Literary Devices Chart for the Iliad
Epic Convention or
Literary Device
Definition of Convention or Device
Invocation
Opening lines that call upon a relevant Muse
for inspiration or instruction
in media res
Action of story picks up “in the middle” of
things. Relies on readers’ prior knowledge.
Foreshadowing
Hints of what is to come in the action of a
play or story.
Flashback
An interruption of a work’s chronology to
describe an event in the past.
Direct
Characterization
Narration that directly tells the audience about
a character’s traits.
Indirect
Characterization
The information readers can infer about a
character based on their action, speech, looks,
or effects on others.
Parallel structure
Meter
Repetitions of particular words or
grammatical structure for emphasis.
The rhythm or pattern of syllables in a line of
poetry. The meter in Iliad is dactylic
hexameter .
Examples from Iliad (include direct quotes, line numbers, etc)
Epithets
A characterizing word or phrase that occurs
before a person’s name.
Personification
Describing non-living objects by giving
human traits.
Climax
The turning point in the plot of a play or
story.
Epic simile
Themes
Detailed comparison between two unlike
things, takes the form of a simile, lasts several
lines.
The central ideas, concerns or messages in
any work of literature