English I
3 rd Six Weeks
2012
 The Epic
 An epic is a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a
larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular
society.
 Examples of Epics
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The Illiad
Beowulf
The Aeneid
The Epic of Gilgamesh
 Epics often…
 Concern eternal human problems such as the conflict between GOOD
and EVIL
 Written or told on a
style
grand scale and often in ceremonial
1.
Folk Epic- oral compositions passed on from
storyteller to storyteller and has changed over time.
.
 Ex – Gilgamesh, Beowulf, the Iliad, and the Odyssey
2.
Literary Epic- written compositions that are
unchanged over time.
 Ex. -Aeneid and Paradise Lost
 There are five main characteristics of an epic.
 The hero is a great leader who is identified strongly with a
particular people or society.
 The setting is broad and often includes supernatural realms,
especially the land of the dead.
 The hero does great deeds in battle or undertakes an
extraordinary journey or quest.
 Sometimes gods or other supernatural or fantastic beings
take part in the action.
 The story is told in heightened language.
 Shared characteristics of epics writers drew upon to
establish the epic quality of their poems.
 Convention #1
 There is an INVOCATION or formal plea for aid/help.
 This plea is usually to a deity or some other spiritual power.
 Convention #2
 The action begins IN
MEDIA RES…
 literally meaning “in the middle of things”
 Convention #3
 The epic begins in media res and then flashes
place before the narrator’s current time setting
back to events that took
 Convention #4
 Epic Similes (a.k.a. Homeric simile)- elaborately
extended comparisons relating heroic events to simple,
everyday events using like, as, so, and just as.
 Convention #5
 Epithet: a descriptive phrase that presents a particular
trait of a person or thing. It can be a quick aid to
characterization.
 Ex: Odysseus is a “raider of cities.”
 Odysseus is “a man skilled in all ways of contending.”
 An Epic involves a long journey, full of complications,
such as
 Strange creatures
 Divine intervention
 Large-scale events
 Treacherous weather
 Epic settings
 Includes fantastic or exotic lands
 Involves more than one nation
 Epic poetry reflects such universal concerns as
 Courage
 The fate of a nation
 A homecoming
 Beauty
 Loyalty
 Life and death
 All epics include archetypes – characters, situations,
and images that are recognizable in many times and
cultures.
 Examples of archetypes
 Sea monster
 Wicked temptress
 Buried treasure
 Suitors’ contest
 Loyal servant
 Epic hero
 The epic hero is a “LARGER THAN LIFE PERSON” who embodies the highest
ideals of his culture
 In “Gilgamesh”, the epic hero Gilgamesh is considered larger-than-life and
embodies LOYALTY, VALOR/ COURAGE, SENSE OF JUSTICE, DIGNITY,
PERSISTENCE, and many other traits of his culture and time period.
 The epic hero usually undertakes a QUEST/ JOURNEY to achieve
something of great value to themselves or society
 Epic heroes “LIVE ON AFTER DEATH”…meaning they are forever
remembered by those who live after them…achieving a type of
IMMORTALITY
 Not a “Superman”
with magical powers, but a “REGULAR”
human (sometimes part god/part human) whose aspirations and
accomplishments set him/her apart
 Overcomes great obstacles/opponents but maintains
HUMANITY
 Epic hero experiences typical HUMAN EMOTIONS/
FEELINGS, yet is able to master and control these
human traits to a greater degree than a typical person.
 It is often necessary for the epic hero to connect/make
contact with “LESSER” humans in order to succeed
 According to ancient accounts, he lived between 900 and
700 B.C.E., possibly on the island of Chios in the eastern
Aegean Sea. He was mostly blind.
 Revered as the greatest of the ancient Greek epic poets.
 Described as the teacher of Greece.
 Works attributed to Homer
 The Illiad – epic poem about the Trojan War.
 The Odyssey – epic poem following Odysseus, a king of
Ithaca, on his journey home after the Trojan War.
 These works provided models in persuasive speaking and
writing that were emulated throughout the ancient and
medieval Greek world.
 Sequel to The Illiad, an epic poem following the length of
the Trojan War.
 Is considered the second oldest extant work of Western
Literature.
 The Illiad is the oldest.
 Centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (Roman: Ulysses) and
his journey home after the fall of Troy.
 It takes Odysseus ten years to reach his home island of
Ithaca after fighting for ten years in the Trojan War.
 In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife
Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of
unruly suitors who wish to marry Penelope.