Indian epic poetry

responsible for killing all one hundred Kaudavan sons. The Kurukshetra War is believed to be dated back to 3102 BCE. Therefore, this painting is a rendition by Abul Fazl of the epic battle between Bhima and Dushasana as described in the Mahabharata. The portrait is painted on what seems to be very durable paper and is painted with watercolor. The artwork is painted with great detail and there is a lot going on in the picture. There are even two parts of the painting that seem to have been inserted which are not directly connected to the painting itself for the purpose of being able to add to the painting more of what was going on in the battle scene that could not have fit on the page otherwise. The two separate pieces have a border around them that leads me to believe that they are not directly connected to the painting. Also, it is fairly evident. The separate piece near the top of the painting with the man pulling back his arrow has trees growing around it. The trees on all sides of the separate piece are all bent around the border surrounding the isolated piece which makes it seem like the two disjointed pieces of the portrait were intentional. Much of the clothing of the people in the painting and the mantles of the horses seem to be of a warm color. I notice this trend in many other pieces of Indian artwork as well. It seems to me that…

the Ramayana comic book and the two Sanskrit versions of this epic poem, I decided to focus on the excerpt Ayodhya to compare to the comic book. Similarly, various texts when translated, can be interpreted inconsistently as to how the writer had originally intended or as the audience is supposed to interpret the text. We see that in these texts, when comparing them there are some major differences, from which questions may arise. Some questions presented may be, “What is the right…

Beowulf’s Bravery Beowulf, in the famous medieval poem of the same name, is the courageous and mighty protagonist in the story. He is a fierce warrior that is much beloved by his people and followers, as well as those he has helped through the years with vanquishing monsters and such. With every challenge that comes his way and through every battle he partakes in, he shows a tremendous amount of bravery, something that is most admired knowing the danger he constantly places himself in. There…

R.R. Tolkien writes, “I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it 's very difficult to find anyone. 'I should think so — in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures.’” Homer’s Odyssey, chapters eight and nine, and Vyasa’s The Mahabharata, In the Beginning and The Ring & the Well, are primary forms of epic poems telling the grand tales of Ulysses and Drona, respectfully. Both authors tell of divine deities of the culture, glory of war,…

Alice Notley’s The Descent of Alette is an epic poem that shows the relationship between gender, sex, and the human body. By doing so, Notley challenges the traditional form of an epic poem through her use of a female hero and a series of lyric poems that create an epic poem. Here, we see two sets of binaries: female hero/male hero and lyric poem/epic poem. Additionally, these binaries are a function of hierarchy. By resisting traditional binaries, Notley shows equality through an open space for…

Beowulf, written in Old English sometime between the eighth and eleventh centuries, is an epic poem that reflects the early medieval warrior culture of Europe and is written by an unknown author. It is the oldest surviving important piece of literature and exists in only one manuscript known as British Library Cotton Vitellius A. 15 (Lazzari, 44). It is written in an unrhymed, four beat alliterative meter that was common for Old English poetry. Even though it was written in Britain, the…

Symbolism As the cold winds grip England, Anglo-Saxon warriors huddle around the fire in their enormous meadhalls. A soothing stories drifts through the air. The warriors are engulfed in the story of Beowulf. As the bard entertains the crowd of warriors, he uses an arsenal full of literary tools. One of these tools is symbolism. Good vs. evil, the swamp and the monsters’ lair, Hrothgar’s throne, and Grendel are all prevalent as uses of symbolism throughout this oral art. As the story was told…

The Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf, describes a man with formidable strength and exceptional quality as a leader. As we see Beowulf become the epitome of an idealistic leader, he provided values and morals that most yearned to have in civilization. However, when constructing the idealistic leader in the story of Beowulf, the contrasting relationship between humans and nature plays a pivotal role in the development of Beowulf. Throughout the entirety of this story, we’re presented this binary…

Paradise Lost was a controversial poem that appeared in the 17th century by the author John Milton. This epic poem mostly occurred during the beginning of time introducing God, Satan, Adam and Eve. Although Milton’s intention was to educate Christians on God’s reasoning, readers were opposed of the poem. Unlike traditional ways that most people were taught, this poem was an eye opener. Most people were offended and also calling Milton a Satanist. Others on the other hand took insight on what…

In Beowulf, the classic story of the hero and his journey is very closely followed. The hero is often faced with hardship which causes him to go on an epic journey to complete a task for the greater good, he encounters many obstacles along the way, and he succeeds or sometimes makes a crucial mistake and meets his demise. Beowulf embodies the characteristics of an epic hero because he is courageous, strong, loyal to his cause, and wise beyond his years. His epic flaw was that he was not humble…