Meaning Of The Word Epic

Definition of Epic

An epic is a long narrative poem that is elevated and dignified in theme, tone, and style. Equally a literary device, an ballsy celebrates heroic deeds and historically (or fifty-fifty cosmically) important events. An ballsy commonly focuses on the adventures of a hero who has qualities that are superhuman or divine, and on whose very fate ofttimes depends on the destiny of a tribe, nation, or sometimes the whole of the homo race. The Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid are considered the about important epics in western world literature, although this literary device has been utilized beyond regions and cultures.

Epic comes from the ancient Greek termepos, meaning story, word, verse form. TheEpic of Gilgamesh is considered by many scholars to be the oldest surviving example of a work of literature. This epic, traced back to ancient Mesopotamia in approximately 2100 BC, relays the story of Gilgamesh, an ancient king descended from the gods. Gilgamesh undergoes a journey to find the secret of immortality.

Characteristics of an Epic

Though the epic is not a frequently used literary device today, its lasting influence on poetry is unmistakable. Traditionally, epic poetry shares certain characteristics that identify it equally both a literary device and poetic course. Hither are some typical characteristics of an epic:

written in formal, elevated, dignified style
third-person narration with an omniscient narrator
begins with an invocation to a muse who provides inspiration and guides the poet
includes a journey that crosses a diversity of large settings and terrains
takes place across long time spans and/or in an era beyond the range of living memory
features a central hero who is incredibly brave and resolute
includes obstacles and/or circumstances that are supernatural or otherworldly so as to create almost impossible odds against the hero
reflects business organisation as to the futurity of a civilization or culture

Famous Examples of Literary Epics

Epic poems can be traced dorsum to some of the earliest civilizations in human history, in Europe and Asia, and are therefore some of the primeval works of literature as well. Literary epics reflect heroic deeds and events that reveal significance to the culture of the poet. In addition, epic poetry allowed ancient writers to relay stories of great adventures and heroic actions. The issue of epics was to commemorate the struggles and adventures of the hero to drag their status and inspire the audience.

Here are some famous examples of literary epics:

The IliadandThe Odyssey: epic poems attributed to Homer between 850 and 650 BC. These poems describe the events of the Trojan War and King Odysseus's return journey from Troy and were initially conveyed in the oral tradition.
TheMahābhārata: an epic verse form from ancient India composed in Sanskrit.
The Aeneid: epic verse form equanimous in Latin past Virgil, a Roman poet, between 29 and 19 BC. This is a narrative verse form that relates the story of Aeneas, a Trojan descendent and forebear to the Romans.
Beowulf: an epic poem was written in Old English between 975 and 1025 AD. It is not attributed to an author, but is known for the conflict between Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero, and the monster Grendel.
TheNibelungenlied: the ballsy narrative poem was written in Center High german, c. 1200 Advertizing. Its bailiwick is Siegfried, a legendary hero in German mythology.
The Divine Comedy: ballsy poem by Dante Alighieri and was completed in 1320. Its subject is a detailed business relationship of Dante as a character traveling through Hell, Purgatory, and Sky.
The Faerie Queene: an epic verse form past Edmund Spenser published in 1590 and given to Elizabeth I. This verse form features an invocation of the muse and is the work in which Spenser invented the poetry form later known as the Spenserian stanza.
Paradise Lost: written past John Milton in blank verse course and published in 1667. Its subject field is the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden as well as the fallen angel Satan.

Divergence Between Epic and Ballad

Both ballsy and ballad works date back to ancient history and were passed downwards from one generation to another through oral verse. However, these literary devices feature significant differences. An epic is an extended narrative verse form composed with elevated and dignified language that celebrates the acts of a legendary or traditional hero. A ballad is besides a narrative poem that is adapted for people to sing or recite and intended to convey sentimental or romantic themes in short stanzas, unremarkably quatrains with repeating rhyme scheme. Ballads typically feature mutual, colloquial language to represent day-to-day life, and they are designed to accept universal entreatment to humanity as a group. Epic works, however, focus on a certain civilization, race, nation, or religious group whose victory or failure determines the fate of an entirety of a nation or larger group but not all of humanity.

Characters in Ballsy Poetry

An epic poem can have several characters merely the principal character is always a historical figure or a legendary hero. Such heroes are of noble birth, having superhuman capabilities, with supernatural elements to assistance them out in hard situations. He could be an unparalleled warrior, demonstrating superhuman capabilities before superhuman foes. Other characters could be all and sundry, animals, gods and goddesses, and some other superhumans but non equal to the legendary hero. Its classical examples are Odyssey and Illiad. Paradise Lost is the best example of an epic in English language Literature.

Features of Main Grapheme in Ballsy Poetry

The master traits of the central character of an epic are as follows.

The hero is of a noble nativity such every bit Odysseus.
He could have superhuman capabilities.
He is a good traveler and travels to foreign lands.
He is a matchless warrior and could fight supernatural beings.
He is a cultural legend and people sing in his praise.
He is a apprehensive, sympathetic and empathetic fellow.
He surmounts all obstacles including supernatural foes.

Structure of Epic Verse

There are several important points in the structure of an ballsy poem.

The first line states the theme of the poem such as in Paradise Lost.
The poem invokes a Muse that has inspired and instructed the poet to write the poem.
The poem opens from the heart or In Medias Res and so states the main events.
The poem includes lists or catalogs of characters, armies, or ships.
The poem includes long speeches of the chief warriors.
The poem has extended metaphors and extended similes written in iambic pentameter.

