Aristotle's Criticism of the Odyssey
1. What claims about The Odyssey does Aristotle make?
Aristotle claims that the plot/substance of The Odyssey can be summarized in a brief manner; he says that the story is actually quite simple. In just a few lines, Aristotle summarizes the basis of the Odyssey. Aristotle also says that "the rest is episode" meaning that the details of The Odyssey were added to create a sense of drama in the story.
2. How did you react to Odysseus' situation, Telemachus's situation, and Penelope's situation? Why might you want to see them resolved in "the episodes" that Aristotle references?
Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope's situations were all very unfortunate. Odysseus had been attempting to return home for years, but wasn't able to find his way quickly due to many obstacles. Telemachus was "fatherless" and people kept saying his father was dead, he also needed to protect his mother from potential successors. Finally, Penelope was being bombarded by men who wished to court her while her husband was away. Each of these events made Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope's lives more difficult. I would want to see these issues resolved in "the episodes" because, I would like to know what happens once Odysseus returns home to his family and learn how each of these issues were overcome.
3. Why do we read The Odyssey if we know how it ends? Why do we listen to stories retold by our friends and family even though we know how they end? What does the experience of hearing or reading a story in full do for us?
We read The Odyssey even though we know how it ends because, it is a classic story that has a lot of detail. The Odyssey is several books long and even though we know how it ends, there are still smaller details in the story. We listen to stories retold by friends and family even though we've heard them already because, they can be interesting and once you begin to listen, you become involved in the story. The experience of hearing or reading a story in full gives you a feeling of satisfaction because, you know the details of the story, and most importantly how it ended.
Aristotle claims that the plot/substance of The Odyssey can be summarized in a brief manner; he says that the story is actually quite simple. In just a few lines, Aristotle summarizes the basis of the Odyssey. Aristotle also says that "the rest is episode" meaning that the details of The Odyssey were added to create a sense of drama in the story.
2. How did you react to Odysseus' situation, Telemachus's situation, and Penelope's situation? Why might you want to see them resolved in "the episodes" that Aristotle references?
Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope's situations were all very unfortunate. Odysseus had been attempting to return home for years, but wasn't able to find his way quickly due to many obstacles. Telemachus was "fatherless" and people kept saying his father was dead, he also needed to protect his mother from potential successors. Finally, Penelope was being bombarded by men who wished to court her while her husband was away. Each of these events made Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope's lives more difficult. I would want to see these issues resolved in "the episodes" because, I would like to know what happens once Odysseus returns home to his family and learn how each of these issues were overcome.
3. Why do we read The Odyssey if we know how it ends? Why do we listen to stories retold by our friends and family even though we know how they end? What does the experience of hearing or reading a story in full do for us?
We read The Odyssey even though we know how it ends because, it is a classic story that has a lot of detail. The Odyssey is several books long and even though we know how it ends, there are still smaller details in the story. We listen to stories retold by friends and family even though we've heard them already because, they can be interesting and once you begin to listen, you become involved in the story. The experience of hearing or reading a story in full gives you a feeling of satisfaction because, you know the details of the story, and most importantly how it ended.
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