Lesson 4.04 It's Epic

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An epic poem is a long narrative poem telling the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of particular society. Epic poetry is one of the oldest forms of literature. Before the scribes A person who writes books or documents by hand to help keep track of records. came to Britain, the stories of epic heroes were passed down orally from generation to generation by the tribal historians called scops An Old English poet or storyteller. (pronounced shops). Their job was to memorize the tales of the past since no one could read or write. They usually sang or chanted the stories accompanied by a harp.

The epic hero is generally a warrior hero who fights the unending battle of good versus evil; he is a champion of freedom and justice; he is devoted to duty, loyal to family, and courageous in battle. Common traits of an epic hero are

• the hero is of noble birth;

• the hero takes part in a long and dangerous adventure;

• the hero accomplishes great deeds that require extraordinary courage and superhuman strength; and

• the hero reflects the values and ideals of a nation or race.

A hero must take a long journey or quest whether the hero wants to go or not. The quest will definitely lead the hero to face conflicts. The quest does not have to be a long trip on a horse to a castle; any trip can be a quest.

Have you ever seen the movie Shrek? In the first Shrek movie, Shrek, the big green ogre, loses his swamp. He makes a deal with Farquaad to get his swamp back if he brings Fiona to Farquaad so that Farquaad can marry Fiona and become king. Shrek and Donkey must go to a dragon-infested castle and battle the dragon in order to bring Fiona back. In the end, Shrek and Fiona fall in love and marry. This is an example of a quest.

Some of the best works of literature that students study are examples of epic poetry. You may review the ones below if you have time. (Side note - epic poetry is italicized because it is a very long poem.)

• The Iliad

• Beowulf

• The Odyssey

• Paradise Lost

• Gilgamesh

There are five main characteristics of epic poetry.

1. The hero is, well, epic.

2. The setting is broad.

3. The hero goes on a quest or journey.

4. The action contains superhuman endeavors.

5. The conflict is between good and evil.

Can you think of any modern epics? See answer Some examples of modern epics are Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Divergent, The Hunger Games. .

All of the classical and modern epics are divided into three sections discussing the hero's journey: the departure, the journey, and the return.