Indian epic poetry

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from four thousand years ago, from ancient Mesopotamia. It was written on clay tablets, and even if some part of sentences were not able to be recovered, the tale is understable. It is the oldest Epic found, and still one of the most famous too. While the stories are made of different Gods, cows talking, King with perfect strength, giant monsters, it seems hard to find similarities between the Epic and the 21st century. Yet by reading closely the passage from

As seen in both of the above mentioned law codes, different crimes have different punishments. It is more implicated than just saying severe crimes receive increasingly severe punishments. It involves the law maker’s moral principles. Looking at the Code of Hammurabi again, it can be seen that cultivated land was extremely important to life. That one tangible crop could make the difference between a healthy life and starvation. The sheer number of laws regarding farm land should be point enough to

Throughout the Anglo-Saxon world, stories were often on the ways people passed on lessons and stories without actually writing things down. These epics would be passed from one another through verbal communication and were based around different aspects of life for a someone of Anglo-Saxon descent. The story Beowulf is a perfect example of how Anglo-Saxons based their stories around their beliefs on how a hero should behave. Around the time the story was first told, people were often terrified of

In The Nibelungenlied savagery and good manners have an integral role in the interactions between characters and the epic as a whole. Proper etiquette is emphasized within the medieval culture, it is used as a sign of respect and admiration to one’s superior or equal. However, Savagery is often either celebrated or discounted completely. There are many instances within the epic when an event or a character’s actions could be perceived as ignoble or undignified, usually, such acts are frowned upon

How and to what purpose does Virgil use ekphrasis in the Aeneid? Virgil’s use of ekphrasis in the Aeneid has attracted much attention by classical scholars; as such the coverage on this topic is extensive. This essay therefore does not aim to purport all of Virgil’s techniques and aims in regard to describing art in the Aeneid – a subject on which entire books have been written – rather the brevity of this essay necessitates an overview of the predominant theories, whilst attempting to shed light

The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh (Similarities and Differences) Both The Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh are two incredible stories written long ago everyone knows this but what a lot of people don't is that these two epics share many of the same concepts. Such as the nostro (the Greek term for homecoming), xenis (guest/host relationship), oikos (household), and aganoriss (recognition). In both epics these themes are illustrated. In The Odyssey the theme of nostro is very prevalent

Divine Intervention is a “direct and obvious intervention by a god or goddess in the affairs of humans”. In various myths such as the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Herakles, divine intervention was called upon in order to restrain a hero’s destructive or too powerful forces. Although the divine intervention was used to impair different heroes, the purpose to constrain was the same in all the narratives. Homer’s The Iliad: Book XX features a battle between the Trojans and Achaians, shortly after

John Milton’s Paradise Lost is an epic poem that describes the fall of Satan and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. Satan is the protagonist of Paradise Lost and has several characteristics in which readers may identify with him. Throughout the poem, Satan is not only a tragic hero but also the key character that drives the plot and portrays many flawed human qualities. As an angel fallen from the high esteem of God and a possessor of hubris that leads to his downfall, he represents a

Discuss the role of the supernatural in Aeneid 3 In ancient poetry, gods were people too; early epic was history but a history adorned by myth. This fantastical, mythical element came via the gods, envisaged as anthropomorphic deities. In Virgil’s Aeneid these gods function in epic as literary vehicles and as characters no less detailed and individual than the people in the poem. In this world where the mortal and the supernatural not only coexist but interweave with one another, the Aeneid follows

An epic is an extensive narrative poem celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. There are several main characteristics that make up an epic as a literary genre. First is that, it contains an epic hero, its hero searches for immortality (but doesn't find it physically, only through fame), it delivers an historical message, it is a long poem that tells a story, and the gods or other supernatural beings are interested and involved. The Epic of Gilgamesh is classified as an epic because