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Exploring The Iliad: Themes, Characters, and Mythological Background

Dive into Homer's epic masterpiece, The Iliad, exploring its themes of choice and persuasion, the heroic code, leadership, and more. Learn about important characters, mythological stories, and the Homeric Question. Discover the cinematic presentation of events, sense imagery, similes, and parallelism used in the text. Uncover key aspects of the Homeric Cycle and mythological tales surrounding Helen, Peleus, and Thetis. Engage with the opening of the epic, its emphasis on the Muse, and the questions that drive the narrative. Prepare for a deep dive into this ancient epic and its enduring impact on literature.

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Exploring The Iliad: Themes, Characters, and Mythological Background

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  1. The Iliad • Agenda: Information about • Text • Homer • Mythological Background

  2. Important Names, Dates and Terminology • 8th century BCE • 1184 BCE • Homer • Description • The Homeric Question • Epic • Oral Tradition

  3. Important Themes, Motifs and Narratological Elements • CHOICE and PERSUASION • THE HEROIC CODE • LEADERSHIP • TRIANGULAR RELATIONSHIPS • SIMILES • THE GODS

  4. Do NOT Reduce the Iliad to either: • PRIDE Or • FATE

  5. Characteristics of Homeric Text: • Beginning in medias res • Cinematic presentation of events and of warfare • Look for sense imagery in the text • Use of SIMILES • Use of PARALLELISM when discussing events, characters and gods

  6. Homeric Cycle • Series of texts about Troy • Some tell the same stories as the Homeric epics • Many tell entirely different stories • What still exists contains only a part of the entire story of the Trojan War

  7. Mythological Stories You Need to Know • Helen and the Suitors • Wedding of Peleus and Thetis • Hecuba’s Dream of the Burning City • Judgment of Paris • Assembling the Suitors • Sacrifice of Iphigenia

  8. Helen and the Suitors • Helen: daughter of Tyndareus • Clytemnestra: daughter of Tyndareus; twin of Helen; (later) wife of Agamenon • Penelope: niece to Tyndareus Suitors • Agamemnon: king of Argos; son of Atreus; brother of Menelaus • Menelaus: brother of Agamemnon • Odysseus: king of Ithaka; (later) husband of Penelope • Ajax: son of Telemon; great warrior

  9. Hecuba’s Dream of the Burning City Priam = Hecuba __________________|___________________ SONS: DAUGHTERS Hektor (m. Andromache) Cassandra Paris (m. Helen) Polyxena Deiphobus Creusa Polydorus 47 other daughters 46 more sons

  10. Wedding of Peleus and Thetis • Thetis: water nymph, daughter of Nereus • Peleus: mortal man, son of Aeacus, King of Aegina • Thetis and Peleus are the parents of Achilles

  11. Wedding of Peleus and Thetis (cont.) OLYMPIAN GODS • Aphrodite: goddess of love • Apollo: god of healing, music, prophecy • Ares: god of war • Artemis: goddess of the hunt • Athena: goddess of wisdom, strategy • Demeter: goddess of the Harvest • Hephaistos: god of fire and metal craft; son of Hera and Zeus; crippled because he was thrown by Zeus • Hera: wife of Zeus • Hermes: messenger god • Poseidon: god of the sea • Zeus: king of the gods; (very unfaithful) husband to Hera

  12. Wedding of Peleus and Thetis (cont.) • ERIS: Goddess of Discord, not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis • Golden apple inscribed “To the Fairest”

  13. Assembling the Suitors • Agamemnon • Menelaus • Odysseus • Ajax • Achilles – the most difficult to find

  14. Gaining a Strong Wind Agamemnon = Clytemnestra ______________|_____________ | | | Iphigeneia Electra Orestes

  15. Key Aspects of the Epic’s Opening • Emphasis on the 1st word • Invocation of the Muse Questions • What events are set into motion in the opening 2 pages? • Who is who? • What are the key words? • Are any of the themes mentioned earlier present in this segment of text?

  16. For Next Class • You are instructed to wrote a response to something you find difficult in the text. • Pick a passage of no more than 20 lines that you find important and/or difficult and write about it. We will use these student-chosen passages as the basis for discussion next class.

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