1 / 7

The Epic and the Epic Hero

The Epic and the Epic Hero. Pre- Beowulf Notes. You know the story…. People are living in fear as an evil force threatens to destroy the land. Then a hero appears. Brave, strong, and good, the hero defeats the evil force and saves the land and its people.

holden
Download Presentation

The Epic and the Epic Hero

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. The Epic and the Epic Hero Pre-Beowulf Notes

  2. You know the story… • People are living in fear as an evil force threatens to destroy the land. Then a hero appears. Brave, strong, and good, the hero defeats the evil force and saves the land and its people. • Sound familiar? Try to think of some examples…

  3. Some background… • Earliest epics date back to a time when most were illiterate • Usually recited by poets with musical accompaniment • Thrilled audiences with monsters, perilous journeys, and fierce battles – the movies of their day • Examples: • Earliest – Gilgamesh (Sumerians) • The Iliad and the Odyssey (Greek) • The Song of El Cid (Spanish) • The Song of Roland (French) • Beowulf (Anglo-Saxons)

  4. Epic Form • Established by the ancient Greek poet Homer • Features of the epic form in Western literature include: • Poetic lines that have a regular meter and formal, elevated, or even lofty language • Main characters who have heroic or superhuman qualities • Gods or godlike beings who intervene in the events • Action on a huge scale, often involving the fates of entire peoples • Stories that begin in medias res (“in the middle of things”) or at a critical point in the action

  5. Epithets and Kennings • Epithets – a word or brief phrase often used to characterize a particular person, place, or thing • The goddess Athena is “gray-eyed” and the sea is “wine-dark.” • Kennings – a descriptive figure of speech that takes the place of a common noun, especially in Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry • In Beowulf, for example, the sea is described as the “whale road.”

  6. The Epic Hero • Epic hero is a man, as women take subordinate roles in traditional epics • Possesses high social status whose fate affects the destiny of his people • Plots involve supernatural events, long periods of time, distant journeys, and life-and-death struggles between good and evil

  7. The Epic Hero Continued… • Skill as a warrior, nobility of character, and quick wits enable the hero to defeat his enemies • Rarely modest – boasting is typical • Represents the ideals and values of his people

More Related