Elements+of+an+Epic

__Epic-__ a long narrative poem that recounts the adventure of a legendary hero in pursuit of a goal or mational importance __5 Elements of an epic__ 1) Epic Hero- Essential for an epic. Hero is larger than life or a man of God. Divine or royal birth. Main or central charcter of the story. Hero fights for good. Exazmple of an epic hero is Beowulf because of his royal birth. 2)Quest- Essential for an epic. Long dangerous journey taken by the epic hero. Quest is taken to prove bravery and heroism. Example of a quest is when Beowulf leaves his home to go help King Hrothgar. 3)Valorous Deeds- Essential for an epic. Demonstrates the epic hero's strength. Main action in the story. Example of valorous deeds is when Beowulf defeats Grindle. 4)Divine Intervention- Happens often but not always in the story. Happens when hero recieves help from a god or a supernatural force. Example of divine intervention is when Beowulf gets help from the God. 5)Great Events- Happens often but not always in the novel. often has historical backdrops. Example of great events is in __Beowulf__ during the Trojan War. __Types of Epics__ 1) Folk- epics that were created long before the epics were ever written down 2)Literary-epics that are written down as the epics are being thought of. __Epic Conventions__ 1) Invocation of the Muse- asks the gods for help. 2)In Medias Res- "in the middle of" 3) Long speeches about battles won. Writing is very serious. __Practice Exercises__ 1) An epic has a hero that has no goals and is not in pursuit of national importance...True or False? 2) What does an epic hero fight for? 3)Why does an epic go on a quest? 4)Valorous deeds demonstrates the epic hero's strength...True or False? 5) What is divine intervention? 6)Do great events always occur in an epic? 7) What kind of epics are created way before they are ever written down? 8)What kind of epics are written down as they are being thought of? 9)What does "invocation of the muse" mean? 10)"In medias res" is a Latin term that means what?