These epithets assist the orality of the poem by giving the narrative more detail and imagery. These epithets also aid the presentation of the poem by acting as available lines in the singing of the poem. ... This offers a gratifying image of the soldiers, but also helps the poet to prolong the poem and maintain continuity of its song or meter. ... These catalogues add to the performance of the poem by adding a level of skill and virtuosity to its oral presentation. ... Homer shifts reality to make the poem more memorable and to indicate an important part in the larger narrative. ...

• Word Count: 1392
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These epithets assist the orality of the poem by giving the narrative more detail and imagery. These epithets also aid the presentation of the poem by acting as available lines in the singing of the poem. ... This offers a gratifying image of the soldiers, but also helps the poet to prolong the poem and maintain continuity of its song or meter. ... These catalogues add to the performance of the poem by adding a level of skill and virtuosity to its oral presentation. ... Homer shifts reality to make the poem more memorable and to indicate an important part in the larger narrative. ...

• Word Count: 1357
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The critical readings and commentaries on "Paradise Lost" seem to be overwhelmed by the epic poem itself. ... This opinion suffices only to criticize the critics though and does not concern in turn the actual poem. ... Unlike other epic poems, "Paradise Lost" usurps every aspect of authoritative discourse. ... Milton did seem to hold a mirror up to the volatile society around him when constructing this poem. ... This ultimately leads to the theme of the poem, obedience. ...

• Word Count: 1188
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The first known poems in the classical epic tradition were the two Homeric epics: The Iliad and The Odyssey. ... The Faerie Queene written by Edmund Spenser, is one of the most notable epic poems written during the early modern time period. ... Although incomplete (Spenser died before he could finish it), the message behind the poem is clear. Spenser, the sole author, used the poem to convey his support of Queen Elizabeth and the Protestant beliefs that he shared with her. In the poem, the Faerie Queene, also referred to as Gloriana, represents an idealized version of Queen Elizabeth. ...

• Word Count: 1343
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

As in the epic poem, the gods and goddesses interfere on behalf of Achilles in many scenes of the epic to either assist him or destroy him and his army. ... The next contrast that can be made between the epic poem and Herodotus' work is how god-like the Greek leaders are portrayed by each author. ... The way Homer describes Achilles in his epic poems is to be a proud warrior who considers himself to be undefeatable and even confronts gods. ... It is important to understand that The Iliad was an epic poem in its originality, and written as one as its genre. Whereas, The Histories was not a...

• Word Count: 1462
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

We can, however examine the role the gods have to play in the Iliad and examine the relationship between the immortal and mortal to ascertain an "ethical" framework of the poem. ... There is no indication of the benevolent Zeus in the poem- he shows no interest in the supplicants, indeed we see Lycaon killed. ... The upholders of justice in the poem are mortals such as Achilles. ... Homer uses the gods for thematic as opposed to religious purposes within the poem. ... The gods universalise the action of the poem. ...

• Word Count: 1739
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

It's true that Aeneas' wanderings in the beginning of the poem are reminiscent of the same perils that Odysseus faced on his journey home to Ithaca, such as Aeneas' encounter with the Harpies (3:245) and the Cyclopes (3:760). ... However, as Anchises describes "the glory that awaits the Trojan race," (6:896) it becomes clear that this poem is anything but a piracy of Homer's epic. ...

• Word Count: 707
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

For centuries, the art of literature has been used as a means of entertainment. Beyond entertainment, texts serve to preserve a particular culture for future generations. These old texts not only entertain, but also provide readers with a glimpse of the values and morals past societies deemed impor...

• Word Count: 1257
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

This passage sees the entrance of Mezentius to battle, at the promptings of Jupiter, and the replacement of Turnus whose fate will be determined another day. In general terms, I think it is interesting to recognize the idea of fate in this passage as it is shows its face directly in line 740, as Mez...

• Word Count: 1002
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

When one follows the connections between "The Odyssey" and "The Penelopiad," they may begin to form a greater sense of appreciation and understanding for the relationships and identities present in both texts. "The Odyssey" is a 12,000-line poem, written in 800BCE by celebrated Greek poet Homer. It ...

• Word Count: 1007
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

After colonizing their own peninsula the Greeks set out across the Aegean and started encountering the many different cultures and peoples that occupied these lands. Mariners came home from these voyages with tales of wondrous lands and strange peoples and these tales influenced the storytellers of ...

• Word Count: 1036
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Question Does the Aeneid provide a damning indictment of war? Response In a typically 'Homeric fashion', Virgil depicts war in all its splendour and all its folly in equal measure. The Latin wars that Virgil describes bring fearsome heroes together in search of glory and the upholding of f...

• Word Count: 2231
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The earliest Gilgamesh stories seem to come from Sumerian texts which most likely reflect the crystallization of earlier epic traditions, and was probably one of the most well-known and influential poems available (West 65). ...

• Word Count: 4256
• Approx Pages: 17
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate