Epic Poetry

High school students across the United States will read The Iliad, Homer's famed epic poem,this school year. Perhaps they will appreciate the adventurous narrative and explore other great epic poems. Most students will revisit epic poetry only once or twice in their high school and college careers, then forget about the magic of poetry altogether. Those students, however, who fell in love with the action, adventure, romance, and heroism of epic poetry, will continue to seek out these epics, discovering ancient, medieval, and modern tales.

Traditionally, epic poems are long narratives that explore heroism and major events that are culturally relevant (Meyer, 2128). Some of these ancient works like the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey are two ancient epic poems that spoke to the cares of the ancient Mesopotamians and the ancient Greeks, respectively. These epics of old were passed down by oral tradition to be written down much later. The medieval epic poem, Beowulf is another exciting epic poem written between the 8^th and 11^th centuries. Epic poetry is not just an ancient form; today's students have many modern epics poems to discover. Genesis: An Epic Poem by Frederick Turner and Dymer by C.S. Lewis are two modern epics written in 20^th century.

Several characteristics of narrative poems qualify them to be classified as an epic poem:

1. The poems begin in the midst (in the middle or at the end) of the tale and clues to the beginning of the conflict are hinted at throughout the narrative by way of a character's recollection or his/her dialogue with another character.
2. The narrative opens with the summoning of a muse.
3. There is the use of epithets. Homer (Iliad) utilized these descriptive terms and phrases frequently in his great epics.
4. Characters of the story frequently give long speeches.
5. Long itemized lists or catalogues are included in the story.
6. The story is told in verse form, qualifying this type of narrative as poetry.

Traditionally, the epic poem is a lengthy tale. An epyllion or "small epic" deviates from this and, is briefer. Typically, epyllia are romantic and mythological in nature. The ninth book of The Aeneid and Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis can be considered examples of epyllia.

The ancient epic poems assigned to students in high school and college classrooms can take readers on a satisfying journey, offering enticing tales of passion, perseverance, and romance. Juggling class work, socializing, and extracurricular activities, however, can make it difficult for students to become profoundly attracted to such narratives. Cultivating a deep love for epics and the many other forms of poetry is a life journey that will allow readers to read the same piece of poetry repeatedly and to glean something new from it each time.

Sources

Meyer, Michael, The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005. Page 2128.

Moustaki, Nikki. Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Poetry. Pearson Education, 2001. Page 115

Cuddon, J.A. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Penguin, 2000. Page 283.