All epics, a type of literary composition that shows similarity in a narrative poem, can have different story lines, but the one thing most epics have in common is the hero. A hero is a figure of great importance that possesses many qualities; for example, bravery, strength, and determination. The h...

The Iliad is the quintessential epic. It is full with gods, goddesses, heroes, war, honor, and glory. However, for just a short while near the very conclusion, Homer avoids all of those epic qualities. The banquet scene in Book XXIV is the most touching, the most "human" scene in the entire poem...

The Powerful Women and their influence in the Odyssey. The odyssey by Homer is the second work of western literature.It is a heroic poem about the return of Odysseus from Troy to reclaim his treatened home in Ithaca.He suffered great anguish and suffering on the high seas in his quest to reconc...

Present in most epics, dreams are used by Homer and Virgil in the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aeneid to catalyze action in the plot. These epic dreams serve a vital purpose to the bard in his formulation of the epic and to the audience in their understanding of the epic. Inspired by gods, formulated i...