Anticipation of catastrophe, doom, gloom are present in Beowulf rom beginning to end, even in the better half of the poem, Part I. Perhaps this is part of what makes it an elegy – the repeated injection of sorrow and lamentation into every episode. In his essay, “The Pessimism of Many Germanic Stories,” A. Kent Hieatt says of the poem Beowulf: The ethical life of the poem, then, depends upon the propositions that evil. . . that is part of this life is too much for the preeminent man. . . .
The poem of Beowulf is a story that was written in the beginnings of Christianity in 1000 a.D, which is why abounding examples of temptation and Satan are present in the story. Beowulf was written by an anonymous Christian monk. The story takes place in what is Denmark today, it takes place in a small kingdom that’s in a “gorge” called Herot. The story of Beowulf talks about a hero who is very different from any other hero in ancient literature, because he wasn’t in trouble and in need of survival
The World of Beowulf The poem Beowulf depicts a world inhabited by semi-civilized societies that are very loyal to members of their group, that are transitory, that have little security, that are made prey of, by even single monsters of huge strength (Thompson 16). In the poem the families or tribes that have banded together have formed their small societies. Ralph Arnold in his essay “Royal Halls – The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial,” says: “Lust for gold as a symbol of royal wealth and for
Popular Imagery in the Old English Poem Beowulf Some popular elements of imagery in Beowulf are the mead-hall, the sea, swords, armor including shields. Let us discuss these items and, where applicable, the archaeological support for them. Remaining true to the Anglo-Saxon culture’s affinity for mead (ale/beer/wine), the characters of Beowulf partake frequently of the strong beverage. And the mead hall was their home away from home, with more entertainments than just fermented beverages:
Digressions in Beowulf A prominent stylistic feature in the poem Beowulf is the number and length of digressions. “Much of the controversy surrounding the poet’s digressiveness has arisen from the fact that we have not yet discovered or admitted why he digresses in the first place” (Tripp 63). In this essay we hope to help answer that question. The longest digression, almost 100 verses, is the story of Finn, which is here explored. In “The Finn Episode and Revenge in Beowulf” Martin Camargo
Devices in Beowulf There are a small variety of poetic devices employed in the composition of the poem Beowulf, and they are repeated numerous times. The Old English poetry of Beowulf is distinguished primarily by its heavy use of allliteration, or the repetition of the initial sounds of words. In the original manuscript version of the poem, alliteration is employed in almost every line (or two half-lines); in modern translations of the poem this is not so. In lines 4 and 5 of the poem we find:
The Style of Beowulf A consideration of the stylistic features in the classic poem Beowulf involves a study of the poetic verse, the vocabulary, alliteration, litotes, simile, kennings, variation and double-meaning or ambiguity. The poetic conventions used by this poet include two half-lines in each verse, separated by a caesura or pause. The half-lines are joined by the oral stressing of alliterative words in the half-lines, both consonants and vowels (Tharaud 34). “At least one of the
The Mead-hall in the Old English Poem Beowulf What was the function and nature of a mead-hall in the Heroic Age of Beowulf? Was it more than a tavern for the dispensing and consumption of alcoholic beverages, and occasionally precious gifts? Yes, much more. Remaining true to the Anglo-Saxon culture’s affinity for mead (ale/beer/wine), the characters of Beowulf partake frequently of the strong beverage. And the mead hall was their home away from home, with more entertainments than just
The Significance of the Beowulf Poem There are many characteristics of the Beowulf poem that make it a significant part of the history of literature. It is a perfect representation of how the people in eighth century England communicated, what their feelings were, and their culture. "It gives us vital information about Old English social life and about Old English politics and about many things that scholars would like to have much more information on."(Raffel ix) Another
Beowulf is a Germanic poem that described the journey of the great warrior Beowulf. Throughout the poem, Beowulf performs epic feats from defeating the monster Grendel, and then his mother, to facing a fire breathing dragon. Beowulf had characteristics that made him a great warrior, and later a great king. Beowulf’s character was an example of what the Germanic people expected from their warriors and kings. Beowulf was the ideal example of what a great king should be according to the Germanic people
