The epic poem...

Epic poems are simply about making everything well... epic. This is the job of the poem. In Old English times scops, bards that sung in great bars called mead-halls, would musically describe great tales to entertain their chemically hindered brethren. These tales were easily distinguishable by their simple themes. The main character must be the biggest and best hero around. He must be capable of defeating great and terrible foes. He must be able to defeat monsters, which is another common occurrence in epics. These monsters must be huge and/or have supernatural powers. The story must take place in a vast setting. The main characters of epics travel great distances between continents and these travels ussually become adventures by themselves. The character needs a reputation beyond the great deeds he comits in the epic. Ussually this reputation is obtained through royal birth or royal relationship. All of these themes are incorporated in the story of Beowulf and they make the story truly epic.