Lesson 2.

3
The Iliad
And
The Odyssey
The title “The Odyssey”
was derived from the
name of the epic hero
“Odysseus” ,
in Latin, “Ulysses”
Odyssey means
“a long journey
with changes in
fortune”
Homer used
flashback or
cutback in
telling the epic.
Flashback or cutback –
is a literary style in which
the author injects some
scenes that took place in
the past and interrupt the
present scene
Medias res (Latin: “in the
midst of things”) - the practice
of beginning an epic or other
narrative by plunging into a
crucial situation that is part of a
related chain of events; the
situation is an extension of
previous events and will be
developed in later action.
If the subject matter of Iliad
is “the wrath of Achilles and
its consequences”:, the
subject matter of Odyssey is
“the return of Odysseus to
Ithaca”.
The subject matter
of “The Odyssey”
is the return of
Odysseus to
Ithaca
 The
Story
of
Odyssey
 The Characters:

Odysseus – the king of Ithaca;

clever and cunning:
devised the stratagem of the
wooden horse
Penelope – the faithful and
loving wife of Odysseus
Telemachus – the son of
Odysseus and Penelope
Pallas Athena – the goddess
who favors Odysseus; often
appears in disguise as Mentor,
an old friend of Odysseus
Calypso – the beautiful nymph
who fell in love with
Odysseus and held him
captive for seven years in the
island of Ogygia
Circe – the beautiful witch
goddess who transforms
Odysseus men into swine
Poseidon – the god of the sea
who hated Odysseus for blinding his
son, Polyphemus
Antinous - he most arrogant of
Penelope’s suitors
Eumaeus – the loyal shepherd of
Odysseus
Eurycleia - the aged and loyal
servant who nursed Odysseus and
Telemachus when they were babies
Polyphemus – the cyclops who was
blinded by Odysseus
Tiresias – the blind prophet who
showed the way to Ithaca
Nausicaa - The beautiful daughter
of King Alcinous
Alcinous – the king of Phaecia
Demodocus – the blind who singer
who sang the Fall of Troy
Aelous – the king of the winds
Ten years after the fall of Troy, the victorious
Greek hero Odysseus has still not returned to
his native Ithaca. A band of rowdy suitors,
believing Odysseus to be dead, has overrun
his palace, courting his faithful -- though
weakening -- wife, Penelope, and going
through his stock of food. With permission
from Zeus, the goddess Athena, Odysseus'
greatest immortal ally, appears in disguise and
urges Odysseus' son Telemachus to seek news
of his father at Pylos and Sparta. However,
the suitors, led by Antinous, plan to ambush
him upon his return.
As Telemachus tracks Odysseus' trail
through stories from his old comrades-in-
arms, Athena arranges for the release of
Odysseus from the island of the beautiful
goddess Calypso, whose prisoner and
lover he has been for the last eight years.
Odysseus sets sail on a makeshift raft,
but the sea god Poseidon, whose wrath
Odysseus incurred earlier in his
adventures by blinding Poseidon's son,
the Cyclops Polyphemus, conjures up a
storm.
With Athena's help, Odysseus
reaches the Phaeacians. Their
princess, Nausicaa, who has a
crush on the handsome warrior,
opens the palace to the stranger.
Odysseus withholds his identity
for as long as he can until finally,
at the Phaeacians' request, he
tells the story of his adventures.
Odysseus relates how, following the
Trojan War, his men suffered more losses
at the hands of the Kikones, then were
nearly tempted to stay on the island of
the drug-addled Lotus Eaters. Next, the
Cyclops Polyphemus devoured many of
Odysseus' men before an ingenious plan
of Odysseus' allowed the rest to escape --
but not before Odysseus revealed his
name to Polyphemus and thus started his
personal war with Poseidon.
