The Ramayana is a well-known tale of the Hindu culture. An extraordinary, abnormal battle takes place between the devious supernatural figure, Ravana, and the good mortal figure of Rama. However, not only is the Ramayana an action packed adventure, it is also a prime example of an epic tale. Charactacteristics of this story, the Ramayana, that categorize it as an epic are its large scale action setting, its references to Gods playing an active role in the outcome of events, and also its common references to various values to that of the Hindu culture.
In the story, the battle between Rama and Ravana has a tremendous span. Though the fight is simply for the liberation of Rama's wife, the assault's boundaries extended infinitely, in support to the narrarator's statement: "It was impossible to be very clear about the location of the battleground as the fight occured here, there, and everywhere" (193). Furthermore, it is sensible to conclude that this battle covered the whole entire Earth: "After circling the globe several times, the dueling chriots returned, and the fight continues over Lanka"(193). At times, due to the supernatural nature of this tale, the battle would reach great heights, literally: "There followed an aerial pursuit at dizzying speed across the dome of the sky and the rim of the Earth"(193).
Another epic-like quality of this story is the interaction between Gods and the characters of the story. By the opening of the story, the Gods "noticed Ravana's determined move and felt that Rama would need all the support they could muster"(191). In some cases, the Gods were able to empower a character in order to assist them: "and Shiva, whose power has emboldened Ravana[. . .]."(195). In other cases, the Gods would provide a character with items that would benefit them in the battle: "Ravana now shot off what he considered his deadliest weapon - a trident endowed with extraordinary power, once gifted to Ravana by the Gods"(195).
The most common and basic...