A long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or

heroes who embody the values of the culture of

which they are a part.
The oldest epics were transmitted orally.
Epic Poem:

What is an Epic?

Epics are long,
narrative poems that
tell the adventures of
heroes who in some
way embody the
values of their
civilization.


What types of epics are the Iliad
and the Odyssey?

Iliad War Epic
Odyssey Journey


Modern Day Epics

Star Wars
Forrest Gump
Hobbit
Lord of the Rings
Wizard of Oz


How were heroes characterized
in Homers day?

Special Aristocrats
or Demigods
Placed somewhere
between Gods and
ordinary humans.

Some Epic Poets & Epics
Anonymous - Gilgamesh (between 2750 and 2500 BCE).
Homer (850 BC ,11941184 BC-time of Trozan War)
The Iliad and The Odyssey
sometimes referred to as the "Father of Epic Poetry."

Mahabharata (around 400 BCE)
Virgil (70 BCE 19 BCE) - Aenied (2919 BC)
Dante (1265) - The Divine Comedy (3books: Inferno,
Purgatorio, and Paradiso)
John Milton (1608-1674) - Paradise Lost (1667)
Michael Madhusudan Dutta- Meghnath Bodh Kabbo

Epic: Definition & Characteristics

a long narrative poem
centered around a national hero or a heroic or quasi-
divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a
tribe, a nation, or the human race.
on a great and serious subject,
The style of writing elevated, ceremonial.
The setting is vast in scope.
It covers great geographical distances
Even the underworld, other worlds, other times.
Supernatural forces ("machinery ) intervene in the
action.
Other Minor Characteristics
Opens by stating the theme of the epic.
Writer invokes a Muse, one of the nine daughters of Zeus.
Narrative opens in media res ("in the middle of things) usually
with the hero at his lowest point. Earlier portions of the story
appear later as flashbacks.
Catalogs and genealogies are given. These long lists of objects,
places, and people place the finite action of the epic within a
broader, universal context.
Main characters give extended formal speeches.
Use of the epic simile or Homeric simile - a more involved,
ornate comparison, extended in great detail.
Heavy use of repetition and stock phrases
repeats passages and
uses Homeric epithets, short, recurrent phrases used to
describe people, places, or things.
Both made the poem easier to memorize.


9 main characteristics (in brief):

It opens in medias res.
The setting is vast, covering many nations, the
world or the universe.
Begins with an invocation to a muse.
It starts with a statement of the theme.
Includes the use of epithets.
Contains long lists.
Features long and formal speeches.
Shows divine intervention on human affairs.
"Star" heroes that embody the values of the
civilization

Epic Hero
The central hero of an epic, the epic hero has larger-
than-life powers.
Achilles fulfills this role in The Iliad; Odysseus in
The Odyssey.
Epic heroes are not perfect.
Achilles is stubbornly proud over a long period of
time; Odysseus has lapses in judgment.
Nevertheless, epic heroes always seem to have an
abundance of courage, a fighting spirit that endears
them both to the reader (listener) and the gods.
Background
The Trojan War c. 1200 BC, 10-year Greek
attack and siege of the city of Troy in
northwestern Asia Minor

The composition of the Homeric epics, The
Iliad and The Odyssey, was probably sometime
around 750 BC

A short plot summary:
The Iliad is about the
Trojan War and The
Odyssey is about how a
hero of the war, Odysseus,
takes ten years to get back
home after the war has
ended and about the
adventures he has along
the way.