The Iliad and the Odysseyby Homer

Ch. 6-3

Classic Play – Scope Magazine

Video: The Trojan War – 23m

Video: The Journeys of Odysseus – 23m

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The Trojan War

• The Iliad, an epic written by Homer, tells of a war between Greece and the city of Troy c1250 BC.

• Legend says the war was caused by the most beautiful woman in the world – Helen, the princess of Sparta.

• All Greek men wanted to marry her, but her father made them swear support to the man he chose as her husband.

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The Trojan War

• Menelaus of Sparta was chosen as Helen’s husband.

• Helen fell in love with Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy.

• When they met and fell in love, they ran away to Troy.

• Menelaus was furious and organized a great military expedition to bring Helen back.

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Ten Years and No Gain

• For ten years the Greeks battled with Troy.• The city had a high wall and the Greeks

could not find a way to enter the city.• The Greek king Odysseus thought of a way

to get into the city.• He got his men to build a large wooden

horse and rolled it to the city gates.• The Greeks boarded their ships and sailed

away.4

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The Trojan Horse

• The people of Troy thought the horse was a gift, opened the gates, and rolled the horse inside.

• Inside were 30 Greek soldiers.

• That night the Greeks crept outside and opened the city gates.

• The Greek army returned to storm in and destroy the city.

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The Odyssey

Three thousand years ago, a legend explains that a soldier named Odysseus helped the Greeks defeat the Trojans in a bloody 10 year war. Getting home to his family will be even harder for Odysseus than winning the war.

Odysseus is given credit for the idea of the Trojan Horse.

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Question for Thought

• If your father were missing in action after a war, how long would you wait before you gave up on him ever returning home?

• If he came back, would you recognize him?

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Characters

• Odysseus – (o DIS e us) soldier and king of Ithaca• Telemachus (tel EM ah cus) his son• Penelope – Odysseus’ wife• Cyclops – an evil giant• Nestor – Odysseus’ war buddy• Menelaus (men a LEY us) another war buddy• Athena – goddess of wisdom• Poseidon – (po SIGH don) god of the sea• Suitors – seeking love of Penelope

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Homer

• According to legend, the blind poet Homer told the story of Odysseus’ life about 750 B.C., centuries before the tale was ever written down.

• The trouble is, no one knows much about the great poet. Even the ancient Greeks couldn’t agree on when Homer lived and who he was.

• Today experts still disagree about whether one poet wrote the famous epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey.

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Directions

• Read the play on pages 14-20.

• After you have read the play carefully, take a question sheet from the front table.

• Using notebook paper, write complete sentence answers for each question.

• Keep your work when you finish.

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