Beowulf Literary Analysis

The Old English poem Beowulf is set in Scandinavia sometime in the 5th century and is about the titular hero of the Geats, who comes to assist the King of the Danes, Hrothgar, with killing the evil Grendel who has been attacking the king’s mead hall Herot. After killing Grendel, Beowulf must also kill Grendel’s mother; he eventually goes home, becomes king of the Geats and after 50 years of ruling, he is killed by a dragon and later buried in a memorial made in his name. This literary classic has all the characteristics of an epic poem including, a long narrative about a serious subject, a focus on a hero and their deeds with actions affecting large amounts of people, and the hero performing superhuman feats of strength. However there are two elements of this poem that bring it to life for the reader, which are its vivid descriptions and the grandeur of the whole story.

When he fights Beowulf and his men it is said he “snatched at the first Geat he came to, ripped him apart, cut his body to bits with powerful jaws, drank the blood from his veins and bolted him down, hands and feet; death and Grendel’s great teeth came together, snapping life shut.”(Lines 262-268) This striking imagery is just one example of the many vivid descriptions Beowulf contains and there are several others such as when Beowulf fights Grendel’s mother and later the dragon. These passages help bring the reader into the action and immerse themselves into the