Why is The Odyssey

An Epic

1.) Hero has an unbelievable stature.

2.) Hero has superhuman strength or valor. 3.) The story has vast settings and the hero travels to many places. 4.) Story involves supernatural and overworlding forces. 5.) Sustained elevation of style. 6.) Poet is objective and omniscient.

There are six elements to an Epic

Odyseus isn`t really divine ,but he

gets alot of help from the godess Athena. They even say that Athena loved Odysseus. She probably loved him differently, not as a lover. Not only did he get help from Athena ,but his whole fate was controlled by the gods.

Unbelievable Stature

Odysseus doesn`t have supernatural

powers himself , but he has the godess Athena that helps him with supernatural powers. Although he doesn`t have super powers , but he accomplished things that ordinary people don`t achieve. He killed a cyclop and had a major role in the trojan war. He was known as wise and strong. Physically and mentally.

SuperHuman

Odysseus goes to all kinds of

places. He goes to troy they he gets stranded in an island. He then goes to Sparta and endures many challenges on his way back to his homeland Ithaka.

Vast Settings

In the story there are many

overworlding forces. The forces are mainly from the olympian gods. Athena is the most we hear about doing overworlding forces. Odysseus doesn`t encounter any demons ,but he encounters a cyclop that he then kills.

Overworlding forces

The story has an elevated style of writing and

It is written is a very poetic form. For example

« But if you only knew down deep what pains are fated fill your cup before you reach that share you`d stay right here… »

That is an example of the poetry in the book.

Sustained elevation of Style

The story is written in third person, so the narrater knows and sees all. Allthough in some third person stories it is strongly concentrated on the pratogonist. But in the Odyssey and other epics you can see all the perspective.

Poetry is objective and omniscient