An Epic is a narrative poem of GIANT proportion! They tell the tale of a hero who has to undergo seemingly impossible challenges that will challenge him (or her) to grow in new ways to survive and eventually come back home.
Homer (pictured on the left) told the Epic tale of
Odysseus, a Greek warrior who spen over ten years trying to find his way home after the Trojan War. Epic poems usually follow a few guidelines:
1) The Plot centers around a Hero of Unbelievable Stature. The epic hero completes what everyone only attempts - this hero is who we all wish to be. In ancient epics, the hero often is either partially divine or at least protected by a god.
2) Involves deeds of superhuman strength and valor. The hero accomplish feats no real human could.
3) A Vast Setting. The action spans not only geographical but also often cosmological space: across land, sea, into the underworld, or thru space or time etc.
4) Involves supernatural and-or otherworldly forces. Gods, demons, angels, time/space travel, cheating death etc.
5) Poet remains objective and omniscient. The narrator sees and knows all and presents all perspectives.
An epic should also Represents moral ideals and taboos in the behavior of the hero and antagonist. The hero's behavior and the lessons he learns along the way represent the culture's ideals; what the hero does, all men should strive toward. The Other (monster or antagonist) is shown as essentially/inherently inferior to the hero; the Other represents either those who break moral taboos or the inferiority of Other cultures/peoples/nations etc.
(Above list has been modified from http://www.webpage.uidaho.edu/eng257/General%20lit/six_elements_of_the_epic.htm)
Homer (pictured on the left) told the Epic tale of
Odysseus, a Greek warrior who spen over ten years trying to find his way home after the Trojan War. Epic poems usually follow a few guidelines:
1) The Plot centers around a Hero of Unbelievable Stature. The epic hero completes what everyone only attempts - this hero is who we all wish to be. In ancient epics, the hero often is either partially divine or at least protected by a god.
2) Involves deeds of superhuman strength and valor. The hero accomplish feats no real human could.
3) A Vast Setting. The action spans not only geographical but also often cosmological space: across land, sea, into the underworld, or thru space or time etc.
4) Involves supernatural and-or otherworldly forces. Gods, demons, angels, time/space travel, cheating death etc.
5) Poet remains objective and omniscient. The narrator sees and knows all and presents all perspectives.
An epic should also Represents moral ideals and taboos in the behavior of the hero and antagonist. The hero's behavior and the lessons he learns along the way represent the culture's ideals; what the hero does, all men should strive toward. The Other (monster or antagonist) is shown as essentially/inherently inferior to the hero; the Other represents either those who break moral taboos or the inferiority of Other cultures/peoples/nations etc.
(Above list has been modified from http://www.webpage.uidaho.edu/eng257/General%20lit/six_elements_of_the_epic.htm)
The Odyssey takes place in and near ancient Greece. The picture to the left is an image of the areas, also labeled with the different adventures that Odysseus undertakes as he slowly make his way home to Ithica. Check out the more modern interactive map of Greece and surrounding countries below.