1. Epic Poetry Calliope – Muse of Epic Poetry

2. Epic Poetry An epic poem is a long poem narrating the heroic exploits of an individual in a way central to the beliefs and culture of his society. Typical elements are fabulous adventures, superhuman deeds, polyphonic composition, majestic language and a craftsmanship deploying the full range of literary devices, from lyrical to dramatic.

3. Being so demanding, epic poetry is counted among man’s noblest creations. Gilgamesh Mahabarata Ramayana Iliad Odyssey Aeneid Beowulf Poema de mio Cid La Chanson de Roland Divine Comedy Jerusalem Delivered Orlando Furiosa Faire Queen Paradise Lost

4. What makes an epic poem epic? The heroes come from the heroic era The heroes are bound by a code of honor The form of the verse – hexameters – is sometimes called epic meter The language of the epic is often formulaic The material of epic is elevated and does not dwell on the banal details of life Catalogues are long Speeches are frequent

5. To gain full epic status, a work – must be taken as an epic – must be regarded long-term as worthy of epic admiration and regard To Achieve that, a work has to speak across the generations of things of things that remain important to us

6. There are really only three themes of epics – Love – Death – God

7. LOVE/LUST The potent combination of the two that seems so hard to disentangle, proves age after age to be a perennial, all-but-irresistable lure to human action and striving LOVST?

8. Death Epics not only address death, but how to confront it, how to maintain our integrity and selfhood in the knowledge that both, inevitably, will be destroyed, that what is nearest and dearest to us is ultimately not ours to keep. The virtue of courage is the ability to maintain our integrity and selfhood in the face of pain, death, and loss.

9. God, or where we wish God were Epics address the ultimate shape of things. Are we going somewhere or not? Is there anybody out there, or does stuff just happen?

10. One final theme that rivals Love, Death, and God – How should we live together? As Aristotle said, we are all social creatures. This leads us to questions of power, race, class, gender, and more broadly to ethics and politics. How should we live together, by what rules, stated or unstated, and for what ends? These questions are addressed by the great epics – with answers of the deepest cultural influence and weight.

11. Two different sort of epics Primary epics are those that arise more or less directly from oral tradition, and arise in a culture at a time shortly after writing is introduced. Ex.: Odyssey, Beowulf, Chanson de Roland, El Cid. Primary epics are something like folklore at its grandest. Secondary epics are very different in the way they are composed. They are written line by line in the manner of writing a book. They are based on the formula of the primary epic, but have no oral tradition behind them.

12. Homeric Epics

13. Homer was an oral poet. Either he or a scribe transcribed the Greek epics Iliad and Odyssey. We know this because he not only repeats over and over stock phrases and epithets, such as “brilliant Achilles,” “Hector, breaker of horses,” “patient, long-suffering Odysseus,” “rosy-fingered dawn,” and the “wine-dark sea”, he also repeats whole lines. He repeats entire scenes, especially when they concern common, repetitive actions, like eating a meal or setting sail and going to sea.

14. Iliad

15. Summary The Iliad only deals with the ninth year of the ten year Trojan War. Its main hero is Achilles. Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks, has to return Chryseis to her father to appease Apollo. In doing so, he demands Briseis, Achilles’ prize. This greatly offends Achilles, and he refuse to fight the Trojans. The Trojans, under Hector, attack the Greeks and almost burn the Greek fleet. Achilles’ friend Patroclus wears Achilles’ armor and goes out to stop the Trojans; he is successful, but Hector kills him, and takes Achilles’ armor. Achilles complains to his mother, Thetis, who has Hephaistos make him new armor, which shows the cycle of war and peace. Achilles kills Hector; tries to desecrate Hector’s body; but finally gives in to Priam’s pleas and lets Hector be given the proper burial and games he deserves.

16. Arete Arete is absolutely central to Homeric and Greek ethics. Arete is virtue, meaning “excellence”. The Greeks lived in a “shame” society, meaning that what people thought of you was what you were. Greeks were not much different than high school students today: they lived an died by their reputations, and their reputations where dependent upon their out ward appearance and skills.

17. Agamemnon has arete because of who he is, the leader of the Greeks

18. Achilles has arete based on who he is, the best warrior in the world

19. Arete gives a person time and kleos time = honorkleos - glory

20. Paris was given Helen for Aphrodite’s time and kleos

21. The Greeks fought the war for Menelaus’ time and kleos

22. Agamemnon demanded Briseis for time and kleos

23. Achilles refused to fight because his time and kleos were affronted

24. At the time of Homer, the Greeks started the Olympic games for time and kleos

25. Odyssey

26. One important difference between the Odyssey and the Iliad is the role that women play in the Odyssey. Women, and domestic domains, have a huge role in the Odyssey. There are no “windswept plains of Troy,” instead there are places that are either fantastical (the island Cyclops) or places of domesticity, which are dominated by women: – Queen Arete of Phaeacea and her daughter Nausicaa – The island of Calypso – The island of Circe – And even Sparta, ruled over by dominant Helen

27. Ithaca itself (home of Odysseus) is ruled over by Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, with the help of his old servant and nursemaid, Eurycleia.

28. Presiding over all is Athena

29. The plot of the Odyssey is different as well. We do not encounter rage and war, but homecoming, the reintegration of home and society that war disrupts and destroys. Arete in battle is still important, but it is now extended. Arete in the Iliad could only be achieved by warriors an kings Arete in the Odyssey could be attained by anyone in any social position

30. Eumaios, Odysseus’ swineherd has time and kleos – Homer’s Odysseus recognizes and praises the hospitality, loyalty, courage, respect for the gods and customs, and the careful attention to work that Eumaios possesses. Homer also recognizes the arete of Penelope, Eurycleia, Telemachus (his son), and even Argos (his dog) The suitor’s, on the other hand, do not show arete, they do not follow custom, and they are summarily slaughtered by Odysseus upon his return home

31. Over the course of his adventures, Odysseus demonstrates many virtues: – He is able to overcome the desire for ease and rest, as in the Lotus-land – He is able to keep his head when confronted by desires that would turn most men into animals, as on the island of Circe – He is able, through foresight, both the hear and to resist the song of the Sirens – He is able to cut his losses and to deceive when necessary, as in confronting the Lestrygonians and sailing past Scylla and Charyblis Above all, he is a man who can survive and prosper, when necessary, by simple, resourceful, long-suffering, persistence All of these virtues make up the many-faceted, complete human being that came to compromise the Greek ideal.