Everything you always wanted to know about Homer's Odyssey *
*But were afraid to ask
Steve Nallon's unique version of Homer's Odyssey is enormous
fun. It is a comedy packed show with brilliant impressions of famous celebrities.
Essentially it's a great piece of entertainment from a tour-de-force performer.
Yet Steve Nallon's Big Odyssey also touches on some of the more
serious ideas and themes of Homer's classic original. Below are a selection
of questions and answers covering areas such as the hero Odysseus, his
wife Penelope, the Goddess Athena, the role of the gods, the text of the
Odyssey, Homer the man, the oral tradition of the storyteller,
the Trojan War, the real geography of the journey and the background to
the creation of the show. None of these is essential to understanding
Steve Nallon's Big Odyssey but they offer the curious observer
a better insight into the classic tale and its history.
What is the Odyssey?
Why choose to do the Odyssey
as a show featuring lots of contemporary impressions?
Does the audience need to
know the Odyssey to follow Steve Nallon's Big Odyssey version?
Is the show suitable for
children?
What connections are there
between the original characters of the Odyssey and the 'celebrity
casting' in Steve Nallon's Big Odyssey?
What other updated versions
of the Odyssey are there?
What modern stories owe their
origin to the Odyssey?
How was the original Odyssey
written and performed?
What is the ‘Oral Tradition’
of the Odyssey?
What is the basic story of
Homer's Odyssey?
What drives the story of
the Odyssey?
What is Homer's Odyssey
actually about?
What is the relevance of
the Odyssey today?
What are the problems and
difficulties a modern audience faces when approaching the Odyssey?
What is a myth and why is
the Odyssey mythic?
What is the story structure
of the Odyssey?
What is the story shape
of the Odyssey?
How has the text of the
Odyssey survived?
What kind of hero is Odysseus?
What kind of ‘King’
is Odysseus?
What sort of wife is Penelope
to Odysseus?
What sort of world was the
world of the Odyssey?
What is the relationship
between the stranger-traveller and the friend-host?
What is the importance of
gift giving in the Odyssey?
What is the role of the
gods in the Odyssey?
What are the specific functions
of the goddess Athena in the Odyssey?
How is an epic poem such
as the Odyssey different from a dramatic play such as Philoctetes
in performance?
Why is storytelling a theme
of the Odyssey?
Why is there so much disguise
in the Odyssey?
Do we know anything about
Homer the man?
Where did Homer come from?
What is the extent of Homer's
influence?
What specific literary techniques
have writers stolen from Homer?
To what extend does Homer
comment on the story of the Odyssey?
The Trojan War, is it fact
or fiction?
Is the geography of the
Odyssey real or imaginary?
Who's Who in the Odyssey?
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