2. Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" is considered a Romantic epic poem. What is the definition of an "epic"? Does Spencer's poem appear to you to be an epic? Why, or why not? The word epic in literary terms according to the online Encyclopaedia Britannica is a "long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds." Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" would fit in this category of being an epic poem. In the second paragraph of the title or summary page, it gives background information about Spenser and the poem. It is mentioned "The Faerie Queen" should fill twenty -four books, but only six books were finished. The themes that appear throughout the books are about "politics and religion with the last books portraying King Arthur and the public virtues." Many of the references also makes note of Queen Elisabeth I as well as the conflict between the Roman Catholics and Protestants (Jalic Inc). The first book talks about a knight's battles while he ventures with a fair maiden that is described as; "So pure and innocent, as that same lambe, She was in life and euery vertous lore, And by decent from Royall lynage …show more content…
Works Cited "epic". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 17 Jun. 2015. . Spenser, Edmund. "The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser: Canto I." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2015. . Spenser, Edmund. "The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser: Canto XII." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2015.
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Spenser, Edmund. The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto 1. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. vol. 1.
Phillips, James E. "Renaissance Concepts of Justice and the Structure of The Faerie Queen, Book V," HLQ, (Feb. 1970), 33, 103-120.
Hale, John K. “Spenser’s Faerie Queene, 1. 11. 52 and 53". Explicator. 53.1 (1994): 6-8.
An epic poem is a long narrative poem, normally having to do with a serious subject while covering heroic deeds and events important for a culture or nation. Homer, the author of Iliad and the Odyssey, is perhaps the most famous and notable writer of epics. Inspired directly from the stories that had been passed down orally over the centuries, Homer wrote these epic poems retelling the stories of the last year of the Trojan War and Odysseus’s journey home after the Trojan War. These epics are filled with supernatural events such as gods lending their power to a hero, allowing him to slay row after row of troops and gods going directly onto the battlefield to help turn the tide in a battle. The grandeur of these events are indicative of fictional superhero stories rather than fact. However, if you compare the events depicted in the Iliad to historical facts known from Ancient Greece and current scientific evidence, Homer’s Iliad may have a basis in actual history. Homer’s description of the geography of Ancient Greece, his depiction of godly interference, his depiction of war, and the use of technology can be supported and show that the Trojan War and many of the events that take place in the Iliad were actual historical events or can be justified.
Shakespeare, William, and Claire McEachern. The First Part of King Henry the Fourth. New York: Penguin, 2000. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print
Shakespeare, William. Othello, The Moor of Venice. from Literature and the Writing Process. McMahon, Day, Funk. Prentice-Hall Publishers: New Jersey, 1996. 864-947.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square, 1992. Print. The New Folger Library Shakespeare.
Faerie Queene, the narrative voice on matters of law is predictably placed in a position of
An epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. The main characteristics of an epic as a literary genre is that it is a long poem that tells a story, it contains an epic hero, its hero searches for immortality (but doesn't find it physically, only through fame), gods or other supernatural beings are interested and involved, and it delivers an historical message. The Epic of Gilgamesh is classified as an epic because it fits all the characteristics of an epic as a literary genre.
According to most dictionaries, an epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. While this is true, the epic Beowulf contains more than those two requirements. This story contains five elements which make it an epic. There is an epic hero, action of an immense scale, an elevated writing style, long speeches meant to inspire or instruct, and also the descent into the underworld.
To be considered and epic, a piece of literature must exhibit quite a few specific, literary techniques. Some of the main criteria points include being a long, narrative poem, having an epic hero, and containing rhythm, alliteration, and imagery. Beowulf can be considered an epic because it contains all of this criteria.
Bengtsson, Frederick. “King Lear by William Shakespeare.” Columbia College. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.