What comes to mind when you hear the word

Epic?

A LONG story that includes actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes.

• Characteristics of the classical epic include these:

1. The gods play an active role in the story

Eris, the goddess of discord, caused the events that led to the Trojan War.

Hera

Athena

Aphrodite

2. LARGE setting: The setting covers several nations, the whole world, or even the universe

3. LARGE cast of CHARACTERS

Trojans

Hector PriamParis

Andromache

Cassandra Hecuba Oenone Astyanax

Greeks

AgamemnonPatroclus Helen

Odysseus

NestorAchilles

Myrmidons Menelaus Calchas

Other

Philoctetes Pentheselia Zeus Aphrodite Eris Thetis

King Memnon

Amazons Poseidon HeraIris

Athena Apollo

Hermes Dionysus Hephaestus

4. The story often “goes off track” and into side stories that are not critical to the main story. Even though they relate to the main story, it would still make sense without them.

mainstory

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5. Even though the stories are fictional (fake), they provide an answer to a “BIG” question related to their culture.

6. Throughout the story, long periods of time pass.

Ten years went by….

7. The hero of the story follows most of the traits of the heroic code.

Hero of the Iliad: Achilles

Achilles depicted by Brad Pitt in the movie Troy (2004)

Achilles depicted on ancient vase. (540 A.D.)

Modern Day Epics

To name a few…1997

1937

1977