Beowulf is an epic poem. Why? Because (1) it is a long narrative work that relates the adventures of a great hero and (2) it reflects the values of the Anglo-Saxon society in which it was written prior to 1000AD. This Old English poem in unrhymed, four-beat alliterative style narrates, through the course of about 3200 verses, the bold killing of two monsters, Grendel and his Mother, and a fire-dragon, as well as numerous other brave deeds in lesser detail, by Beowulf, “the strongest of men alive
Beowulf – its Structure There is a considerable diversity of opinion regarding the structure of the poem Beowulf. This essay hopes to enlighten the reader on some of the opinions expressed by literary scholars on this issue. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature states: It is generally thought that several originally separate lays have been combined in the poem, and, though no proof is obtainable, the theory in itself is not unlikely. These lays are usually supposed
The classic poem Beowulf presents the concept of the perfect king/leader/ruler. This is presented in two modes: the ideal Germanic king and the ideal Christian king. Literary scholar Levin L. Schucking in “Ideal of Kingship” states: “I have already tried to prove that the author of Beowulf designed it as a kind of Furstenspiegel (“mirror of a prince”) – perhaps for the young son of a prince, a thought with which Heusler later agreed” (36). So the author of Beowulf had in mind a human ideal of
Armor in the poem Beowulf Armor mentioned in the poem Beowulf include helmets and chain mail. There are an incredible number of references to these battle-apparel in the poem, making this topic of armor a very relevant one to consider. “Helmets are the most dramatic and often quoted item of armor found in Beowulf,” says Catherine M. Hills in “Beowulf and Archaeology.” Indeed, examining the poem, one finds copious references to helmets in just the first 400 lines of the poem: Boar-figures
Characterization of Beowulf The dialogue, action and motivation revolve about the characters in the poem (Abrams 32-33). It is the purpose of this essay to demonstrate the types of characters present in the anonymously written Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf - whether static or dynamic, whether flat or round, and whether protrayed through showing or telling. At the very outset of the poem the reader is introduced, through “telling” by the scop, to Scyld Scefing, forefather of the Danish ruling
Beowulf and Heroic Virtues Although the main character in Beowulf is Beowulf himself, I believe that the single section which most concisely illustrates the heroic values in this poem occurs on pages 61 through 64 of the text, and is illustrated not by Beowulf's actions, but by Wiglaf's. Although Wiglaf is by nationality Swedish, he identifies himself as Beowulf's kinsman when he says "I did begin to help my kinsman." (Chickering 64) Wiglaf, in coming to Beowulf's aid in the fight against
piece. The visual versions, however, do not usually tell the story the same as exact as their written counterparts. In the case of the epic poem, Beowulf, this is also true. There are many similarities between the movie and the poem, and there are also many differences. In the opening seconds of the film you are already able to see differences from the poem. The poem begins with Grendel, who is a demon of pure evil which has spawned from hell, attacking Danes in the mead hall, killing all of them. This
Is Beowulf History or Myth? Many of the characters and episodes and material artifacts mentioned poetically in Beowulf are likewise presented to us from archaeological sources and from various written sources, especially Scandinavian records, thus adding credibility to the historicity of the poem. But it is obvious that Beowulf, Grendel and the Dragon clearly belong to the classification of “myth.” In his essay “The Digressions in Beowulf” David Wright says: Another effect of what
The poem, Beowulf, tells the tale of a brave hero that risked his life on several occasions to fight sinful creatures. Beowulf, the courageous protagonist, faced three different monsters, and the worst was Grendel. Grendel's defeat came from the tearing of his arm from his body by the hands of Beowulf. The second victory resulted in the perish of Grendel's mother. By the death of her own sword, the heroic figure took her life as well. Vanquishing a dragon became the final act of Beowulf as a living
Sources for Beowulf Many of the characters and episodes and material artifacts mentioned poetically in Beowulf are likewise presented to us from archaeological sources, from literary sources, and from English and Scandinavian records. “I suggested in an earlier paper that the Beowulf poet’s incentive for composing an epic about sixth-century Scyldings may have had something to do with the fact that, by the 890’s at least, Heremod, Scyld, Healfdene, and the rest, were taken to be the common