The wind god Ailos then
provided Odysseus with a bag of
winds to aid his return home,
but the crew greedily opened
the bag and sent the ship to the
land of the giant, man-eating
Laistrygonians, where they
again barely escaped.
On their next stop, the goddess Circe tricked
Odysseus' men and turned them into pigs.
With the help of the god Hermes, Odysseus
defied her spell and metamorphosed the pigs
back into men. They stayed on her island for
a year in the lap of luxury, with Odysseus as
her lover, before moving on and resisting the
temptations of the seductive and dangerous
Sirens, navigating between the sea monster
Scylla and the whirlpools of Charybdis, and
plumbing the depths of Hades to receive a
prophecy from the blind seer Tiresias.
Resting on the island of Helios,
Odysseus' men disobeyed his
orders not to touch the oxen.
At sea, Zeus punished them
and all but Odysseus died in a
storm. It was then that
Odysseus reached Calypso's
island.
Odysseus finishes his story, and the
Phaeacians hospitably give him gifts and
ferry him home on a ship. Athena
disguises Odysseus as a beggar and
instructs him to seek out his old
swineherd, Eumaeus; she will recall
Telemachus from his own travels. With
Athena's help, Telemachus avoids the
suitors' ambush and reunites with his
father, who reveals his identity only to his
son and swineherd. He devises a plan to
overthrow the suitors with their help.
In disguise as a beggar, Odysseus
investigates his palace. The suitors and a
few of his old servants generally treat him
rudely as Odysseus sizes up the loyalty of
Penelope and his other servants.
Penelope, who notes the resemblance
between the beggar and her presumably
dead husband, proposes a contest: she
will, at last, marry the suitor who can
string Odysseus' great bow and shoot an
arrow through a dozen axe heads.
Only Odysseus can pull off the feat. Bow
in hand, he shoots and kills the suitor
Antinous and reveals his identity. With
Telemachus, Eumaeus, and his goatherd
Philoitios at his side, Odysseus leads the
massacre of the suitors, aided only at the
end by Athena. Odysseus lovingly
reunites with Penelope, his knowledge of
their bed that he built the proof that
overcomes her skepticism that he is an
impostor.
Outside of town, Odysseus visits his
ailing father, Laertes, but an army of
the suitors' relatives quickly finds
them. With the encouragement of a
disguised Athena, Laertes strikes
down the ringleader, Antinous' father.
Before the battle can progress any
further, Athena, on command from
Zeus, orders peace between the two
sides.
THE
END!
SUMMARY OF
ODYSSEUS’
ADVENTURES
On the tenth day,
Odysseus landed
on the island of
the lotus-eaters.
Their next
adventure was
on the land of the
Cyclopes, the
one-eyed giants.
From the Cyclops
island, they reached
the Country of the
Winds ruled by King
Aeolus.
They also reached
the island of the
Laestrygons, the
giant cannibals.
They also reached
the island of
Circe, the most
beautiful but very
enchanting witch.
From Circe, they had to
pass the island of the
Sirens, whose
beautiful voice can
make man forget all
else.
And the next sea
peril was the
passage between
Scylla and
Charybdis.
And finally they reached
the island of Ogygia
where the nymph
Calypso, who had fallen
in love with Odysseus
kept him for seven years
At last, Odysseus
started home but a
tempest shipwrecked
him and after many
and great adventures,
he lost his memory.
Finally, Odysseus
reached the island of
the Phaecians, ruled
by King Alcinous with
a daughter Princess
Nausicaa.
Odysseus regained
his memory when
the blind singer
Demodocus sang
“The Fall of Troy”.
 If “Iliad” ends
tragically,
“Odyssey” ends
happily.
 PART 3

