Epically Epic Project

Prologue to The Epic of William Nichols

In the grandiose Victorian Era of Great Britain where the people were stern, tough on crime, and the country was reaping the benefits and drawbacks of early industrialization, there emerged the newly wed couple of William and Mary Nichols. A devoted husband to his wife Mary and affectionate father to his children, William was the ideal image of man. However, Mrs. Nichols had begun a strong alcohol addiction which began gradually erasing the once pleasant and respectable Mary Ann from existence. After a rocky 16 years of marriage, everything had finally boiled over resulting in their subsequent divorce. Yet, dread and resent on what had come to pass filled William’s being as he was officially parted from his wife henceforth. The indelible grief ate away at his soul constantly throughout the dreary following years. But, unbeknownst to him, Mary had begun prostituting herself and a devilish murderer would begin to fill the streets of London with blood and terror.

One unfortunate day as Mary was drunkenly treading along home, she was mercilessly taken and butchered by the then-to-be killer known as Jack the Ripper. Upon the gloomy, drab sky and hysterical population, William, dazed by the mutilated corpse of his former spouse, subsequently vowed to find and kill the animal who threatened his family and the population of London.

…

In the “Epic of William Nichols,” William Nichols displays that he is an epic hero through the underlying conflict of good vs. evil, vengefulness, and supernatural intervention.

The conflict of good vs. evil is shown in William’s journey when he fights Jack the Ripper, when Jack the Ripper is revealed to be a demon, when Mary is killed, and in the way that William is loyal to his wife and good to his children. At the moment where Jack the Ripper is discovered to be a demon, this shows that the antagonist of the journey is an instrument and embodiment of evil and wrongdoing. In addition to that, William’s loyalty to Mary and treatment of his children show that he displays the good values of society making him a force ofgoodness. Also, the murder of Mary, although tragic, was due to her participation in alcohol and prostitution showing that those who do morally bad things are eventually obliterated. Along with that, when the avenging hero fights the murderous Jack and wins, this is essentially a literal duel between a force of good and a force of pure evil which also shows that those who are good are also those who triumph, displaying how this journey is epic.

Additionally, the epic trait of vengeance is shown in the hero’s journey by William’s call to action. When he chases, battles, and eventually eradicates Jack, William is being driven by the need to avenge Mary’s murder. This shows that the characteristic of vengeance is a substantial component to the hero’s journey thus making the hero epic.

Finally, supernatural intervention is seen in William’s quest when William is resurrected by an angel and Jack is dragged to the pits of hell by a demonic entity and when Jack is revealed to be a demon. The heavenly angel’s prevention of William’s passing and the demon’s removal of the danger to William shows that forces beyond man aided his journey and made him successful in his purpose thus making him epic. Also, William having to face off with a demonic entity instead of another human being and having an unnatural character behind the journey’s events makes William an epic hero.

In order:

1: Call to action: William can be seen on the wall overtaken by grief and is mourning Mary’s death

2: William is seen in Jack’s lair sparing him right before Jack is about to attack him (notice: Jack is clenching a knife)

3: An angel is reviving William and a demon is pulling Jack down to hell (notice: Jack has revealed demon horns)

4: William returns to his family who is now safe from Jack