Elements of an Epic
By Haley Bassham
The Odyssey
The plot revolves around a Hero of extraordinary ability
The whole Odyssey is about Odysseus' struggles while trying to get home.
Deeds of superhuman power and courage
Odysseus killed over 100 suiters with the help of 4 other people.
Vast Setting
Odysseus travels to the Cyclop Island, the Island of the Lotus-Eaters, to the underworld, Calypso's island, and other several other places.
Involves supernatural help
Athena disguised Odysseus as a beggar so the suitors wouldn't recognize him, she fights alongside Odysseus and Telemachus against the suitors, and she helped him on his journey home.
Sustained elevation of style
"The Odyssey" is an epic story with many epic similes and other epic examples in it.
Poet remains objective and wise
The narrator jumps from telling what is happening with Odysseus to what is happening back home with Penelope, Telemachus, and the suitors.
Hero's Journey
- The Call to Adventure
- Refusal of the Call
- Supernatural Aid
- The Crossing of the First Threshold
- The Meeting with the Goddess
- Woman as Temptress
- Apotheosis
- The Ultimate Boon
- Refusal of the Return
- The Magical Flight
- Rescue from Without
- The Crossing of the Return Threshold
- Master of Two Worlds
- Freedom to Live
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, Robert. Prentice Hall Literature. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2014. Web.