Homers Iliad Books 2, 3 Italy, Egypt, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

homer s iliad
SMART_READER_LITE
LIVE PREVIEW

Homers Iliad Books 2, 3 Italy, Egypt, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Clst 181SK Ancient Greece and the Origins of Western Culture Homers Iliad Books 2, 3 Italy, Egypt, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Phoenicia, Greece, Peloponnesus, Ionia, Crete, Cyprus, Delphi, Mycenae, Troy, Aulis, Hellespont Aulis


slide-1
SLIDE 1

Homer’s Iliad

Clst 181SK Ancient Greece and the Origins of Western Culture

Books 2, 3

slide-2
SLIDE 2

Italy, Egypt, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Phoenicia, Greece, Peloponnesus, Ionia, Crete, Cyprus, Delphi, Mycenae, Troy, Aulis, Hellespont

slide-3
SLIDE 3
slide-4
SLIDE 4

Aulis

slide-5
SLIDE 5
slide-6
SLIDE 6

Mycenae – Demons?

slide-7
SLIDE 7
slide-8
SLIDE 8

Background

  • Zeus Xenios, protector of guests and hosts
slide-9
SLIDE 9
slide-10
SLIDE 10
slide-11
SLIDE 11
slide-12
SLIDE 12
slide-13
SLIDE 13
slide-14
SLIDE 14
slide-15
SLIDE 15
slide-16
SLIDE 16

Background: The Story of the Trojan War

  • Marriage of Peleus and Thetis
  • Strife (Eris) and the apple: "to the fairest"
  • Judgement of Paris
  • Abduction of Helen
  • Assembly of the Greek army at Aulis
  • Sacrifice of Iphigeneia
  • The siege: 9 years plus 1
  • Fall of Troy: the Trojan horse
slide-17
SLIDE 17
  • Greeks
  • Agamemnon, "king of kings", son of Atreus ("Atrides")

Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen, son of Atreus Achilles, king of the Myrmidons, son of Peleus and Thetis Patroclus, dear friend (second self?) to Achilles Nestor, the old wise man Calchas, the seer Odysseus, wiley, crafty, cunning Ajax, “like a wall”

  • Trojans
  • Priam, the old Trojan king, father of 50 sons

Hector, the greatest warrior, & son of Priam Paris (=Alexander), son of Priam, abductor of Helen

  • Important only in Book two
  • Thersites, the ugliest of Greek warriors
slide-18
SLIDE 18
  • Structure of the army
  • Primus inter pares: "first among equals": kings vs the "king of kings"
slide-19
SLIDE 19

Homer’s Iliad

Clst 181SK Ancient Greece and the Origins of Western Culture

Book 2

slide-20
SLIDE 20

Homer’s Iliad

Book 2 The Dream The Test

“Dreams are from Zeus!” - who says that in book 1 and in what context? Dreams, deception, the limits of human understanding “Zeus son of crooked-counseled Kronos promised me and nodded his head to it, that we would sack Ilion, but he only contrived a wicked deception!” Agamemnon as leader

Why would Agamemnon do such a trial? What’s the purpose? Yuyi, and similarly Yi, Arabella, Qin

slide-21
SLIDE 21

Homer’s Iliad

Book 2 Similes in the Iliad

  • 2. 87ff - swarming bees
  • 2. 66ff - the wind

Agamemnon’s Test

  • Sceptre/Staff
  • 2. 102ff Pedigree
  • 2. 186 Odysseus

Arabella: Deep down, it’s the conflict between the power of gods and the power of humans. Homer repeats again and again that a king is chosen by Zeus. So, the power of Agamemnon is a reflection of the power of Zeus.

slide-22
SLIDE 22

Homer’s Iliad

Book 2 Thersites: the ugliest man at Troy Thersites episode

  • Aulis, Kalchas

Not the Iphigeneia story. Deception. Aulis and the troops. Agamemnon as leader. Lightning omen. 2. 355ff Success = “you sleep with a Trojan woman in payment”

  • 2. 229: “your tents are filled, which we Achaeans gave you as first

pick whenever we attacked some town… you are no men but ladies of Achaea. Let us go home… [if Achilles had not set aside his anger] O son of Atreus, this would be your last outrage!”

Arabella: “What Thersites said to abuse Agamemnon was quite similar to what Achilles said.”

slide-23
SLIDE 23

Homer’s Iliad

Book 2 Similes - 460ff Invocation of the Muses

  • fire
  • flocks
  • leaves/flowers
  • flies
  • goats
  • bull

Muses - inspiration & memory

“Not with ten tongues and ten mouths and my voice unbreakable and with a heart made of bronze….”

slide-24
SLIDE 24

Homer’s Iliad

Book 2 The Catalogue of Ships Remembered from the Bronze Age? Iliad as a text in an oral tradition

slide-25
SLIDE 25

Homer’s Iliad

Clst 181SK Ancient Greece and the Origins of Western Culture

Book 3

slide-26
SLIDE 26

Homer’s Iliad

Book 3 Duel between Menelaus and Paris

  • Viewing from the walls (teichoskopia)
  • Helen’s beauty is “like a deathless goddess”

Decidedly unrealistic: how could this happen only after nine years; but what do these scenes accomplish?

Arabella: “two husbands of Helen” Arabella: “why did Homer call Helen “with white arms”, which he usually uses of Hera?” Arabella: “why does Priam speak kindly to Helen when she caused the 10-year battle?”

slide-27
SLIDE 27

Homer’s Iliad

Book 3 Bedroom scene

  • Ending: Menelaus, searching for Paris/Alexander,

demanding Helen and suitable recompense (=ransom)

What is the tone? Is this comic?

Yuyi: Does Helen really love Paris? Why would she still choose to sleep with him so quickly after just rebuking him? Qin: Why did Aphrodite save Paris?