An epic is a genre of narrative poetry that tells the story of a heroic figure of national importance. Epics are characterized by their great length, multiple settings, large casts of characters, and spans of time. They often involve characters from history or legend undertaking heroic deeds, and include involvement of gods or spirits. Epics are public poetry that express the thoughts and feelings of a large group, and celebrate deeds of valor by giants among men with superhuman power who act as heroes. Epics follow certain conventions including invocations, Homeric similes, athletic contests, dangerous journeys by heroes, and stories within the main action.

1. A LITERARY FORM
AN EPIC

2. Broad Definition
 A genre of narrative poetry
 Great length
 Multiple settings
 Large no. of characters
 A long span of time

3. Characters
 From history or legend
 War like doings
 Involvement of large no of secondary characters
 Gods & spirits join from time to time
 Full of digression & description
 Eg. Homer- the armour of Achilles
 Milton- the shield of Satan

4. Choric Nature
 A public poetry- nationalistic or tribal
 Hero- a great legendary personality
 Thoughts & feelings of a large group/community
 Deeds of valor
 Hero- a giant among men with superhuman
power
 Eg. Milton-a spokesman of European
Protestantism

5. High seriousness
 Poet motivated by high sense of duty &
dedication.
 Works on grand scale
 To make the best out of their capacity.
 A style of sustained elevation
 A measure of objectivity
 Eg Dante, Virgil, Milton
 Grandeur both in theme & treatment.

6. Epic conventions
 A prayer or invocation
The poet asks the muse or gods to help him in
this task
 Eg. “ ……what in me is dark
Illumine what is low raise and support”

7. Use of Homeric similes
 Similes in the style of Homer.
 Enlarged comparisons
 A poem within a poem
 Elevated and grand manner
 Arnold in Sohrab & Rustum
 A man with a Cyprus tree and extends the
comparison.

8. Athletic contest and games.
 Homer tells how Achilles arranged a day of
athletic competitions in the honor of his dead
friend.
 Virgil gives an account of Archise’s funeral
games.
 In book-II of Paradise Lost fallen angles arrange
an athletic meeting.

9. A long dangerous journey by the
hero
 The deeds of great valor & super human power
 The hero undertakes a long journey
 In Aenied –the journey of Aeneas to the
underworld to seek the spirit.
 In Paradise Lost- Satan’s journey through space
to discover the world in book-II

10. Story in the middle of the action
 Retelling the past story
 The Aeneid begins with the arrival of Aeneas at
Cathage, but is followed by the long story about
the fall of Troy & his own escape.
 The Paradise Lost begins with the fall of man.

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