Epic Poetry- Elements

List five elements of epic poetry and give an example

1. The hero battles forces that threaten the order of his world- Beowulf fights monsters to restore peace

2. The story is told in a serious manner, often in special, elevated language- told poetically, great dialogue and speeches

3. Kenning- hell-forged hands, colorful use

4. Caesura- pause between lines

5. Legendary Hero- Beowulf, strongest of the Geats

kenning

two-word poetic renaming of people, places, and things, such as the kenning whales’ home for the sea

caesura

rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines, where the reciter could pause for breath

alliteration

the repetition of initial consonant sounds in accented syllables, first letter

assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds in unrhymed, stressed syllables (for example “batter these ramparts”)

Anglo-Saxon Lyrics

a lyric poem expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker, were composed for easy memorization and recitation, they contain the above elements, kenning, caesura, alliteration, and assonance

consonance

repetition of letter sounds, rhyming MULTIPLE difference spots

legendary hero

is a larger-than-life character whose accomplishments are celebrated in traditional tales

historical writing

tells the story of past events using evidence, such as documents from the period, that the writer has evaluated for reliability