HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) • Introduction to Homeric Epic • The Epic Cycle: The Story of the Trojan War • Milman Parry and Oral Poetry • The Iliad, Book 1: Overview and Analysis • Grammar 2: Adjectives and Adverbs HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Epic Cycle • collectively, the poems and stories of the Trojan War are called the epic cycle • put together, the poems of the epic cycle originally told the complete story of the Trojan War • from its cause through the return of the Greek warriors to their homelands HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Epic Cycle • the epic poem, The Cypria (now lost), narrated the first episode of the Trojan War, the background to Homer’s epics • named for Aphrodite (also called Cypria) • the island of Cypros was a center of Aphrodite worship HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Epic Cycle • we know about other epic poems (also lost now), e.g. • The Little Iliad • The Aethiopis • The Iliupersis (“The Sack of Troy”) HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Epic Cycle • The Iliad (Homer) • the story of Achilles • set near the end of the Trojan War • The Odyssey (Homer) • story of the nostos (“return home”) of Odysseus HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Cypria Thetis (an Oceanid) • an oracle says that Thetis’ son will be greater than his father • a warning to Zeus not to have sex with her • so Zeus arranges to marry Thetis off to a mortal named Peleus (a Greek king) • Achilles is the child they will have HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Cypria Eris (the goddess of Discord) • she was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis • out of anger, she crashes the wedding and throws the “apple of discord” into the midst of the festivities HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Cypria Eris (the goddess of Discord) • inscribed on the apple is the Greek word ΚΑΛΛΙΣΤΗΙ (“for the most beautiful”) • three goddesses claim to be “the fairest”: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Cypria The Judgment of Paris • Zeus defers the decision of choosing “the fairest” to the mortal Paris of Troy (also called Alexander) • the goddesses appear before him • each goddess attempts to bribe him HHoommeerr aanndd GGrreeeekk EEppiicc INTRODUCTION TO HOMERIC EPIC (CHAPTER 4.I) The Cypria The Judgment of Paris • Aphrodite promises Paris the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen • Helen is currently the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta • Paris chooses Aphrodite