Editor's Choice
How is the Iliad an epic?
Quick answer:
The Iliad is an epic because it is a long narrative poem that follows the hero Achilles and details fantastic adventures and battles during the Trojan War. It begins in media res, features larger-than-life heroes like Achilles, and intermixes natural and supernatural events, including interventions by gods. These elements meet the criteria of an epic poem.
The Iliad is an epic poem for several reasons. First, it is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It is most definitely not a comedy. Dramatizing events around the Trojan War is serious business.
Second, epic poems typically begin in media res.Homer begins the Iliad in the closing days of a long war. The story begins in the camp of the Achaeans, and they are succumbing to a plague. Readers don't know why, nor do we know how things have gotten to this point. Addtionally, Homer jumps right into the action with little to no character introductions.
Third, epic poems tend to have larger-than-life heroes. They are larger than life because they often embody the characteristics that a society idealizes. The heroes also partake in doing heroic deeds that no normal human being should be able to do. The hero often appears to have superhuman abilities. This...
Unlock
This Answer NowStart your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
is true of Achilles because he is the son of a sea nymph. He is seemingly unbeatable on the battlefield, and he is even described as "godlike."
Finally, an epic poem usually intermixes the natural and supernatural. This occurs in the Iliad, as events on Mount Olympus often affect the events on the mortal battlefield. Other times, actions taken by mythological creatures both help and hinder human characters throughout the story.
Is the Iliad an epic?
Homer's The Iliad is one of the most famous examples of Classic Greek poetry.
Epic poetry is characterized by lengthy narrative and themes of heroism or a journey. Many other genres have been influenced by and developed from epic poetry- the epic novel, film, or television program similarly draw from tales of long, heroic journeys.
The Iliad is set during the Trojan War and describes the final weeks of the war and the events surrounding characters like Achilles, Agamemnon, Patroclus, and Odysseus. In a companion piece to The Iliad, called The Odyssey, Odysseus must make the long journey home from war. This, too, is an example of epic poetry. The Iliad is characteristic of epic poetry first because it is quite long, and also because it tells of tremendous battles on Earth (between humans) and how the Gods (on Olympus) interfere. This transcendence of mundane events, where supernatural and earthly beings interact, is quite common in epic poetry.
Is the Iliad properly classified as an epic?
The Iliad is almost always referred to as an "epic," or as epic literature or poetry. The word Epic in literary terms means a long work where the characters and events are larger-than-life, and the langauge is specifically written to extol and praise legendary and historical events. By this definition, Ihe Iliad is certainly an epic; it concerns the dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles, and some of the history and events surrounding the Trojan War. The language and the characters are all heroic in nature (some of the characters are descended from literal Gods) and the story is quite long.
Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
(Samuel Butler, The Iliad, classics.mit.edu)
Here, in the opening, the author entreats one of the nine Muses to remember and recount the heroic tales of the Trojan War. He is calling directly on the child of a God, and so presumes that his story, and his memories, are worthy of that level of attention. Even in the first paragraph, Achilles is exalted; he is "son of Peleus," a lengendary hero who accompanied Hercules and Jason on the Quest for the Golden Fleece. Agamemnon is "the son of Atreus, king of men," showing his noble heritage. The remainder of the work follows this pattern, explaining lineages and showering the characters with powerful praises. Unless the definition of the term is changed, The Iliad should be properly classified as an epic work.
How is the Iliad considered an epic?
I think that it's tough to not consider Homer's work an example of the epic genre. It meets so many of the established criteria for what makes an epic. The epic hero is evident in the work. One could look at figures like Hector or Achilles as an example of the epic hero, one whose exploits and endeavors are worthy of a significant detailing. At the same time, I think that one could see the supernatural presence of the story as part of the epic genre. The Greek Gods and Goddesses occupy such an integral role in the development of the narrative that this condition of the epic work is also present. The length and breadth of the work also helps to qualify it as an epic. Additionally,the opening invocation of the work is one in which there is an epic quality imbued from the opening words. The battles featured in the work are also of an epic condition. The struggle between Achilles and Hector would be representative of an epic battle. The work has come to be associated with the epic genre. I am not sure one gets very far without seeing Homer's work as an epic. The definition of the genre can go back to the work itself, used as a reference to what the epic actually means or embodies.