What are the allusions about Ithaca in Homer's epic?

Epic, a literary genre that originated in human childhood, is also a unique concept in the history of literary development. The word "epic" evolved from the Greek word "Epos" and translated into Chinese, meaning "entrusted by God". At first, it refers to the sacrificial poems that represent god's thoughts when ancient people sacrificed. After the spread of folk songs, literati polished them and formed grand ancient folk story poems.

In Europe, the most famous epics are Homer's epics in ancient Greece, namely Iliad (translated as Ilion) and Odyssey (translated as Odysseus). This is the oldest literary work in European literary history. Homer's epic is different from ordinary poetry creation. It came into being when the clan society disintegrated. It is closely related to historical legends, heroic songs and fairy tales in content. It mainly praises the heroic achievements of tribes and nations in the process of formation and development, including the difficulties and obstacles of primitive people in creating history, the struggle against foreign aggression, and other major themes related to the fate of the country and the nation.

Homer's epic is mainly narrative, which expresses solemn and lofty ideological content. Epic is long in length, large in scale and magnificent in structure. The Iliad is divided into 24 volumes, 15693 lines; The Odyssey is also divided into 24 volumes, with lines 12 1 10. By describing the ten-year war of Greek expedition to Troy and the story of Odysseus' return to China, these two epics comprehensively reflect the life of ancient Greece during the transition from clan society to slave society, and write a brilliant history of the founding of the Greek nation. Although historically, these two epics were written by Homer, a blind poet around the ninth century BC, they can't actually be written by someone. The formation of epic has a long process, which is the product of the collective wisdom of the broad masses of the people and is directly related to their oral creation.

In the Middle Ages, Europeans called the long heroic narrative poems compiled by rappers at that time epic or heroic epic, such as the French Song of Roland. In modern times, some people call excellent works, such as novels or narrative poems, which comprehensively reflect the social life in a certain historical period, epic or epic works. In fact, this is the extension and application of epic significance. Marx once pointed out that Homer's epic "has a standardized and unattainable model in some way". Therefore, The Iliad and The Odyssey will always be the models of epic creation, whether in Europe or in the world.

Author: Homer

Date of birth and death: about 8th century BC.

Type: epic

Writing time: 6th century BC.

The greatest long narrative epic of all time, the "literary Bible" of Europe.

Creation background

Around the 8th century BC, among the ancient Greek city-states, there was a blind minstrel, carrying an ancient Greek musical instrument-the seven-stringed harp, who sang heroic stories with beautiful language and beautiful singing voice. Accompanied by the lyre, his poems are beautiful and beautiful, and the plot is wonderful, which attracts groups of audiences. The story he told is about the historical deeds, myths and legends of Greece. Although he didn't write these legends with a pen, his great poems were handed down from generation to generation. When he was alive, he was poor and lived by begging. When he died, nine cities contended that he was born in their city. He is Homer, the most famous and greatest poet in ancient Greece. About his life, it is now impossible to verify. Together with his name, it is the greatest epic in human history-Iliad and Odyssey.

Abbreviation of works

According to myths and legends, the Trojan War was caused in this way: Achilles' parents held a grand wedding and invited all the gods, but Eris, the goddess of discord, was excluded. Eris came to the wedding banquet and left a discordant golden apple, which read "For the most beautiful goddess". Hera, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love really quarreled. They argued endlessly and came to Zeus for this. Zeus sent them to Paris, the son of Priam, king of Troy, for trial. The three goddesses found Paris and promised him different benefits. Hera promised him to be the greatest monarch, Athena promised him to be the greatest hero, and Aphrodite promised him to marry the most beautiful wife. Paris gave Aphrodite the Golden Apple Award.

Paris went to Sparta, a place in Greece, and was warmly received by King Menelaus. When he met the king's beautiful wife Helen, he knew it was time for God to help him realize his wish. With the help of Aphrodite, he lured Helen back to Troy. Menelaus, who suffered great humiliation, turned to his brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, for help. So under the command of Agamemnon, 65,438+10,000 Greek allied forces crossed the Aegean Sea and arrived in Troy on the warship 10 13. Greek heroes went out one after another, and the main general Achilles was brave and good at fighting. King Odysseus of Ithaca bid farewell to his wife and children and joined the war. For Helen, the Greeks and Trojans waged a war that lasted 10 years. The gods on Mount Olympia are also divided into two factions, each with its own array.

In the tenth year of the war, Agamemnon and Achilles had an argument over a female prisoner. Agamemnon took the female prisoner from the latter, and humiliated Achilles angrily withdrew from the battle. The Iliad begins with the anger of Achilles and describes the story of the last 5 1 day in the last year of the war. The general's retreat caused the Greek allied forces to retreat, and Agamemnon, Odysseus and other generals were injured. Egged on by Zeus and Apollo, Hecktor, the Trojan Lord, launched a fierce attack in an attempt to burn Greek warships. Agamemnon asked Achilles for reconciliation and was rejected. Patroclus was Achilles' best friend. At the critical moment, he borrowed Achilles' armor to fight and repelled Troy's attack, but was killed by Hecktor. In grief, Achilles rejoined the war. He finally killed Hecktor and took the body. Priam, king of Troy, went to Achilles' camp to redeem the body of his son Hecktor. The two sides held grand funerals for Patroclus and Hecktor respectively, and agreed to a truce 12 days. The Iliad, an epic battle around Troy, ended here.

