Transcript Epic Hero - Neshaminy School District

 Characteristics of Epic Heroes:
 The hero, generally a male, is of noble birth,
and high position (importance) - STRONG
 The hero’s character traits reflect important
ideals of his society. – ETHICAL
 The hero performs courageous and
superhuman deeds. – QUEST
 The actions of the hero often determine the
fate of a nation or group of people.
GLORIFIED

A long narrative poem
 Relates the story of a serious adventure
 No aspects of comedy
 Details the hero’s victories as well as his
defeats
 Sometimes defeats are more
important
 Primary Epic:
 No known author
 Iliad, Odyssey, Beowulf, Gilgamesh
 Secondary Epic:
 Author is known
 Paradise Lost John Milton
 The Idylls of the King Lord Alfred
Tennyson
 Hero is of Nobel birth
 Character traits reflect important ideals of
his society
 Hero performs courageous, superhuman
deeds
 Actions of hero determine the fate of the
nation
 Setting is vast in scope (more than one
place)
 Formal diction and serious tone
 Major characters deliver long, formal
speeches
 Plot is complicated by supernatural beings
or long journeys
 The poem reflects timeless values
 The poem contains universal themes
 What are some modern epics?
 A literary device in which a noun is
renamed in a creative way using a
compound word or union of two
separate words to combine ideas.
 School “Scholar’s Home”
 Your Parents  “Car Loaners”
 Coca-Cola  “Humanity’s Beverage”
Create your own kenning
for the word
“High School Senior”
*Practice by complete 10 more kennings
on your worksheet.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of stressed sounds,
particularly consonants from the beginnings of
words or syllables.
Example:
“ . . . A powerful monster, living down
In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
As day after day the music rang
Loud in the hall . . .”
Caesura
A typical Old English alliterative line consists of two
half-lines separated by a strong pause, known as a
caesura.
In one half of the line, two words commonly
alliterate; in the other half, one word alliterates with
the two from the other half.
Example:
“Then, when darkness had dropped, Grendel
Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors
(caesura after Herot)
Would do in that hall when their drinking was done.”
 Very Godfather-like
 If one member of a family/clan is killed by another
family/clan, then vengeance is taken upon that other
family.
 Money given as
compensation for a killed
family member
 Used to avoid violence or
end a feud
My clothes are silent as I walk the earth
Or stir the waters. Sometimes that
which
Makes me beautiful raises me high
Above men’s heads, and powerful clouds
Hold me, carry me far and wide.
The loveliness spread on my back rustles
And sings, bright, clear songs,
And loud, whenever I leave lakes
And earth, floating in the air like a spirit.