:22]
Zeus and the Myth of Hospitality (Philemon and Baucis) Greek Mythology Ep. See U in History [3:54]
Reflection
Throughout this lesson, I learned about the Odyssey and how the Trojan War came to happen. I learned about new concepts that I haven’t experienced much of prior to this lesson. For instance, the story called “The Apple of Discord,” and how one apple could cause a whole war in Greek mythology was a new idea for me. This was part of the lesson because it gives an introduction to the topic of the Odyssey and the Iliad, which we will explore in future lessons. I also learned a new vocabulary word: xenia, which is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality. This new vocabulary word was included in this lesson because it is a word that will be often used in our future classes about the Odyssey, and Greek mythology in general. I will use what I was taught today in the way that I will learn to connect future topics and lessons to these concepts. When we continue to explore the Odyssey, I will understand the basis and introduction of the story. Moreover, understanding this topic will also serve as a resource in later concepts pertaining Ancient Greek mythology along with history itself. To summarize, this was an interesting lesson that helped me comprehend the idea of Greek mythology.
No comments:
Post a Comment