Characters' storytelling in the Homeric epics

• Main Author: Sano, Yoshinori
• Published: University of Oxford 1997
• Subjects: 800; Literature
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.361867

This thesis is a study of the stories told by characters in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Recent studies have revealed that these stories, which were once generally regarded as mere summaries of lost 'sources', contain various correspondences to their respective contexts, and are thereby integrated into the main narrative of each epic. These stories also contribute to the characterization of principal figures. Thus characters' storytelling should be regarded as an important component of the composition of the Homeric epics. In Part 1, the stories told by characters in the Iliad are divided into four categories: Paradeigmata pertaining to Achilleus (Chapter 1), Paradeigmata in the Diomedeia (Chapter 2), Nestor's stories (Chapter 3), and stories about the Olympian gods (Chapter 4). In Part 2, the stories in the Odyssey are likewise divided into four categories: Agamemnon's nostos (Chapter 5), the Wooden Horse and other events in the Trojan War (Chapter 6), Odysseus' apologoi (Chapter 7), and Odysseus' lying stories (Chapter 8). Under these eight headings, the function of each story is examined in terms of its rhetorical effect, echo of the events in the main narrative, foreshadowing of future events, contribution to the characterization of principal figures, etc. These examinations show that the stories told by characters are closely connected with the main plot of each epic. Interesting differences between the two epics in respect of their use of characters' storytelling emerge from the above examinations. Notably, the Iliadic characters tell stories about heroes of previous generations, whereas the Odyssean characters often tell stories of their own experiences. This is related to the difference between the Iliad and the Odyssey as regards the representation of the past. This and other issues are discussed in the Conclusion.