Major
Dramatists
Of
Athenean Age
 Three Periods
of
Greek Literature
The First Period covers the
Pre-Homeric Age and the
Homeric Age, extends from
remote antiquity to the age
of Herodotus (484 B.C.).
Includes the earliest poetry
of Greece and the works of
Homer.
TheSecond Period
coincides with the Athenian
Period to the Golden Age of
Pericles, extends from the
Age of Herodotus to the
death of Alexander the
Great (32 B.C.)
The Third Period extends from
the death of Alexander the
Great to the enslavement of the
Greeks by Rome and extends to
A.D. 1453; also called as the
“Period of Decline”
Pericles (495 – 429 BC)
1. Aeschylus (525-477 B.C.) - he
was regarded as the “father of
tragedy” (he wrote 70 tragedies);
he excelled in presenting
supermen, in depicting gods, Titans
and heroes; also called as the
“theological poet” because his
plays had great spiritual fervor;
he presents the original
dignity and greatness of
nature and of man; also
called as the “soldier
playwright” because he
joined the battle of Salamis
and the battle of Marathon
Aeschylus (525-477 B.C.)
Prometheus Bound – Aeschylus’
greatest work
Oresteia – a trilogy (composed of
three plays)
Agamemnon, Choephoroe
(libation bearer) and Euminides
(The Furies)
The Story of Agamemnon is about family curse
Choephoroe concerns the revenge of
Agamemnon’s son Orestes for his father’s death,
encouraged by his sister Electra, he kills
Aegisthus as well as his mother Clytemnestra
Euminides traces the wanderings of Orestes as he
is pursued by The Furies in vengeance for the
matricide
The Furies are primeval spirits
who avenged crime against
kindred (a group of related
individuals) Alecto, Megaera and
Tisiphone; pictured with serpents
as their hair and blood in their
eyes.
“Man by suffering shall learn.”
2. Sophocles (495-406 B.C.) – 30
years younger than Aeschyllus;
wrote the play “Oedipus, the King”
followed by “Oedipus at Colonnus”
and “Antigone”; won a victory over
the old Aeschylus; he improved the
dramatic technique of ancient
Greece
Sophocles (495-406 B.C.)
3. Euripides (480-407 B.C.) – he was
called a “modern playwright”; His works
served as a stepping stone from the
ancient to the modern drama; he was
exiled in Athens because he portrayed
gods as powerful but also capricious,
silly and unjust. He portrayed man as
stupid and weak in his works like
Medea, Alcestic, and Orestes.
During his age, a change had
come over the Athenean
people (they were losing their
faith in their national religion,
the Olympian gods and their
interest in their mythology
lessened.
Euripides (480-407 B.C.)
4. Aristophanes (452-380
B.C.) – the master of Greek
comedy, his intention was
to attack the faults and
weaknesses of society
 Greek
Lyric Poetry
1. Anacreon – his poems
are “monodies” (songs for
the most part celebrate love
and wine; he created
“Anacreontics” – short and
easy pieces varying greatly
in merit
Anacreon 582- 485 B.C.
2. Sappho – she wrote poems
for Aphrodite; regarded as
the “Tenth Muse”. Beyond
her poetry, she is well
known as a symbol of
love and desire between wo
men
.
Sappho 630 – 570 BCE
3. Pindar – he was a Greek
lyric poet famous for
grandeur of style; he had
“Pindaric Ode” – a lyric
song suited to be set to
music and sung or chanted
Pindar 518 B.C. - 438 B.C.
 LESSON 4

