Inception – Modern Epic dream looking particularly at Iliad 2

 Inception is the best example of an epic dream in modern media due to its multi layered dreams within the structure of the film, this is similar to the Greek epic poems as they heavily featured multiple dreams in the poem to symbolise and indicate different paths the characters would be led down during their adventures. Moreover, a particular trope of dream narrative used in inception is the use of knowledge as some of the characters know they are in a dream and are therefore, able to control certain aspect of the dream, this use of the knowledge of dreaming can be seen in Achilles’ dream in The Iliad, however he cannot control the dream due to dreams being ultimately being the will of the gods. We know Achilles is aware that he is dreaming as he is questioned “Are you sleeping Achilles?” putting him in this dream limbo where he is now aware he is asleep, making the message more potent. In addition to this, this state of dream limbo is used throughout literature and media so that the dreamer can receive a set of instructions or get a better look at their life as a whole.