what is an epic

Epic Hero Trait 2

:Trait 2 - Capable of deeds of great strength and courage v Basically, this means the hero has the potential for great deeds. v The magnitude of these actions are well above and beyond what the commoner does. v While most epic heroes are good, not all are

characteristics *4

An elevated style and diction--deliberately distanced from everyday speech--is used throughout the poem.

What is an Epic

Epic: The epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject representing characters of heroic stature in adventures of great historical, legendary, or religious significance.

Characteristics of Epic Heroes

Most epic heroes possess most or all of 7 general characteristics. You can use them to help you decide if a character is, indeed, an epic hero or heroine. You must know these characteristics of the Epic Hero

Characteristics *3

Supernatural forces (gods, angels, demons) take interest in the action and intervene from time to time..

Epic Hero Trait 6:

Trait 6 - Must show Humility Even as the rest of the world recognizes the great deeds of the hero, he is never a braggart or even willing to take applause. He commits his deeds because he knows they need doing, and the fame and rewards that he receives are only a matter of course, not the reason for completing his quests.

Epic Hero Trait 7: Faces Supernatural Foes and/or Receives Supernatural Help

Trait 7: Faces Supernatural enemies and/or Receives Supernatural help. Most epic heroes either receive aid from a god or goddess or battle some superhuman enemy. This is what makes a hero's action epic: they fight something mere mortals cannot battle. Beowulf has his Grendel; Odysseus his Cyclops. For each hero, the enemy is unique. You won't see two heroes battling the same foe.

Author uses....

9. The poet uses foreshadowing--hints at or even direct statements regarding the outcome of important events

Author uses:

8. The poet uses formulaic language, that is, set ("stock") phrases, the choice of which may be dictated solely by metrical considerations. This, along with the repetition of such passages, is one of the hallmarks of folk literature.

Six elements of the epic (KNOW THESE)

1) Plot centers around a Hero of Unbelievable Stature. The epic hero completes what everyone only attempts. In ancient epics, the hero often is either partially divine or at least protected by a god or God.

Author uses......

10. The poet uses a wide range of rhetorical and poetic devices: figures of speech (similes, metaphors, etc.), as well as elaborate schemes of words and schemes of construction.

Element 2

2. Involves deeds of superhuman strength and valor. Accomplish feats no real human could.

Writer uses in medias res

2. The poet opens his narrative in medias res (Latin for `in the middle of the action'). The preceding history is then supplied at various points throughout the remainder of the work through retrospective narrative, similar to the flashback of the modern novel or cinema. Additionally, the author may use prospective narrative as well, telling the audience what is to happen later in the work itself or even after the events that the work itself covers.

Element 3

3) Vast Setting. The action spans not only geographical but also often cosmological space: across land, sea, into the underworld, or through space or time etc.

Element 4

4. Involves supernatural and-or otherworldly forces. Gods, demons, angels, time/space travel, cheating death etc.

Element 5

5. Sustained elevation of style. Overwritten. Overly formal, highly stylized (poetry, lyricism (singing), exaggeration)

Element 6

6. Poet remains objective and omniscient. The narrator sees and knows all and presents all perspectives.

Author uses comparisons

6. The poet uses long, extended comparisons--epic similes--that make the unfamiliar familiar by stressing its similarity to observable, common phenomena and objects.

Author uses

7. The poet uses many epithets--adjectives or adjective phrases used to point out a characteristic quality of a person, a god, or, less frequently, an animal or an object.

Epic Hero Trait 5: National Heroism

Trait 5 - Must be a National Hero Before a hero can be celebrated by countries the world over, he must first be recognized in his home country as a great and heroic person

Characteristics *2

The actions described in the work are deeds of great valor, often requiring superhuman strength, intelligence, or endurance

Epic Characteristic *1

The setting of the work is vast in scope, covering a whole nation, the world, or even the universe.

Epic Hero Trait 4:

Trait 4 - Travels Over a Vast Setting Simply put, you cannot be an epic hero if you stay in your village your whole life. The more countries or areas traveled to, the better. The farther away from your own country, the better. Distance makes the hero's actions greater because they aren't selfish; they are for another country or people.

Epic Hero Trait 1

Trait 1: A Noble Birth v Most epic heroes will have an above average station in life. V They will be kings, princes, or nobles of some sort. v Commoners usually do not become epic heroes.

Epic Hero: Trait 3:

Trait 3 - Be a Great Warrior v Before the hero of an epic does his business in the epic, he has usually established himself in combat during a war. v Sometimes, as in The Iliad, we see the hero at war. v In most, like Beowulf and The Odyssey, the hero has spent much time in battle.