ROMAN
LITERATURE
 The
grandeur
that was
Rome
The literature of Rome
holds a secondary position
in the classic literature of
antiquity because the
Romans are less thinkers
and creators and more
doers than the Greeks.
They just progressed
when they conquered
and enslaved the
Greeks.
They were so impressed about
the Greek literature so they set
about imitating Greek literature
resulting in the unique situation
of “the conquered becoming the
conquerors and the conquerors
becoming the conquered”.
Qualities
of
Roman
Literature
1. Roman literature
was greatly imitative
of Greek models.
2. Roman works are
practical rather than
imaginative and
speculative.
3. There is a
predominance of
satire in Roman
literature.
4. The earliest written
literature was history.
 Virgil or Vergil (Publius
Vergilius Maro (70-19 B.C.) -
the greatest Latin poet; lived in
the time of great violence
(century revolution and civil
war); had an excellent
education in philosophy
Virgil or Vergil (Publius Vergilius Maro) - (70-19 B.C.)
Some of his works are:
Aeneid – the great Roman national
epic
Eclogues – a collection of pastoral
poems
Georgies – a series of didactic
poems on the art of farming
Vergil also used “medias res” a
literary technique used by
Homer in Iliad. If Iliad begins
on the tenth year of war in Troy,
Aeneid begins after the said
war. In both epics, the reader
has no idea what happened
before the story not unless he
reads the background.
 Roman writings
are also characterized
with…
epigram – originally a
memorial or short
dedicatory inscriptions
carved on tombs
- a short, witty
saying tersely expressed
flashback or cutback – a
scene in a story or play
that interrupts the
present action to tell
about events that
happened at an earlier
time
satire – a poem or prose
work holding up human
vices and follies; also
deals with the evils and
weaknesses of the society
Propaganda - considered to be
a modern political art, but the
Romans were masters of 'spin'. It
was used by Rome's leaders to
communicate their power and
their policies to a massive and
diverse empire.
 LESSON 4
PART 2

THE
STORY
OF AENEID
Purpose of Aeneid:

Vergil desired to glorify the

Roman people by his theme
and to exalt the Emperor in
the person of his hero.
The epic went back to heroic
age (to the legend that the
Roman nation was founded by
Trojans who survived the war at
Troy and that the family of
Emperor Augustus was
established by their leader
Aeneas).
Virgil wrote the Aeneid during what is known
as the Golden Age of the Roman Empire,
under the auspices of Rome's first emperor,
Caesar Augustus. Virgil's purpose was to
write a myth of Rome's origins that
would emphasize the grandeur and
legitimize the success of an empire
that had conquered most of the
known world.
Literary Devices of Aeneid:

Vergil used “flashback or cutback”, a

technique borrowed from the
Odyssey (if Odysseus told his
wanderings to King Alcinous of
Phaecia, Aeneas narrated his
wanderings to Queen Dido of
Carthage.
Vergil also used “medias res” a
literary technique used by Homer
in Iliad. If Iliad begins on the
tenth year of war in Troy, Aeneid
begins after the said war. In both
epics, the reader has no idea what
happened before the story not
unless he reads the background.
Other “Homeric techniques” that
were borrowed are:
- Aeneas wanderings are modeled on
the Odyssey such as the descent into
the Underworld
- wars in Latium are modeled on Iliad
- the use of the supernatural beliefs to
influence the events
 Part I

From Troy
to
Italy
 Part II

The
Descent
Into the
Lower World
Part III

The War
In
Italy
Characters:

