EPIC POEM

The epic poem is a long narrative composition in vers. The word "epic" derives from the Greek word "épos" that means "the poet oral composition". The epic poem is a part of poetry. The first examples of epic poem are the Iliad and the Odyssey of the Greek poet Homer. Then there are the Aeneid of the Latin poet Virgil, and the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. The epic poem is a recollection of a glorious past. It tells the deeds and the adventures of the heros. In deeds there are storic and fantastic elements. There are supernatural powers and characteristics. The characters of the epic poem are heros, kings and monsters, like dragons. The setting are forests and castles; and the language is formal and classic. The themes of the epic poem are deeds, funerals and struggles. The society described is aristicratic and military. In the epic poem there are: a destiny, an invocation to a muse, tales and speeches, an incipit a medias res, a divine intervetion in human affairs and the values of heros.