THE EPIC
THE ODYSSEY
THE EPIC POEM
• A long narrative poem that tells about the
adventures of a great hero.
• It was developed as a a storytelling device, an oral
poem that was told or sung.
• Epic poems embody the values of the people who
tell them.
• Examples: the Illiad, the Odyssey, Beowulf,
Gilgamesh
EPIC HEROES: A JOURNEY
• The epic hero embodies the values of the culture or
nation
• The hero’s journey is a pattern that can be found in
myths, stories, and legends from a range of cultures
and time periods. From ancient Greece to modern
Hollywood and anywhere beyond or in between,
the hero’s journey is an important archetype (basic
original pattern) from which many stories have
been derived
THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF
AN EPIC POEM
It contains adventure
It has a central heroic figure
The setting is vast—often covering the entire world
Supernatural forces are at work.
An elevated style is used (a serious tone)
A quest or journey undertaken in search for
something of value
• Glorification of the hero at the end
• A basis in a specific culture or society
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LITERARY TECHNIQUES
• The Odyssey is divided into 24 “books”; this
has become the standard for any epic
poem written.
• The epic uses a standard measure of verse
• It is written in didactic hexameter—this
means that there are five metric feet per
line.
• Each line has between 12 to 17 syllables.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES:
EPITHETS
• Epithets: A repeated description often used to meet
rhyming/meter requirements
Example: “rosy-fingered dawn,” “wise Odysseus,”
“bright-eyed Athena”
Poets devised this method to fulfill the metrical
requirements of a poem without changing the
meaning of a line. Epithets are also very easy to
remember for actors who recited the poetry.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES
• Simile: A comparison of a subject to something
more easily visualized by the audience
• Formal Rhetoric: Long, formal speeches by the
characters. These are found throughout the
Odyssey and are used to establish the character
who speaks