1) Do epic heroes mature?

We have several examples to explore this question: Achilles: Ultimately, we can argue that he is able to mature since he is able to conquer the rage that has spurred him on throughout the book. Its not easy for one to throw aside a primary driving force, as Achilles did when he forgave king Priam and returned Hectors body They dont. Even after entire journeys worth of opportunities for self-reflexivity, Aeneas remains steadily stagnant in his emotions and duties. He suppresses his emotions and individualisms in order to raise a new city for the lost people of Troy. There is no room for emotional maturity in Aeneas life. In the one instance, in which Aeneas ignores his duties is the final scene of the epic. Even though Anchises instructs Aeneas to spare his fallen enemies, Aeneas is enraged at the sight of Pallas belt, and ruthlessly kills Turnus. This is not a scene of maturity but a show of mindless killing that can be stirred by anger. Gilgamesh looks to his city after losing his chances at immortality. He knows that the city walls will stand long after his body fades away. However, is this really a moral epiphany? Or, rather can we view it in lieu of the fact that Gilgamesh the great warrior king has been defeated and looks to his walls a last option for his legacy? Gilgamesh ventures on his journey for immortality after his friend Enkidu dies, but it is wholly tenable to argue that Gilgamesh does so out of a personal and individualistic desire to avoid death. He doesnt do it for other people. Odysseus cant seem to stop bragging. He has no mercy. 2) Eating plays a large role in epic narrative, simile, digression, and type scene. What are the functions of eating in epic? Eating can either bring people together in a fraternal way, or it can be used in a violent way. For example, in the Greek epics, eating is an important show of hospitality. Menelaus offers Telemachus the choice cuts of meats, which are usually reserved as offerings for the gods. Also an important of rest and revitalization; Odysseus and Aeneid kill the stag to feed their men -people need to eat to stay alive! (Hunting is just as a big part of eating. Killing something and bringing a huge animal to the men is a morale booster.) Eating can also cause negatives: cattle of the sun god (Odysseus), cannibalism (Cyclops and Grendel eat people), island of the lotus eaters where they eat the plant that makes them fall asleep (Odysseus), punishment (Dantes inferno; guy gets punished and someone eats his brains and head)* figure out where to put this Simile: as a sign of ferocity, carnage in battle, relating to killing people in battle. People are vicious in battle like animals who hunt their prey and rip apart (Iliad)* find an example

3) Discuss the use of epic similes. Also, can describe emotional states of the character The epic is verbally retold in song, so images play a huge role in accurately and vividly portraying scenes. Extensive use of interesting adjectives and verbs dont work well. For example

Iliad Awesomeas when the grip of madness seizes one who murders a man in his own fatherland and flees abroad to froeign shores, to a wealthy, noble host, and a sense of marvel runs through all wh see himas Achilles marvelled, beholding majestic Pariam. a. Ant simile accurately portrays the dutiful and hardworking nature of the Trojan soldiers. Ants also take everything available and store it so that their colony may use it later. These are nuanced illustrations that words like assiduous or dedicate cant possibly transcend. b. Dantes simile And just as he who, with exhausted breath, having escaped from sea to shore, turns back to watch the dangerous waters he has quit, so did my spirit, still a fugitive, turn back to look intently at the pass that never has let any man survive. A simile and a metaphor compactly describe Dantes separation of his mind and heart. Dante the pilgrim has reached the halfway point of life, and is running away from something. He has barely survived. c. In the Iliad, Thesis asks Hephaestus for a shield for Achilles. Her approach is selfishthis is most evident when she compares Achilles to a tree that shot up like a young branch, like a fine tree I reared him she says. Shes turning herself in a gardener that toils to perfect the growth and look a fine plant. It seems that the great warrior Achilles had become today is mainly due to the efforts of Thesis. 4) Discuss the ways epics end. Endings are abrupt, but leave a final message about the journeys completed by respective heroes of the epics. Most heroes are able to complete their journeys (Aeneas and Achilles) while some fail (Gilgamesh) but they ultimately all have a bittersweet ending: Aeneas loses his personal integrity, he is able to find a great city. Giligamesh knows he cant be immortal and therefore fails his quest, but he is able to acknowledge that he will live on through his citys walls. Beowulf dies at the end and we know that his city is doomed to die, even though he was able to commit his missions (he killed the dragon but doomed the city). Achilles is victorious over his rage and enemy, but we know he is fated to die.

Odysseus makes it home and has his revenge, but we know that there is another journey he must embark on. *shmoop inferno, may or may not include in actual essay *most of these endings can be bittersweet in both uplifting or depressing ways; with the exception of Beowulf, which is just fucking depressing Aeneasfinally victorious. This is no longer a point, but relate the points to the essay somehow: While most of them are abrupt, they all leave with a final, bittersweet message. Some leave a positive message: Iliad, Achilles matures and is no longer vengeful. Some leave a negative message: When Beowulf ends, we know that he is dead and his people are doomed to die.

5) We have not encountered an epic heroine, but there are women in each epic. Discuss the function of women.

Women as wives -Contrast between Helen and Penelope -Agamemnons wife *strong sense of misogyny towards women throughout most of the epics; majority of women weve study have been troublemakers and have been given misogynistic views cause trouble by being manipulative, unfaithful wives, even by doing things not out of their own volition such as when the woman was taken to spark Achilles rage. Then there are examples of women who would be a positive impact on society. Women are prizes, sparks Achilles pissed off rage + they are his trophies to hand out at the funeral games SOME WOMEN ARE ENABLERS; Athena + Penelope inspire the men to complete the journeys they are fated to complete Some are disablers; Cyrce and Dido, both want the men to stay with them and not complete their journeys Women are mothers (all of them?) -Ninsun, & Grendels mothers *shmoop it -mothers maintain family integrity *Women are manipulative (Thetis-> shield + zeus to fight for achilles, hera + sex with zeus to put him to sleep, Cyrce -> pigs in Odyssey, Juno in Aeneid ) NINSUN (GILGAMESH) HELEN (ILIAD, SPOKEN OF IN MOST BOOKS) ATHENA (ILIAD AND ODYSSEY) PENELOPE (ODYSSEY) THETIS (ILIAD) JUNO (HERA, AENEID) VS. VENUS (APHRODITE, AENEID) GRENDELS MOTHER (BEOWULF) 6) What are the functions of digressions in epic narrative? Can be a Buffer, structurally, as seen through the funeral games The funeral games are placed in the Iliad at a moment when the climax has occurred. Hector has been slain by Achilles and the Trojans are doomed to be defeated, Achilles now reigns as supreme warrior. Yet during the funeral games, the death of Patroclus is final mourned.. especially by Achilles. If it had not been for the funeral games, both sides would not have been able to regroup themselves and mourn the loss of some of their greatest warriors (Trojans -> Hector, even though they didnt have his body this motivates them to devise a plan to try and get his body back; Greeks -> Patroclus, the reason

The Odyssey the first five books about Telemachus. Because the story begins in media res, we need the backstory to tell the fullest details about the story. Aeneas romance with Dido.