It is a form of expression that has resulted as well as other cultural assets of a universal nature, and it is also very important for literature. There are different types of compositions. And some of them show the value of wisdom in a nutshell expressed through messages short but full of a lot of doses of vital inspiration. This is the case, for example, of the epigram.
In ancient Greece it was possible to find epigrams on the doors of buildings, on the lintels of mausoleums or at the foot of statues and they were intended to commemorate an event or the life of a person that had changed history in some way. so that you do not forget your passage on Earth, so that it becomes eternal. These epigrams, written in honor of individuals or events of great importance, were generally constructed in couplets (stanzas composed of two verses).
The most visual way to understand what an epigram is is through a concrete example. Next, we share this epigram by Álvaro Cubillo de Aragón dating from the 17th century.
The genus name is linked to the first definition of epigram (inscription on an object). Epigrams are made on votive offerings (offerings in places of worship), statues or tombstones. Over time, the epigrams on the tombstones became known as epitaphs.
It has been pointed out that an essential feature of the Epigram would be its brief structure. The vast majority of epigrams are short, but there are some that are long. The most characteristic of the Epigram is its satirical, ironic and even sarcastic tone. It is a genre that is used to criticize a vice or defect of a person and an institution. The epigrams whose theme is love have most of the time a tone of black humor.
We could point out some characteristics that are typical of the Epigram:
a) Subject accurate.
b) generally apostrophic attitude; the speaker speaks directly to a "you."
c) Word games in which anaphora, parallelism and alliteration occur frequently.
d) Presence of the paradox, that is, of an apparent contradiction.
