BEOWULFThe Original Superhero

Composition mid 7th to end of 10th century Old English It’s a heroic narrative Written IN England About

Scandanavia

Summary Beowulf was great Geat warrior Goes to help Danes with their

monster, Grendel. Fights Grendel, then his Mom, then

a Dragon

Main Idea Society governed by a heroic code

of honor Getting a name as a warrior was

more important than worry about the soul’s destiny in the afterlife

Three Agons Agon = conflict; esp. the dramatic

conflict between chief characters in a literary work

3 encounters w/ monsters 3 archetypal sites of fear:

Barricaded nighthouse Infested underwater current Reptile haunted rocks of the wilderness

Back Then Honor bound - blood stained

society Laws of the blood feud King’s halls

Beowulf and Now “The Geat woman who cries out in dread as

flames consume the body of her dead lord could come straight from a late twentieth-century news report, from Rwanda or Kosovo; her keen is a nightmare glimpse into the minds of people who have survived traumatic, even monstrous events and who are now being exposed to a comfortless future…We recognize her problem and we are better for having them expressed with such adequacy and dignity and unforgiving truth.“

Alliterative Verse Wall-hangings that were a

wonder to behold, (2758)

Lift and limb losses I avenged (2005)

Glittering gold spread across the ground (2757

Kennings Descriptive compounds Poetic synonyms

Descriptive compound that replaces a noun

“the Almighty’s Enemy” Sin-stained demon Clan-cheifs Gold-shining hall

The EPIC Poem An epic is a long narrative poem

that celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero.

Characteristics of an Epic The Epic Hero

Main character Noble character – of high birth Larger-than-life Fights evil

Characteristics of an Epic A quest or journey Mission taken by the hero Hero must prove himself Valorous deeds Serious tone and lofty style

Anglo-Saxon Warrior Culture Fighters become leaders Immortality and glory in the

afterlife are achieved through great deeds in life

Family lineage and honor is crucial Constant testing – physically and

morally (character)

Anglo-Saxon Warrior Culture Gold and treasure

Used to secure and retain power Goes with the warrior into the afterlife

Heroic code guides behavior Boasting Comitatus – bond of loyalty unites warriors to

leaders, followers must be faithful to the leader to the death, must be willing to die for leader, and the leader must protect followers and reward them

Eye for an eye society

Work ConsultedHeaney, Seamus. Beowulf. New

York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.