Epithet
Literary term · say it EP-ih-thet
An epithet is a descriptive word or phrase attached to a person, place, or thing to highlight a quality. It can act like a lasting label, as in epic poetry, or give a description an unexpected emphasis.
Two ways epithet appears
Fixed epithet
A descriptive label repeatedly accompanies the same person or thing. It keeps a familiar quality in view, even when that quality is not important to the immediate action.
In The Iliad, descriptions of Achilles repeatedly draw attention to his speed, even during exchanges of speech rather than scenes of running.
In The Iliad by Homer
Transferred epithet
A descriptive word is attached to something closely connected with the person or thing it really describes. A person's feeling or condition may seem to belong to a road, room, or object instead.
At the opening of Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, a ploughman heads home at evening. The description attaches weariness to his journey rather than directly to him.
In Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray
How to spot an epithet
- Look for a descriptive word or phrase attached to a person, place, or thing.
- Check whether the same label appears more than once.
- Ask whose quality or feeling the description really expresses.
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Is an epithet always an insult?
No, a literary epithet can praise, criticize, or simply describe. In everyday speech, the word often means an insulting label, especially one aimed at someone's identity, but that is only one use of the term.
What is the difference between an epithet and an adjective?
An adjective is a type of word, while an epithet is a descriptive label with a particular role. An epithet may be one adjective or a whole phrase, and it often singles out a characteristic associated with its subject.
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