EPIC

An epic is a very long narrative poem composed in a lofty style that tells a story
of a hero and his adventures on a grand scale.

TWO MAIN TYPES OF EPIC:

1. FOLK EPIC
- stories about heroes that were originally recited or sung as
entertainment at feasts
- ex. Iliad and Odyssey
2. LITERARY EPIC
- written by a specific author, usually borrowing the style and
characteristics of the folk epic.
- ex. Aeneid by Virgil,
Dante’s Divine Comedia

KEY ELEMENTS:

1. EPIC HERO
- The epic hero is a “larger than life person” who embodies the
highest ideals of his culture
- ex. 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.
2. EPIC CONFLICT
- The plot of an epic centers on the hero’s struggle against an
obstacle or a series of obstacles.
3. HEROIC QUEST
- Often, the hero’s adventure takes the form of a perilous journey,
or quest, in search of something of value to his people.
4. DIVINE INTERVENTION
- The epic hero often receives help from a god or some other
supernatural force.

EPIC CONVENTIONS:

1. THEME/INVOCATION
- An epic usually begins with an opening statement of theme,
followed by an invocation, or appeal for supernatural help in
telling the story.
- ex. “Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that
man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for
years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud
height of Troy.”
2. IN MEDIAS RES
- The story begins in medias res (Latin for “in the middle of
things”).
- ex. The Odyssey begins in the middle of the action. Odysseus
has landed in Phaecia after his travels; he relates his story and
is given leave to home where he will fight the suitors and claim
his wife.
 3. TONE/STYLE
- An epic has a serious tone and an elevated style that reflect the
importance of its characters and theme.
4. EPIC SIMILES (a.k.a. HOMERIC SIMILES)
- These are elaborately extended comparisons relating heroic
events to simple, everyday events using like, as, so, and just as.
- ex. “And Odysseus let the bright molten tears run down his
cheeks, weeping [like] the way a wife mourns for her lord on the
lost field where he has gone down fighting the day of wrath that
came upon his children.”
5. EPITHETS
- A descriptive phrase that presents a particular trait of a person
or thing. It can be a quick aid to characterization.
- ex. “Son of Laertes and the gods of old, Odysseus, master
mariner and soldier, you shall not stay here against your will…”
- Odysseus is a “raider of cities.”
- Odysseus is “a man skilled in all ways of contending.”

EPIC
Folk Epic Literary Epic

Key Elements: Epic Conventions:

Epic Hero Invocation

Epic Conflict In Medias Res

Epic Quest Tone/Style

Divine Intervention Epic Simile

Epithets

Prepared by:
JUNE MARK P. SOLLOSO