The Táin Literary Elements

The Táin Literary Elements

Genre

Old Irish Literature

Setting and Context

Ireland in the first century, prior to any real cohesive Christianity and during a period of instability within Ireland

Narrator and Point of View

Third person narrator telling of what happened from the point of view of an observer

Tone and Mood

Warlike, threatening, mystical

Protagonist and Antagonist

Cu Chulainn is the protagonist. Queen Medb is the antagonist

Major Conflict

The hand to hand combat on the bridge goes in for a period of months and is the major conflict in the text

Climax

The pushing back of Medb's army due to Fergus keeping his word to yield to Cu Chuliann when they meet

Foreshadowing

The debilitating illness that had taken over the men of Ulster foreshadows the fact that Cu Chuliann will be forced to defend the bull and Ulster single handed

Understatement

No particular examples in this work

Allusions

The text alludes to the tales of how the bulls were magic in origin and therefore posses a power greater than the possession of a bull would normally bestow

Imagery

The imagery is very mystical and described the metamorphosis from human like form to reptile to amphibian in a way that enables the reader to picture the sudden shape change and believe in the ability of he creature to change at will

Paradox

The nine day illness that sweeps the Ulster men paradoxically lasts for months

Parallelism

There is a parallel between the success of the characters who have honor and the ultimate failure of those who do not

Metonymy and Synecdoche

Ulster is used to represent all of the people living within its borders

Personification

The spear is personifies and given special powers that it bestows at will, giving an inanimate weapon the ability to make a decision and also the ability to judge the character of a man

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