Epic Hero PDF

## Elite 103 ### What is Literature? - Literature is the collection of thoughts, emotions and ideas, and is considered a living thing. - Literary works allow people to travel to unknown places, meet different characters broadening their horizons and enriching them culturally. - Reading literature...

## Elite 103 ### What is Literature? - Literature is the collection of thoughts, emotions and ideas, and is considered a living thing. - Literary works allow people to travel to unknown places, meet different characters broadening their horizons and enriching them culturally. - Reading literature allows people to see life from different perspectives with different interpretations, promoting critical thinking and giving them a choice and voice. ### Periods of English History | Period | Dates | | ----------- | ----------- | | Old English (Anglo-Saxon) | 450-1066 | | Middle English | 1066-1500 | | The Neoclassical Age | 1660-1785 | | The Renaissance | 1500-1600 | | The Victorian Period | 1837-1901 | | The Romantic Period | 1785-1830 | | The Georgian | 1910-1936 | | The Edwardian Period | 1901-1914 | | The Modern Period | 1914-1945 | | Postmodernism | 1945- | ### Old English (450-1066) - In The Anglo-Saxon period, there was an invasion of the Celtic kingdom by Germanic tribes, in the first half of the 5th century. - Anglo-Saxon language was the earliest form of English. - It is believed that earlier literature of the period was oral, but then began to develop a written one after converting to Christianity. - Bede and Alcuin were two churchmen who were the major scholars of the period and wrote in Latin. ### Old English (450-1000) - The greatest Old English Poem, *Beowulf*, belongs to the 8th century. - Germanic epic poems, lyric laments; *The Wanderer*, *The Seafarer*, *Deor*. - Composed by a Christian writer in order to reflect the conditions of life in the pagan past, and religious themes still contained elements of biblical narrative. - King Alfred the Great translated a number of Latin books into Old English, which brought back learning to England and improved education for people. - Caedmon and Cynewulf were poets who wrote primarily on biblical themes. ### Beowulf - The greatest Old English poem, and the first English epic. - The author is unknown. - Not about England, but about Hrothgar, king of the Danes. - Beowulf is a brave, young man from Sweden who visits Hrothgar’s hall Heorot. - Hrothgar's hall is visited at night by the terrible creature Grendel, who lives in the lake and kills the king’s men. - Beowulf goes to Hrothgar to help him defeat Grendel. - The poem ends with a sorrowful description of Beowulf’s funeral fire. ### What is an Epic? - A long narrative poem on a serious subject. - It is told in a formal and elevated style. - Centered on a heroic quasi-divine (semi) figure. - The subject is about heroes, warriors of history or tradition. - His actions depend on the fate of a tribe, nation, or race. - Early primary epics Beowulf, The Iliad & The Odyssey, were first composed orally, recited, and written much later by bards. - Literary secondary epic, written composition, unchanged over time for example the Aeneid and Paradise Lost. ### Types of Epic - Folk/Primary Epic - Oral compositions passed on from story teller to another, and changed over time. For example: *Gilgamesh*, *Beowulf*, *The Iliad*, *The Odyssey*. - Literary Epic - Such as Virgill’s Aeneid and Milton’s *Paradise Lost* are later imitations of early epics and they are written down at the start. ### Epic Conventions - Shared characteristics of epics that writers drew on to establish the epic quality of their poems - **Setting is vast scope** - **Actions consist of deeds of great valour/superhuman courage.** - **Hero is a figure of great stature of (Inter)national imp.** - **Supernatural forces are frequently involved in the action.** - **An elevated style is used (both good and bad).** ### Devices - Conventions - **Poet states his theme, appeals to a muse/subject to inspire and instruct him**. For example: Jesus in The Rood of the Hood. - **Begins his narrative by narrating the story from the middle, after supposing that the audience is aware of past events. This known as Medias Res.** - **Provides the necessary exposition in the later part of the epic.** - **Includes catalogues of warriors, ships, armies, sea-fighters**. - **Gives extended formal speeches by the M.C using epic simile.** ### Epic Convention 1: Invocation - A formal plea for aid; usually to a deity, or other spiritual power. ### Epic Convention 2: In Medias Res - Literally means, "In the middle of things." - The *Iliad* tells the story of the Trojan war, but not from the beginning. - The real story takes place in the fourth year of the war. - In *Beowulf*, Heorot has been assaulted for 12 winters, then Beowulf comes and the story begins. ### Epic Convention 3: Flashback - The epic begins in medias res and then flashes back to events that took place before the narrator’s current time setting. ### Epic Convention 4: Epithet - A descriptive phrase that presents a particular trait of a person or thing. - Can be a quick aid to characterization. - Odysseus - A raider of cities, - Hrothgar - The ring-giver, - Beowulf - A war-winner. - Achilles - Swift-footed, - Aphrodite - Laughter-loving goddess. ### Epic Hero - The most courageous - The most powerful - Smartest - Must be royal, retainer of a king -Must be willing to sacrifice - Must know the etiquette - Epic hero usually undertakes a quest (journey) to achieve something of great value for themselves or society. - They “live” on after death - They are remembered by those who live after them - They achieve immortality - Epic hero experiences typical human emotion, yet they are able to master and control these human traits to a greater degree than a typical person.