SH+2015-16+P4+Epic+Tradition

Aim PIECE- Anna Gabrielsen

The aim of epic tradition is to build off of past epics to create a connection in the book for the audience. “Epics can be known by their formal characteristics, but great epics participate in a tradition by which each new epic refers consciously to the epics which came before it” (Epic Traditions: the Hero). Epic tradition is the tradition of writing (or technically telling) an epic and building off of past epics. This will create a connection with the audience because it includes parts from past epics that the audience would recognize. An example is when Dante sees Helen of Troy, Achilles, and Paris in the second circle (lust). The purpose of creating the connection is to make the audience better understand the the text they are reading. It is often easier to understand the text when there are references to outside sources. By including Helen of Troy and Paris in Inferno (characters whose actions are well known), Dante helps the audience understand the kind of actions one would perform to end up in the second circle. The Use of epic tradition allows audience to recognize and understand aspects of the story they may not have without the connection to past epics. Epic tradition is a very important part of writing epics and having the audience connect with them.

"Epic Traditions: The Hero." //Epic Traditions: The Hero//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

Audience PIECE- Isabelle Acree



The audience of Epic Tradition, which is also known as epic poetry, is the people of ancient Greece and Rome. Writing very long narrative poems in order to tell a story about a hero conquering a long journey, was popular at the time due to ancient Greece and Rome’s religious values and cultural norms which were influenced by that religion. “An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation” (Epic poetry). During the time of those ancient kingdoms, epics were in style due to their impressive magnitude of knowledge and dedication needed in order to write a story so large and impressive. The ancient Greeks and Romans were the audience of these poems, as epics themselves largely focused on what was important at that particular time period. “The literary epic is certainly the most ambitious of poetic types, making immense demands on a poet’s knowledge, invention, and skill to sustain the scope, grandeur, and variety of a poem that tends to encompass the world of its day and a large portion of its learning” (Medium). In the time of Dante’s Inferno, the theme of Hell and sin was largely controversial, and attracted a lot of attention by the population at the time when the epic was written, in the 1300’s.

"Epic Poetry - Epic Tradition." //Medium.// Medium, 28 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.

"Epic Poetry." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.

Emiley Ala- History



Ancient Greek wars, religion, and culture greatly affected the stories and epics told in 800 BC through 501 BC. Epics that fell in this era were specifically inspired by the warfare of the given time. The most traditional epics included the elements of “historical and legendary materials which had developed in the oral traditions of his nation during a period of expansion and warfare” (Medium). One of the most popular events that has spawned legends, myths, and epics in this time period, is the Trojan War. The Trojan War, and other battles have been recorded and passed down orally in different perspectives. The Odyssey and Iliad are epics centered around the Trojan War, but are completely different stories all together due to the different perspective of the war. Epics are centered around a war, and depending on the culture of the time era, the events can been interpreted differently. For example, the soldiers had strong beliefs in their Gods, and had practices to impress them. Those practices have been outdated for hundreds of years. The beliefs of the historical time combined with the wars and battles helped create the traditional epics the are still around to this day.

"//Epic Poetry - Epic Tradition//." Medium. 28 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.

Emily Weatherwax-Cultural Epics affect modern culture by passing down knowledge of Roman and Greek society to us. We can learn about their culture, for example, their religion. Dr. Janice Siegel explains, “An epic is a long, narrative tale that reflects the totality of a culture. By the time you are done reading an epic, you know how the people in this culture live, honor their dead, dress, eat, worship, build their homes, design their government...what kind of laws they make and how they enforce them, how they interact with oth er cultures and much more. Reading an epic is like seeing a cross section of a culture - all layers are bared” (Epic Qualities of the // Sundiata // ).” The Romans and Greeks believed heavily in mythology which was tied to the gods that they believed in. The epic poems evolved from their love of mythology. The epic poems started out as stories. They were passed on by word of mouth, usually by traveling merchants. They were very lyrical and artistic, so they were considered poems. They became very popular as a form of entertainment and many people heard or told epics. With a popular epic, // The Odyssey //, popular belief states that the entire epic was told by a blind merchant named Homer, but some Historians say that it was a story over time told by many people. Even though the authors were the ones that kept the tradition alive, they weren’t really well known, as now some epics today, like Beowulf, have unknown authors. These authors relate to culture because they lived in ancient Roman and Greek times, so they knew that culture very well. Their stories survived because that is what the people of the time enjoyed, even if the epics didn’t match what was going in society at the time, they would include lots and lots of mythology, because that is what people believed. Epic tradition affects modern culture because people still read them today and are interested by them, even if they don’t relate to their culture. Epics include morals, so people can also learn from them. However, the realistic parts of epics can also teach us not to repeat mistakes in history. The other most important purpose is so Historians can learn about every part of ancient culture, to get a more accurate depiction of history.

Siegel, Dr. Janice. “Epic Qualities of the //Sundiata//.” // Hampden-Sydney College. // Hampden-Sydney College. 25 October 2005. Web. 27 August 2015.