Epithet

Epithet involves the use of a descriptive word or phrase that highlights a particular characteristic of a person, place, or thing. Epithets are often used to create a more vivid and memorable image in the reader’s mind, and to emphasize a certain aspect of the subject. They can be either positive or negative, depending on the intended effect. Epithets are remarkable in that they can become a part of common parlance over time.

Examples of epithet:

“Swift-footed Achilles” – Homer, “The Iliad”

“Rosy-fingered dawn” – Homer, “The Odyssey”

“The Bard of Avon” (referring to William Shakespeare)

“The Great Emancipator” (referring to Abraham Lincoln)

“The Boy Who Lived” (referring to Harry Potter in the “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling)

“The Green-eyed Monster” (referring to jealousy in William Shakespeare’s “Othello”)

“The City of Light” (referring to Paris)

“The Eternal City” (referring to Rome)

“The Land of the Rising Sun” (referring to Japan)

“The Emerald Isle” (referring to Ireland)