The war is not over yet, and the Trojans vowed revenge. Paris mastered Achilles' heel and shot the hero with an arrow in the back. Later, he was shot by a Greek archer Finally, Odysseus managed to build a big wooden horse, which contained an ambush. The Greek army pretended to retreat, and the Trojans dragged Troy's horse into the city. As a result, the Greek Coalition forces attacked Troy from within, ending the war. Generals who have been away from their homeland for a long time have returned to China, and Odysseus also set off for his hometown of Ithaca with his partners by boat. From here began the story of Odysseus' adventure at sea, another epic, The Odyssey.

After the massacre and plunder in Troy, the Greek allied forces angered Poseidon on their way home. He set off a big storm, most of the warships sank, and the rest, led by Odysseus, drifted at sea for 10 years. During this period, Odysseus experienced many difficulties and obstacles. Some companions were eaten by cyclops, and some companions were turned into pigs by the goddess Circe through witchcraft. He once drifted to the edge of the sea around the earth and saw many ghosts of the past. He heard the enchanting song of Sai Ren, escaped the monsters caribou Dis and Shula, and was retained by the passionate goddess Calypso for several years. Finally, he returned to his hometown with the help of King Alkki, north of Fiax. By this time, his son Telemarcos had grown up and went out to inquire about his long-lost father. His wife Penelope was chased by a group of nobles, waiting for his return. Odysseus pretended to be a beggar and entered the palace, trying to kill those shameless suitors with his son and reunite with his wife.

Main comment

Heroes and beautiful women are the constant protagonists in the story, and courage and passion are the eternal swan songs in the epic.

As two interrelated literary works, Iliad and Odyssey have their own emphases.

The Iliad takes the war between clans as the main line, focuses on heroic achievements, describes the battles of heroes with a lot of space, praises their bravery and loyalty, and is full of heroism. As a general, Achilles' emotion is full of human weakness. His anger, unbearable, grief, loyalty and fearlessness promoted the development of the story and caused the change of the war pattern. The human side does not prevent him from becoming a hero, but enriches his image. He is the first legendary hero in the west.

The Odyssey focuses on the description of human suffering, showing the hardships of life, and people live surrounded by opposites. Odysseus faced God's difficulties, enemies' obstacles and natural challenges, but he always adhered to his beliefs, survived in suffering and finally won his own happiness. Odysseus is the first person in western literature who insists on fighting alone.

This epic shows a panoramic view of the early heroic era, taking the whole of Greece and the surrounding Wang Yang Sea as the stage, praising the heroic spirit and liberalism in human nature, and setting an example for the moral concept of the Greeks in the future, and then for the moral concept of the whole western society. Homer's epic first advocates a humanistic ethics of pursuing achievement and self-realization, and achieves success through the baptism of blood and fire. Secondly, advocate the liberal theology of the same sex between man and god, and strip off the mysterious fear in the spiritual world. The gods in the epic are as selfish, narrow-minded and paranoid as people, but people can shine with ecstasy at a certain moment. At the same time, it also shows that God's help is the guarantee of success and victory. Iliad and Odyssey are the sources of western existential ethics. Explain that a person should not only be kind, but also struggle with good wishes. With God's help, give full play to people's intelligence, make every effort, engage in struggle or intervene in an enterprising situation with an independent and positive attitude, and never look back until victory. This is a typical western resistance.

Homer's epic is one of the main heritages of the Greeks from barbarism to civilization. The content is tortuous and bizarre, the language is magnificent and colorful, the structure is exquisite and clear, and it is full of strong romanticism. It is the greatest work of ancient Greece and a pearl in the history of western literature. It has always occupied the highest position in western classical literature.

Key knowledge points

Since the Renaissance, Homer's epics have exerted great influence on European literature. Homer, together with Dante, Shakespeare and Goethe, was promoted to the four great poets in the world by the western literary world. Engels said: "Homer's epic and all myths-this is the main legacy that the Greeks brought into civilization from barbarism." Marx commented on Homer's epic, calling it "eternal charm" and "standard and unattainable model", and called Iliad "the most magnificent heroic epic ever".

Homer's epic retains most Greek myths. These myths have become the subject matter of later writers. Aeschylus, the "father of tragedy", said that his works were "the residue of Homer's feast". Virgil, Dante, Milton, Shakespeare, Goethe and other world-famous writers have all drawn rich nutrition from epics. Until the 20th century, when James Joyce wrote Ulysses, he still borrowed the story of Odyssey. Allusions in epics such as Horse of Troy, The Golden Apple, Achilles' Heel and Song of Sai Ren have been widely circulated for a long time.

Recite on time

Just like the water in the Sri Lankan Sea in Ikaduan, driven by the wild southeast wind, it suddenly set off a thousand hectares of waves, and like the dense wheat fields swept by hurricanes, the ears of wheat completely bowed their heads and cried.

To be smart too late is to be stupid to the extreme.

If the gods openly oppose people, it is difficult for anyone to deal with them.