The Odyssey

by Homer

Notes
English 9
 Terms to Know
Important people Supernatural Beings
• Penelope • Cyclopes
• Telemachus • Scylla
• Odysseus • Calypso
• Laertes • Polyphemus
• Tiresias • Charybdis
 Terms to Know
Important gods
• God of the wind- Aeolus
• Goddess of wisdom, skill, and warfare-
Athena
• God of the sea and of earthquake-
Posiedon
• Ruler of all the gods and goddesses- Zeus
 Terms to Know
Places • Troy
• Aeaea • Underworld
• Aeolea • Ogygia
• Ismarus
• Ithaca
• Olympus
• Phaeacia
 Mythology Notes
• Myth- explain the meaning of certain
phenomena

• Myths also explain some rationale for a

culture’s values and beliefs.
 Mythology
There are 6 essential elements of classical
mythology.

3. Intervention of deities in human affairs.

4. Non-specificity of time
5. Superhuman heroes
6. Fantastic creatures
7. Extraordinary events
8. Role of destiny/fate
 The Mythic Hero and His Journey
• Both The Odyssey and The Matrix are based on
the hero-quest myth.

• On the hero quest, heroes draw on superhuman

or magical powers to resist temptation, destroy
enemies, and rescue a damsel in distress.

• On the journey, the hero searches for self and

often confronts the dark side of the self while
undergoing different temptations.
Characteristics of the Epic Hero
1. Role model
2. Superhuman
3. On a quest of something of great value
4. Journey into the Underworld and returns
alive.
 The Hero’s Journey
• Separation- leaves a place of comfort or
safety to venture out in the world.

2. Initiation- face unfamiliar circumstances that

begin to teach him more about himself or the
challenges he must face.

3. Conflict- Must fight the battle or face his

enemy. He meets his ultimate challenge and
either triumphs or dies valiantly in his effort.
 The Hero’s Journey
4. Return- The hero usually returns home to
a celebration.

5. Boon- The hero has a prize to show for

his triumph (usually a woman).
 Heroes

Write a paragraph comparing these two heroes. How do

they both show hero characteristics? What are their
similarities? What are their differences?