Question

There are some commonly adopted conventions in the structure and elements of an epic poem. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an epic poem?

A. It usually begins “in medias res.”
B. The action usually involves superhuman beings and gods
C. It usually tells a tale of two star-crossed lovers fighting to be together
D. It uses images of nature or weather to show the speaker’s feelings. D is wrong

Answer 1

The correct answer is A. It usually begins “in medias res.”

Epic poems rarely begin in medias res because they usually begin with a thorough description of past events that led to it and explain the setting. Sometime they even begin as early as the creation of the world.