The Literature Book

62

I FOUND MYSELF

WITHIN A

SHADOWED

FOREST

THE DIVINE COMEDY (c.1308–1320),

DANTE ALIGHIERI

T

he epic was the literary

form of choice for some of

antiquity’s greatest poets.

Epics were written to celebrate the

achievements of a hero—often

partly divine or possessed of

exceptional strength and valor—

and the stories were often

allegories of transitional moments

in history, such as the birth of a

nation or the conquest of an enemy.

For example, while Homer’s Iliad is

the story of the hero Achilles, it is

also, more importantly, about the

defeat of Troy by the great armies

of Greece. Such poems often weave

together the contemporary with the

mythic, and their heroes play key

roles in building civilization.

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Postclassical epic

BEFORE

800 bce Ancient Greek

poet Homer writes his epic

Odyssey, which influences

much of Western literature.

29 –19 bce The Aeneid is

written in Latin by the Roman

poet Virgil. It will become a

model for Latin epics of the

medieval period.

AFTER

1572 Luís de Camões’s

Portuguese epic poem The

Lusiads (Os Lusíadas) follows

in Dante’s tradition, weaving

together fiction, history, and

politics in a story of Portugal’s

voyages of discovery.

1667 The last great epic

poem to be written in English,

Paradise Lost by John Milton,

reflects Britain’s emerging role

as a world power.

US_062-065_DivineComedy.indd 62 08/10/2015 13:03