Aeneas – the son of Venus

and Anchises; is a Trojan
hero and a cousin of Hector;
destined by the divine will to
rule over the people
Dido – the queen of the city of
Carthage who fell in love with
Aeneas and neglected her duty as
a queen and abandoned her
reputation as a woman; when
Aeneas left her by divine
command, she killed herself by a
self-inflicted wound
Sibyl – an ancient prophetess
who guided Aeneas to Hades
King Latinus – the king of
Latium
Lavinia – daughter of King
Latium whom according to the
oracle would marry a foreign
prince
Turnus – the king of the Rutulians and
Lavinia’s suitor who was called by Juno to
fight Aeneas; was killed by Aeneas
The Fates – (also called The Destinies or The
Weird Sisters) daughters of Zeus and Themis
Clotho – spins the thread of life
Lachesis – measures the thread of life
Atropos – cuts the thread of life
 THE
SUMMARY
OF
AENEID
Considered the greatest Roman poet,
Vergil spent over a decade working on
this monumental epic poem, which has
been a source of literary inspiration and
poetic grandeur for more than 2,000
years. Its twelve books tell the heroic
story of Aeneas, a Trojan who escaped
the burning ruins of Troy to found a
new city in the west. This city,
Lavinium, was the parent city of Rome.
Drawn by divine destiny after the fall of
Troy, Aeneas sailed westward toward the
land of the Tiber. After many adventures, he
and his men were shipwrecked on the shores
of Carthage, where Aeneas and Queen Dido
fell in love. Reminded of his duty, however,
Aeneas sailed on. After visiting his father in
the underworld, Aeneas saw the future of the
Roman people and their exploits in peace
and war. Eventually he arrived in Italy,
where he and his men struggled valiantly to
secure a foothold for the founding of Rome.
Vast in scope, crowded with exciting adventure
and heroic deeds, the Aeneid was Vergil's imagined
account of Roman beginnings and a tribute to the
history, character and achievements of the Roman
people. On the other hand, its depth, vision and
empathy with human suffering make the poem
relevant to the general human condition. Now this
enduring multileveled masterpiece is available in
this republication of a standard unabridged
translation, the most inexpensive complete version
available.
 Aeneas greatest virtues:

Aeneas is the embodiment of Roman

virtues: He is the dutiful servant
of fate and of the gods, he is an
exemplary leader of his people, and he is
a devoted father and son. He
demonstrates appropriate pietas —
devotion to one's family, country, and
mission.
Theme:

The Aeneid has several themes. The

overarching theme is the escape from
Troy and the beginnings of Rome. The
story tells of how Aeneas and a few other
Trojans escape the destruction of their city
and sail west, settling in what became Rome.
Another theme is destiny or fate.
Subject Matter:

The Aeneid is about his

journey from Troy to
Italy, which enables him
to fulfill his fate.
Moral of the Aeneid:
Virgil's Aeneid reminds us that as we
[contemplate such things], so we
should expect to have
to persevere, not only against
opposition from without, but also
against our own failures. In doing
so, it reminds us that we can
recover much better than what was
lost.
 LESSON 4
PART 2

MAJOR WRITERS
OF
ROME
Roman literature, written in the
Latin language, remains an enduring
legacy of the culture of ancient
Rome. Some of the earliest extant
works are historical epics telling of the
early military history of Rome,
followed (as the Republic expanded) by
poetry, comedies, histories and
tragedies.
The “Golden Age of
Roman Literature” is
usually considered to cover
the period from about the
start of the 1st
Century BCE up to the
mid-1st Century CE.
1. Virgil or Vergil (Publius
Vergilius Maro (70-19 B.C.) -
(epic and didactic poet) the
greatest Latin poet; lived in the
time of great violence
(century revolution and civil
war); had an excellent
education in philosophy
Some of his works are:
Aeneid – the great Roman
national epic
Eclogues – a collection of
pastoral poems
Georgies – a series of didactic
poems on the art of farming
2. Horace (Quintus Horatius
Flaccus (65 – 8 B.C.) – lyric
poet and satirist; a great lyric
poet of Rome but ranks second
only to Virgil; he had an
excellent education although
his father was just a slave
3. Martial (Marcus Valerius
Martialis) – a Roman writer
of epigrams: given the
position of court poet; most
of his poems are violent
satires attacking the loose
morals of his time
4. Catullus (Gaius Valerius
Catullus (1st B.C) – lyric and
elagiac poet; pioneered the
naturalization of Greek lyric
verse forms into Latin in his
very personal (sometimes
erotic, sometimes playful, and
frequently abusive) poetry.
5. Ovid (Publius Ovidius Nado) (didactic
and elegiac poet, (1st BCE – 1st CE);
known in English as Ovid, was a Roman
poet who lived during the reign of
Augustus. He was a contemporary of the
older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is
often ranked as one of the three
canonical poets of Latin literature; he
wrote the short story Pygmalion and
Galatea