CRITICALLY ANALYSE THE USE OF EPIC CONVENTIONS IN HOMER’S

ILIAD.

The Iliad by Homer is a primary epic. An epic is a long narrative poem, and The Iliad upholds this
quality. It was originally composed orally, and after centuries of oral transmission, it was finally
written down. In all orally composed epic poems, we have certain features in common. First of all,
they are based on some events of historical significance. The Iliad, for instance, is also based on The
Trojan War which is considered to be one of the greatest battles ever fought. Other features of an
epic lie in its exalted narrative style, its unity of action, rapidity, the art of beginning, the use of epic
digressions, and epic conventions. The Iliad accommodates all these features. 
In Homer's Iliad, we see a wide usage of the epic conventions. These are some formal
characteristics that all the epic poems generally share in common.

The first epic convention is called in medias res. It is a Latin phrase that means 'in the midst of
things'. Any work that starts in medias res kicks off somewhere in the middle of the plot. The Iliad,
for example, begins in the ninth year of the Trojan War, where we see a quarrel between Achilles
and Agamemnon. The quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon in the war's tenth year causes
Achilles' withdrawal from battle. This encourages the Trojans to come out from the safety of their
fortifications and fight in the open battlefield. The second and one of the most important epic
conventions is invocation. Every epic poem begins with an invocation of the Muse. These
recitations formally begin by calling for a blessing from a god or for gods to attend the poet’s
efforts. In The Iliad, Homer asks the goddess (the Muse, goddess of memory) to 'sing', through him,
the destructive anger of the greatest Greek fighter, Achilles. Statement of theme is another epic
convention which is a message or the main idea that the writer wants the reader to remember after
reading his/her work. Most stories, plays, novels, and poems have more than one theme. The main
theme of the Iliad is stated in the first line, as Homer asks the Muse to sing of the "wrath of
Achilles." Homer begins the epic by narrating the following lines, 'Anger- sing, goddess, the anger
of Achilles, son of Peleus...' These lines stand testimony to the fact that the theme of The Iliad
revolves around the two wrath cycles of Achilles.  

The next epic convention is Divine Intervention. In epics, gods intervene in human affairs and tend
to control their thoughts and actions. For example, when Achilles, out of the rush of blood, tries to
stab Agamemnon, the goddess Athene intervenes and prevents Achilles from killing Agamemnon
and promises him massive rewards for the insult. This shows that a divine power manipulates
human actions to please itself and fulfil its aims. 
Gods can intervene in human affairs through the following ways:
  Direct Intervention: One of the many examples of the direct intervention of gods in
human affairs can be seen when Athene rushes down from Mount Olympus to stop
Achilles from taking the life out of Agamemnon. 
 Indirect Intervention: In this kind of divine intervention, the gods do not intervene
directly in human affairs, in fact, they give them strength, protection, and assurance by
sending omens and breathing a new fighting spirit in them. Zeus, king of all the gods,
men, and universe, helps Hector by giving him strength and protection during battle.
Similarly, Athene provides extra strength to Achilles after the death of Patroclus, so
he can re-join the battle and fight despite his heartache. 
 Externalization of the human mind: Another way of divine intervention as mentioned
in most heroic epics is the externalization of the human mind. Here, the gods control
the thoughts of humans, and they act accordingly. In book two of the Iliad, we find the
first instance of this kind of divine intervention when Zeus sends Agamemnon a
destructive dream so that the Greeks can be slaughtered in multitudes by their ships.
Thus, we can rightly say that humans are merely puppets in the hands of the gods. 
We have another epic convention which is commonly used in most epics: Epic Digression, which
can be defined as an act of leaving or setting aside the main subject of the plot in an extended
written or verbal expression of thought. This is one of the most common ways of distracting the
audience from the plot and creating either suspense or interest. Homer often uses epic digression in
The Iliad. In the middle of the main plot, he describes the various shields and armours of the
warriors to create suspense among the readers. There are also instances of ANAELEPSIS AND
PROLEPSIS in The Iliad, commonly referred to as "flashforward" and "flashback". The next epic
convention is Stock Epithet. An epithet is an adjective or a descriptive phrase that expresses a
quality or characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. In The Iliad, Homer widely uses stock
epithets to define gods and humans. For example, Athene is "bright-eyed", while Odysseus is "wise"
and "resourceful". These epithets help us to develop a character sketch of the various characters
mentioned in the epic poem. These are also a great way to get a deeper understanding of the nature
and behaviour of each character.

 One of the most common epic conventions is Epic Simile. An epic simile is a detailed, often
complex poetic comparison that unfolds for several lines. It is also known as a Homeric simile
because the Greek poet Homer is thought to have originated the device in the epic poem, The
Iliad. Homer often draws comparisons between the forces of nature and the behaviour of armies.
Homer compares fighting warriors to lions attacking wild boars or other prey. We also see Homer
comparing instances of domesticity to that of dying warriors. He compares the pain of a woman in
labour to that of Agamemnon's when he got hit below the elbow by a spear. The last epic
convention is an Epic Catalogue. Classical epics include long and short lists of things. These lists
are called epic catalogues. It is one of the most striking features of ancient epic poetry. It enhances
the authority of the poet who is able to present a broader or even complete knowledge
about a certain topic to his audience. For example, the catalogue of ships is an epic
catalogue in book 2 of The Iliad which lists the contingents of the Achaean Army that sailed
to Ilium.