Epic.Elements of epic literature…

Elements of Epic-ness

• Epic Hero• Epic Society• Epic Plot• Epic Setting• Archetypes• Epic Language • Epic Themes

Epic hero• Possess super human

strength, craftiness, and confidence

• Either helped or harmed by the gods

• They have ideals/ values that the culture admires

• Manages to stay alive in dangerous situations

Epic Hero Cont…

• After his death, the epic hero achieves a glorified status not possible while he lived.

• His passing represents the end of an era, or the end of his civilization.

Epic Society

• Like Beowulf, the epic hero’s society is organized as a warrior caste system, with the upper class members trained in the art of physical combat.

• An air of tragic seriousness dominates an epic as the society comes under attack, often by supernatural beings, such as gods, or monsters.

Epic Plot• Must involve a LONG journey with

complications:– Strange creature– Divine intervention

• (gods helping or hurting)– Large-scale events– Treacherous weather

All for Goodness and Glory

• Beowulf embodies the values of his society, such as courage, strength and the unwavering commitment to glory.

• In the epic, the hero will make a quest for glory, even if it results in his own death.

• By risking his life, the epic hero elevates his own nature, and his death ennobles his followers

Epic Setting• They must go to strange, fantastic

or exotic lands

• Usually involve “upper” and “lower” worlds. (ie heaven/hell)

Archetypes• Archetypes are characters, situations,

and images that are present in many times and cultures:– Sea monster/ Dragon– Wicked temptress– Buried treasure– Epic hero

Language of the Epic

• Kennings: a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing or idea– Whale Road = the ocean– Shepherd of Evil = Grendel– God’s Candle = The Sun

Language cont…

• Kennings fulfill three things– Anglo/Saxon poetry depends on Alliteration but

neither had a large vocabulary, so they combine words to make alliterations.

– Easier to memorize, since all stories were oral. – People liked and valued elaboration, so the

complex kennings satisfied this desire

• Alliteration: repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of the word. – Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore.

Epic themes• Reflects universal themes:

– Courage

– Fate of a nation

– A homecoming

– Beauty

– Loyalty

– Life and death

Can you…• Think of any epic stories or

heroes?

• As we read The Odyssey (an epic poem) look for elements that make it epic!