Use of Supernatural Characters in Epic Poems

Epic poems often comprise supernatural characters. Some have gods and goddesses such every bit in Gilgamesh and Odyssey. They help heroes in difficult times. Some have demons and monsters with whom heroes boxing and win. Some epics accept other supernatural elements with whom the heroes come into contact and win such every bit Cyclops in Odyssey. Some have mythical creatures such equally Eris, Thetis, Enkidu, and Shamas in Gilgamesh.

Origin of Epic Poesy

Gilgamesh is peradventure the primeval known epic that has survived the ravages of fourth dimension. It is a Sumerian poem of King Gilgamesh and has been traced dorsum to 3,000 BC. It is stated to take the records of King Gilgamesh. Post-obit that, Mahabharta, the ancient Indian epic, was written in 300BC and comprises more than 200,000 verses, the longest epic. Odyssey, Illiad, Paradise Lost, Ramayana, and Shahnameh are some other popular epics of different regions.

Examples of Epics in Literature

Modern readers may consider whatever lengthy tale of an ancient hero who embarks on a significant journey to exist an epic work. However, though this type of heroic story is common in various forms of literature, prose narratives aren't considered part of the realm of the epic tradition. It's rare for modern poets to cull ballsy as a literary device; yet, epic poetry remains one of the near influential forms of literature.

Hither are some examples of epic poems in literature:

Example 1:Inferno (get-go canticle ofThe Divine One-actby Dante Alighieri)

i am the mode into the city of woe,
I am the way into eternal pain,
I am the way to go among the lost.

Justice caused my high architect to motion,
Divine omnipotence created me,
The highest wisdom, and the primal honey.

Before me at that place were no created things
Just those that concluding forever—as do I.
Carelessness all hope you who enter here.

This passage is from the beginning canticle of Dante'sDivine One-act,Inferno, in which the graphic symbol Dante makes a journey through Hell guided by the ancient Roman poet, Virgil. Equally Dante approaches the Gate of Hell, he finds these lines inscribed. The poetic lines represent the "voice" of Hell in telling Dante and the reader of Hell's nature, origin, and purpose. This indicates the pathway of what is to come for Dante on his journey through the epic verse form. The inscription describes Hell as a city, structured as a contained geographical area bound by walls and harboring a population of souls suffering diverse levels and means of torment. This is a parallel for the canticleParadiso and its portrayal of Heaven, which is described by Virgil as the metropolis of God.

In addition, the inscription warns that Hell is a place of eternal woes, hurting, and loss. Dante witnesses God'southward intense penalty of those who sin, lending to Dante's journey an otherworldly setting that crosses a bridge of fourth dimension and memory. The last line of the inscription is an example of the elevated language and tone of Dante'due south epic poem. Dante'south grapheme, equally well every bit the reader, are told to "abandon all hope" upon entering the gate of Hell, implying there is no escape from the Inferno with hope intact. Dante's ballsy verse form is ane of the nigh influential works in the history of literature.

Instance two: Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto

This canis familiaris won't hunt. This horse won't jump. Y'all get
the general drift. All the same, he keeps on trying,
merely the fire won't fire, the kindling is wet,
and the faint glow of the ember is weak and dying.
He has no other choice then but to let
It become and take a nap on the ground there, lying
Next to her—for whom Matriarch Fortune has more
Woes and tribulations all the same in store.

Ariosto's epic verse form of 1532 is an interpretation of the battles betwixt the Saracen invaders and the Franks. Orlando Furioso is a dauntless warrior tasked to save his people, indicating a heroic character who is mettlesome and resolute. Even so, he suffers from a catamenia of madness due to the seductions of Angelica. This circumstance represents an obstacle for the hero to overcome every bit a means of fulfilling his journeying and destiny in ensuring the conservancy of his people. The pairing of valiant duty and passionate love is common in ballsy poesy. In Ariosto's work, Furioso ultimately recognizes passion as a weakness non befitting of a knight and he, therefore, returns to placing the importance of duty before any other action.

Example three: Don Juan past Lord Byron

Between two worlds life hovers like a star,
'Twixt dark and morn, upon the horizon'south verge.
How little exercise we know that which we are!
How less what we may be! The eternal surge
Of time and tide rolls on, and bears afar
Our bubbles; every bit the old burst, new emerge,
Lash'd from the cream of ages; while the graves
Of Empires heave but like some passing waves.

Some poets, including Alexander Pope, wrote mock-epics to satirize heroic verse and its elevated stature which became ballsy works of their own. In "Don Juan," Byron utilizes the elements of epic every bit a literary device to reinvent the story of the championship graphic symbol from the Spanish legend of "Don Juan." Nevertheless, in Byron'south piece of work, the story of Don Juan is reversed. Rather than portraying the infamous graphic symbol as a womanizer, he is presented equally someone who is easily seduced by women. This allows Byron as a poet to satirize the legend and character of Don Juan in addition to the epic form of poetry as well.

However, though Byron'southward epic verse form is satirical, it is also masterful in its sixteen cantos of ottava rima or eighth rhyme. "Don Juan" features 16,000 lines in which Byron cleverly utilizes elevated linguistic communication and tone as a nod to traditional epic verse, just also intersperses a vulgar style of writing as well to subvert the ballsy tradition.