Epic poem

Epic poem

The word ‘epic’ comes from the noun épos which means “oral exposition”. The epic poem is a long narrative poetical composition. The most important and famous in the Western tradition are certainly: the Iliad, the Odyssey, both attributed to Homer (even if we don't know if he really existed), the Aeneid and the Beowulf (which is the most famous in english literature). Every epic poem is the story of a hero, that is the main character and he usually fights again lots of trouble (the enemy, war, monsters,...).

There are usually two main characters in the story: the hero (who is the representation of the good) and the opponent (the representation of evil). In the past their function was to teach how to behave, to teach the difference between good and evil, so they had an educational function (especially for children). Through the stories of the heroes they also taught how to fight, and how to live one's life in a practical way. They also teach history, what life was like in that period and the most important steps in the life of every man. The epic poem was a form of education but also to entertain. The first epic poems were orally transmitted because most of the population was illiterate (they didn't know how to read or write). The style is elevated and the vocabulary very rich and vivid.