Download Odyssey Epic Characteristics and Literary Terms

LITERARY ELEMENTS & LANGUAGE TERMS – SET #4
Odyssey Epic Characteristics and Literary Terms
Epics and Their Characteristics
Epics
 Long narrative poems that tell of the adventures of heroes who embody the values of their civilization.
Epic Conventions
 The work begins in medias res (in the middle of things)
o Odysseus’s story begins in the middle of his journey
 The poem will often open with an invocation of the muse.
o “Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns / driven time and again off course,
once he had / plundered the hallowed heights of Troy.”
 Main character is a physically impressive hero of national or historical importance.
o Odysseus fought for ten years in the Trojan War and devised the idea of the Trojan horse.
 Setting is vast in scope, including much of the physical world and, at times, the land of the dead.
o Odysseus’ travels take him throughout the Mediterranean World.
 The action consists of deeds of great valor or requiring superhuman courage.
o In The Odyssey, Odysseus must overcome many challenges.
 There is evidence of supernatural forces at work.
o In the Odyssey, the hero encounters gods, goddesses, sorceresses, monsters, giants, and the
list goes on.
 The author uses a style of sustained elevation.
o When the sun had left the splendid sea and risen up / into an all-bronze heaven, giving light to
gods / and mortal men and grain to farmers’ fields, / the ship and crew reached Pylos, a wellbuilt city / ruled by Nestor.
 Epics will be rooted in a specific culture and society.
o The Odyssey, for example, is heavily rooted in Greek society and culture.
Epic Heroes
 Embody the important morals, values, and virtues of the society of which they are a product.
Epic Hero Characteristics
 The epic hero embodies the highest ideals of his culture.
 The epic hero is superior in degree to other men and to his environment.
 The epic hero is especially skilled both with and without weapons.
 The epic hero is clever and wise, but capable of error.
 Epic hero experiences typical human emotions, yet is able to master and control these human traits to
a greater degree than a typical person
 Not a superman with magical powers but a regular human whose aspirations and accomplishments set
him/her apart
 The epic hero usually undertakes a quest/journey to achieve something of great value to themselves or
society.
 Epic heroes live on after death, meaning they are forever remembered by those who live after
them…achieving a type of immortality. As such, the epic hero strives for honor and fame.
Literary Terms
Dramatic Irony: When the reader knows something about the text that one or more characters in the story do
not know.
Epithet
 a descriptive label/phrase applied to a person or thing that emphasizes a particular quality or attribute
of what is being described; often repeated throughout the text
 Ex. Odysseus is frequently referred to as “the man of twists and turns.”
Epic Simile
 a long, elaborate simile that goes on for a number of lines; often compares heroic or epic events to
understandable and everyday things
 Ex. She brushed [the arrow] away from his skin as lightly as when a mother / Brushes a fly away from
her child who is lying in sweet sleep.
Greek Concepts
Hubris: excessive pride
 Look for how this affects the characters in our story!
Xenia: Greek cultural custom of hospitality (generosity and courtesy to those far from home)
Arête: Greek word meaning “possessing an excellent ability at something.
 Named for the Greek goddess of virtue, excellence, goodness and valor.
Nemesis: source of harm or ruin; unbeatable foe.
 Named after the goddess of indignation against, and retribution for, evil deeds and undeserved good
fortune.
 She was a personification of the resentment aroused in men by those who committed crimes with
apparent impunity, or who had inordinate good fortune.
 Nemesis directed human affairs in such a way as to maintain equilibrium.
 Her name means she who distributes or deals out.
 Happiness and unhappiness were measured out by her, care being taken that happiness was not too
frequent or too excessive. If this happened, Nemesis could bring about losses and suffering.
Até: The state of temporary madness.