Epic Notes

Six Elements of the Epic Plot centers around a hero of unbelievable stature. Involves deeds of superhuman strength and valor. Vast setting. Involves supernatural and/or other-worldly forces. Sustained elevation of style. Poet remains objective and omniscient.

Epic Origins 1.) a conglomeration of pre-existing stories and characters 2.) often of oral origin 3.) at least loosely based around historical or quasi- historical characters or events or characters 4.) set in mythologized distant time, traditionally in the past

Epic as Moral Codes (or Political Propaganda) Represents moral ideals and taboos in the behavior of the hero and antagonist Relationships: who gets to be with whom? How are these rules divided between the sexes? How are these rules divided between social classes or birth rank? War and Violence: when are or aren’t we justified killing one another? Distribution of wealth: how is property treated within the culture and between culture and the Other? Food and Alcohol: how is the treatment of both ritualized, usually in a religious context, and why? What does this tell us about the origin of religious belief and law?

Epic as Moral Codes (or Political Propaganda) 2. Grants cosmological significance to historical events. Root causes are nearly always traced back to the will of the gods or God The hero’s heroism and the triumph of people is divinely ordained In this way, history is given moral significance – and people feel divinely guided toward their fate