Traditional Epic Notes
The Epic—is a long narrative poem about the deeds of a traditional hero. Examples—
Gilgamesh, Beowulf, Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad, Virgil’s Aeneid, Dante’s Divine
Comedy, Milton’s Paradise Lost, etc.
The Epic Style
a. The author begins by stating the theme and uses someone who is allknowing and wise to help him in his undertaking. This is called the
INVOCATION TO THE MUSE: a request to a god or goddess for
help in writing. MUSE? See glossary
b. IN MEDIAS RES: Latin for “into the middle of things.” The story
starts “in the middle of the action” and at a critical point; the events
that happened before the narrative’s opening are introduced later on
(in the form of FLASHBACKS).
c. The style is marked by REPETITION (of names, events, places, and
characteristics) and a pronounced use of EPITHETS. These give the
poems a feeling of great scope and comprehensiveness as well as
serving as a review for the story.
• EPITHETS: a descriptive word or phrase attached to the
name of a person or thing used in epic poems to lengthen lines
or make them more musical. Ex. “Dawn with fingertips of
rose,” or “Calypso, loveliest of the goddesses.”
d. The style (usually called HIGH STYLE) is elevated, formal, and
poetic. Fixed rhyme schemes/meter, epithets and epic similes help
create this formal style.
• EPIC SIMILE: a comparison between two seemingly unlike
things using like or as, but explained in more than one phrase or
sentence. An epic simile is a fully developed simile that likens
some thing or action in the epic to some (usually) natural action
or image. Ex: landscapes, trees, the moon, the seasons,
common men in everyday activities, insects or other creatures,
etc.
• The Odyssey was written in DACTYLIC HEXAMETER
(form of meter in the rhythmic scheme of a poem consisting of
six (hexa) dactyl feet (one long syllable and two short, i.e.
Catherine). The term dactyl is derived from the Greek word for
finger, as a finger has one long segment and two shorter ones.
The Setting
The setting of the epic is vast in scope, sometimes world-wide and beyond to
heaven and hell (Hades).
The Hero
A figure of great national or international importance: Odysseus is noted for
his great cleverness, whether for good (as in his defeat of his rivals) or evil
(as in his part in the destruction of Troy). All epic heroes are great warriors.
The hero may also suffer from a TRAGIC FLAW: his pride.
The Supernatural
DIVINE INTERVENTION: the gods intervene in the hero’s journey.
The gods or other supernatural beings take an interest and an active part in
the great deeds performed in the epic
Journey to the Underworld
Typically, the mythic hero journeys to the underworld to learn something
important. The hero emerges from Hades a changed man. The hero ignores
the limits set on mortals by death or its sphere of influence. This momentary
defeat of death is generally illustrated by a descent into the underworld.
Point of View
Omniscient: Often, the point of view is in the third person (standing
outside looking in through the window) with little comment or opinion.
Usually, the author is objective (looks at both sides of an issue) in his
presentation of the situation and characters.
Common Motifs:
• Divine Intervention
• The importance of leaving and returning home
• Value: Praying to and appeasing the Gods
• Value: Bravery exalted, cowardice shunned
• Value: Standing up for beliefs regardless of the consequences
The Odyssey Intro Notes
• Homer- lived around 850-750 BCE
• Legend has it he was blind
• Homer did not write The Odyssey- it was handed down orally during
the preliterate Greek era
• Was sung and was composed in verse
• Each time The Odyssey was recited, the poet was expected to change
it to show his skill
• Homer’s version is the one written down
• Iliad and Odyssey- first epics
• Originally, an epic was just a poem written in dactylic hexameter
• Later, it meant narrative poems dealing with gods, heroes, war, or adventure
• Handed down culture from generation to generation
• One of the most influential works besides the Bible and Shakespeare
• Its survival is no accident. For instance, Sophocles wrote 120 works,
only seven of which survive. Only the greatest texts were copied by
hand and preserved.
• Though The Odyssey is as much about what makes us all human,
their culture is very foreign to ours
• It is patriarchal, slave-holding, monarchical, polytheistic
Considered one of the first epics
1 hero has imposing stature and is of national and historical importance
2 setting is vast
3 deeds of great valor and courage
4 supernatural forces intervene
5 begins in medias res (in the middle of the action)
Be aware of the following motifs
Both main characters go on odysseys
Rite of passage defines an odyssey (what is a rite?)
Necessity of deception and disguise
Homecoming
Chronological variety/flashbacks
Hospitality code
Fate vs. free will
Be aware of epithets and formulas (wine-dark sea, dark-prowed ship,
etc.)
Background- Trojan War (12th century BCE)
1 Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world and the wife of Greek
king Menelaus, was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris.
2 Greeks, led by Menelaus’s brother, Agamemnon, go to Troy.
3 Evenly matched war lasted 10 years.
4 Greatest Trojan warrior, Hector was killed by the greatest Greek
warrior, Achilles, who was later killed by Paris.
5 Greeks win war with Odysseus’ great idea, the Trojan Horse, to
infiltrate Troy’s walls.
6 Greeks committed many atrocities: killing King Priam at his
household altar, the murder of Hector’s baby son by throwing him
from the city’s walls, and the rape of Priam’s daughter in the temple
of the virgin goddess Athena.
7 This angered the gods leading to many Greek hardships, including the
murder of Agamemnon by his wife when he returned home.
• Odyssey- nostos epic (homecoming) Nostoi—the plural form
of the word refers to Od’s return from Troy. It is also the name
of a poem with that topic. The word nostalgia means a longing
for the past.
• Variant of nostos appears three times in first 21 lines.
• Begins ten years after the end of the Trojan War
• Odysseus does not appear until book 5
• We see how much his family and his society need him NOW!
Structure is very complex
Books 1-2: Telemachus at home
Books 3-4: Telemachus visiting Nestor and Menelaus
Books 5-8: Odysseus leaves Calypso’s island on his way home
Books 9-12: Flashback to Odysseus’ adventures from time he left Troy to
arrival at Calypso’s island.
Books 13-24: Chronological
Chronology of Odyssey’s 20-Year Journey from Ithaca:
Years 1-10: Trojan War (chronicled in the Iliad)
Year 19-ish: Books 1-8 of the Odyssey
Years 10-19: Books 9-12 of the Odyssey
Year 20-ish: Books 13-24 of the Odyssey