Is It An Epic?

An epic is a long narrative poem in elevated style, presenting characters of high position in a series of adventures which form an organic whole through their relation to a central figure of heroic proportions and through their development of episodes important to the history of a nation or race (Downes 1). Lord of the Rings is an example of a movie using epic qualities. Lord of the Ring was filmed in New Zealand, but was transformed into what, in the movie, is referred to as Middle Earth. The aesthetic features of the setting range vastly throughout the movie. The hero in Lord of the Rings, Frodo, would not typically be classified as one of heroic stature, neither physically nor metaphorically. He is from The Shire, which is a land inhabited by hobbits. Hobbits are short, stocky beings of low rank in comparison to the majority of people in the movie. Despite his lack of heroic stature, Frodo leads a group of people on a journey to destroy a ring, created to instill immense power in whoever possesses it. The group is called the Fellowship of the Ring, compiled of various beings such as hobbits, elves, warlocks, dwarves and men (humans). Their motive behind their expedition to destroy the ring is the fact that the ring drives the possessor to use the induced feeling of power for evil, because absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Frodo volunteering to lead such a journey shows that he is extremely brave. With his companions beside him, the combination of valor and supernatural forces is seemingly unstoppable. The characters in Lord of the Rings speak in a British accent, which is considered to be “elevated style.” The ring is not brought to Mordor to be destroyed until the last movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and when it is, Tolkien recounts on the objective of the voyage of the Fellowship of the Ring and the deeds of the heroes. Thus, Lord of the Rings is a perfect example of a movie using qualities of an epic.