Beowulf

The Epic Hero

• Predestined • Of mysterious origin• Vulnerable• Embodies cultural ideals

The Epic Hero

• Responds to catastrophic situations • The supernatural intervenes to help him• His moral compass leads him to defend his society• Is mortal but god-like

The Genre: Epic • Long narrative poem

• Recounts the adventures of a hero

• Passed down orally

• Uses elevated language

• Often begins in media res

Beowulf: Background Information

• Setting - Denmark and Sweden

• Author - Unknown, probably a monk

• Composed in the 7th or 8th century

• Oldest surviving English poem

• Written in Old English (Listen to it! Audio )

Elements of Anglo-Saxon Poetry• Alliteration: repetition of initial consonant sounds

“Then the grim man in green gathers his strength”

• Caesura: a pause or break in a line of poetry

“Oft to the wanderer / weary of exile”

• Kenning: compound metaphor used as a name

“battle-blade” and “ring-giver”

• Hyperbole: exaggeration

Anglo-Saxon Culture

• Belief in fate (Wyrd)

• Quests for treasure

• Quests for fame and fortune

• Loyalty to the leader

• Pagan, Germanic, and Christian ideals

Anglo-Saxon Culture

• Fierce, hardy life of warrior and seamen

• Strength, courage, leadership abilities appreciated

• Rowdy rituals of mead-halls

• Expected the hero to boast

Anglo-Saxon Hero

• Strong

• Courageous

• Loyal

• Desires fame

• Generous

Anglo-Saxon Ideals

• Good defeats evil

• Wergild—restitution for a murder

• Comitatus—code of loyalty

• Boasts must be followed by actions

• Fate is in control

• Only fair fights are honorable

Title of Beowulf

• Anglo-Saxon word Beo means “bright” or “noble”

• Anglo-Saxon word wulf means “wolf”

• Beowulf means bright or noble wolf

• Other sources say Beo means “bear”

Beowulf

• Epic hero• Geat

(from southern Sweden)• Nephew of Higlac

(King at story’s start)• Sails to Denmark to

help Hrothgar

Hrothgar

• Danish king• Builds Herot (hall) • Tormented by Grendel

for 12 years• Loses many men • Joyless before

Beowulf’s arrival

Grendel

• Referred to as demon and fiend

• Haunts the moors (swampy land)

• Descendant of Cain (kills his brother Abel in Bible)

• Feasts on 30 men the night of 1st attack

Grendel’s Mother

• Referred to as a

she-wolf• Lives under a lake• Challenges Hrothgar

when she kills one of his best men

Fire Dragon

• Lives in Beowulf’s own kingdom

• Wakes up when thief steals cup from its lair

• Guards countless treasures

Funeral Pyre for Beowulf: Epic Poem Ends in

Elegy (song of praise)