Homer's "The Odyssey"
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A Homer's "The Odyssey" is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter that covers Odysseus' return to his home after the Trojan war.
- Context:
- It can (typically) be attributed to Homer.
- It can (typically) be a Hero's Journey Story.
- It can (often) serve as a model for Epic Poetry Structure.
- It can (often) explore themes of Homecoming, Loyalty, and Divine Intervention.
- ...
- It can range from being a Literal Translation to being a Free Translation, depending on translation approach.
- It can range from being an Academic Edition to being a Popular Edition, depending on intended audience.
- It can range from being a Verse Translation to being a Prose Translation, depending on format choice.
- ...
- It can be an Odyssey Translation.
- It can influence Western Literature.
- It can serve as a foundational text in Classical Education.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Ancient Versions, such as:
- The Homeric Greek Version (8th century BCE), composed in dactylic hexameter.
- The Alexandrian Edition (3rd-2nd centuries BCE), edited by Zenodotus and Aristarchus of Samothrace.
- The Vulgate Text (circa 10th century CE), widely circulated during Byzantine period.
- Modern Translations, such as:
- The Fagles Translation (1996), praised for poetic fidelity.
- The Emily Wilson Translation (2017), first complete English translation by a woman.
- The Samuel Butler Translation (1900), notable prose version.
- Academic Editions, such as:
- The Loeb Classical Library Edition (1919), providing dual-language text.
- ...
- Ancient Versions, such as:
- Counter-Example(s):
- The Iliad, which focuses on the Trojan War itself.
- Ulysses, which is a modern reinterpretation.
- The Epic of Gilgamesh, which is a different epic tradition.
- See: Western Canon, Ionia, Anatolia, Epic Poetry, Greek Literature, Classical Translation, Homeric Greek.
References
2014
- (Wikipedia, 2014) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey Retrieved:2014-10-24.
- The Odyssey ([1] , Odýsseia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second oldest extant work of Western literature, the Iliad being the oldest. Scholars believe it was composed near the end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, the Greek coastal region of Anatolia.[2] The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (known as Ulysses in Roman myths) and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. [3] In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres (Greek: ) or Proci, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage. It continues to be read in the Homeric Greek and translated into modern languages around the world. Many scholars believe that the original poem was composed in an oral tradition by an aoidos (epic poet/singer), perhaps a rhapsode (professional performer), and was more likely intended to be heard than read. The details of the ancient oral performance, and the story's conversion to a written work inspire continual debate among scholars. The Odyssey was written in a poetic dialect of Greek — a literary amalgam of Aeolic Greek, Ionic Greek, and other Ancient Greek dialects — and comprises 12,110 lines of dactylic hexameter. Among the most noteworthy elements of the text are its non-linear plot, and the influence on events of choices made by women and serfs, besides the actions of fighting men. In the English language as well as many others, the word odyssey has come to refer to an epic voyage.
The Odyssey has a lost sequel, the Telegony, which was not written by Homer. It was usually attributed in antiquity to Cinaethon of Sparta, but in one source was said to have been stolen from Musaeus by Eugamon or Eugammon of Cyrene (see Cyclic poets).
- The Odyssey ([1] , Odýsseia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second oldest extant work of Western literature, the Iliad being the oldest. Scholars believe it was composed near the end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, the Greek coastal region of Anatolia.[2] The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (known as Ulysses in Roman myths) and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. [3] In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres (Greek: ) or Proci, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage. It continues to be read in the Homeric Greek and translated into modern languages around the world. Many scholars believe that the original poem was composed in an oral tradition by an aoidos (epic poet/singer), perhaps a rhapsode (professional performer), and was more likely intended to be heard than read. The details of the ancient oral performance, and the story's conversion to a written work inspire continual debate among scholars. The Odyssey was written in a poetic dialect of Greek — a literary amalgam of Aeolic Greek, Ionic Greek, and other Ancient Greek dialects — and comprises 12,110 lines of dactylic hexameter. Among the most noteworthy elements of the text are its non-linear plot, and the influence on events of choices made by women and serfs, besides the actions of fighting men. In the English language as well as many others, the word odyssey has come to refer to an epic voyage.
- ↑ "Odyssey". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
- ↑ D.C.H. Rieu's introduction to The Odyssey (Penguin, 2003), p. xi.
- ↑ The dog Argos dies autik' idont' Odusea eeikosto eniauto ("seeing Odysseus again in the twentieth year"), Odyssey 17.327; cf. also 2.174-6, 23.102, 23.170.