1. What is an Epic?
Epic - A long narrative poem that tells the adventures of heroes who embody the values of their civilization.
The Iliad is the epic of war
The Odyssey is the epic of a long journey

2. Characteristics of an Epic
A physically impressive hero of national and historic importance
Vast setting involving much of the known world but also the underworld
A journey is taken in search for something of value or to achieve something
Evidence of supernatural forces at work
Glorification of the hero at the end
Roots in a specific culture or society

3. Characteristics of an Epic cont.
Contains more than 1000 lines
Involves a hero and a villain
Action such as a quest or journey requiring superhuman ability and courage
Starts in the middle (en medias res)
Involves the gods

4. How Epics Were Told
Were originally told aloud by people who could not read or write
Were composed according to a basic storyline
Were made up on the spot, then retold throughout the years… passed on from generation to generation

5. Epic Hero Characteristics
Possess admirable qualities (trust, respect, etc.)
Skillful warrior who possess a special weapon
Capable of fear
Has allies and followers
Takes a journey to battle evil

6. Homer
Lived from BC
A blind minstrel (or rhapsody: “singers of tales”).
The entertainer and myth-maker of his time
Homer is the Greek storyteller and poet credited for combining isolated tales about various heroic exploits into a single, coherent whole, creating the epics

7. The Illiad and The Odyssey
An archetype of a war epic
Contains the morals and values of the Greek society in war
Odyssey:
An archetype of the adventure/heroic epic
Seen as a metaphor for living one’s life
Contains the morals, themes, and values of the Greek society about adventure, hardship, and life.

8. The Trojan War
the ten year siege of Illium (Troy) by a coalition of Greek city states led by King Agmemnon and Menelaus
the Greeks attacked Troy to avenge an insult suffered by Menelaus, King of Sparta.
Helen, Menelaus’ wife, ran off with Paris, the young prince of Troy. Helen was said to be so beautiful that “her face launched a thousand ships” and started the Trojan War.
Achilles, the great Greek Warrior, fought for Agmemnon and Menelaus

9. The Illiad
The epic poem depicts the battles and events of only a few weeks of the 10 year war in which Agamemnon and the Greek warrior, Achilles, quarrel over whether or not the Greeks should continue to fight as it seemed they would never get past the great walls of Troy.
Fought 10 years outside the walls of Troy
Odysseus thought of the wooden horse trick (The Trojan Horse) which led to the downfall of Troy.
Greeks built an enormous wooden horse and hid inside the belly. They offered the wooden horse as a surrender to the Trojans. They waited in the belly until the Trojans fell asleep and attacked and burned the city killing everyone. Thus winning the Trojan War.

10. The Odyssey Odysseus: a hero in trouble
Before Odysseus leaves for the war he married Penelope, who had his son. Telemachus, was 3 when Odysseus leaves
After winning the Trojan War for the Greeks, the hero of war has difficulty finding his way back home to Ithaca because he upsets Poseidon
Poseidon punishes Odysseus and makes him wander for 10 years before he finally returns home to Ithaca (he is gone a total of 20 years)

11. Literary Terms
Homeric Simile – a long comparison of something that everyone would be familiar with to help create an image of something fantastic. the comparison had heroic qualities and acted as an extended metaphor. Example:
“Its crackling roots blazed and hissed - as a blacksmith plunges a glowing ax or adze in an ice-cold bath and the metal screeches steam and its temper hardens - that's the iron's strength - so the eye of Cyclops sizzled round that stake.”
Here Odysseus compares the sizzling sound of the Cyclops' eye to that of sticking fire-hot metal in cold water. Blacksmiths of the day would have understood this reference.

12. Literary Elements cont.
Epithet – an adjective or descriptive phrase that is used to characterize a person, place, or thing
Allusion – author refers to a subject matter such as a place, event, or literary work and it is up to the reader to make the connection to the subject
Euphemism – using a comparatively milder or less abrasive form of a negative description instead of it’s original, unsympathetic form

13. Words to be Familiar with
Alienation -The feeling of separation
Fate - Something that unavoidably happens to a person
Hero - Someone who demonstrates courage or ability
Quest - A search or pursuit made in order to find something