Understanding the Epic: A Deep Dive into Poetic Form
Epic Poetry: Form, Evolution, and Historical Context
An epic is a poetic genre consisting of six verses, composed of six feet, either spondees (/ _ _ /) or dactyls (/ _ uu /). These verses recount heroic deeds, both human and divine.
Content Characteristics
Epic poetry encompasses a wide range of themes, often with a broad scope. There is a tension between historical and mythological themes, the latter typically being more prominent. Additionally, there is a tension between the unity of the narrative and the breadth of the episodes. This thematic tension is particularly important in Roman epics, from Naevius to its culmination in Virgil’s Aeneid.
Formal Characteristics
Epic poetry is a blend of narrative and dialogue. It is typically characterized by its long length, although this is not universal. Initially, epic poems were shorter and gradually became more extensive. However, from the Hellenistic period onward, there was a tendency towards shorter epics. The following are common elements of epic poetry:
- They typically begin with a preface.
- They often include typical scenes, such as a battle preceded by a conversation between two soldiers. These scenes were often invented and relied on formulas and memorable moments.
- They feature two levels of action: the divine and the human. There are often breaks in the narrative where a god intervenes or descends from heaven to interact with mortals. This element posed challenges in Roman epics, leading some authors, like Lucan, to dispense with the gods altogether.
- Epic poetry was incorporated into education. If a work was considered good, it was used to teach children about the characteristics and forms of a particular place, as was the case with Homer.
Evolution of the Epic
Original epics were sung poems contemporary with the events they depicted. They were oral, heroic, and focused on war, serving an educational role.
Literary epics, on the other hand, are written epics, read or heard in places of cultural significance. While less heroic, they allude to a vanished world while preserving its ideals. They also have educational functions and influence the worldview of their audience.
The transition from original to literary epic occurred as poems were fragmented into shorter, more impactful scenes. These scenes were then combined to form longer works. Eventually, an official version of epic poems was established to control content and prevent the addition of further fragments, ensuring consistency across different versions.
The author and the audience (initially listeners, later readers) also played a significant role in shaping the development of the epic, influencing its style and content based on their preferences.
Differences from Historiography
The primary difference between epic poetry and historiography is that historiography seeks to document what happened and how it happened. The audience is attentive to the resolution of these questions. In classical times, there were significant changes in historiography, and in the Hellenistic period, these changes became even more detailed, requiring greater knowledge from the audience. Another difference is that events in epics often have a causal relationship, while history may recount a series of events that are not necessarily related.
In Rome, the most common meter used in epic poetry was the hexameter, replacing the Saturnian. The iambic meter (/ u _ /), widely used in theater, was also employed. There was a tendency to group meters by genre.
Epic poems and plays also differ in length. While the length of an epic is not predetermined, plays have a specific length, partly due to the need to represent a certain number of plays in a single day.