15 March,2024
Table of Contents
Beowulf represents as an epic poem (Old English) which consists of around 3182 repetitive long lines. Thus, it is probably the oldest poem in the old English and is primarily cited as the most significant works of the Old English literature. The poem was written in English in between the period of 8th as well as early 11th century. Beowulf’s author was an unspecified Anglo-Saxon poet, which is referred by the scholars as a “Beowulf Poet.” The full poem survives in the manuscript which is known as Nowell Codex and is located in the Library of British. It has no such title in the initial manuscript, but on the other hand it has turned out to be referred as a story protagonist. In the year 1731, the script was damaged severely by the fire that removed via House of Ashburnham in the country London that mostly had a group of medieval scripts accumulated by the Robert Bruce Cotton. Whereas, the scene of the narrative poem is Scandinavia. Beowulf, a Great hero, aids Hrogar, the ruler of the Danes, who owned the mead in Heorot was viciously attacked by the Grendel monster. In addition, Grendel’s mother presents an attack on the hall but is ultimately routed by Beowulf once he kills him. Beowulf returns triumphant to Geatland (modern-day Götaland in Sweden), where he subsequently ascends to the position of kings of the Geats. Beowulf kills a dragon subsequent to fifty years have passed, but the fight leaves him mortally wounded. His friends buried him in a tumulus, or cemetery mound, in Geatland during his passing.
The poem Beowulf belongs thematically, stylistically, as well as metrically to a heroic ritual which is grounded in Germanic mythology and the religion. It is also a section of the comprehensive tradition of the heroic poetry. Many occurrences, like tearing-off the demon’s arm & the hero’s succession into the mere, are accustomed motifs from folklore. Thus, most of the critics have understood the epic poem as a Christian symbol into which Beowulf, the champion of light & goodness, fights the darkness as well as evil forces. Hence, his sacrificial death is not observed as disastrous but as becoming the good end of a hero’s life. Furthermore, Beowulf is popularly known as a “Courageous Warrior” who could conquer any enemy & he also has many enemies that he should defeat during the story. However, both of the warriors came to discover what their destiny needs to be, they are intended for a immensity but they also needs to go through huge storms in order to accomplish it. Being fit to turns out to king derives with being an excessive warrior, but one should also act as the hero. Since Pagan religious values were still important in Anglo-Saxon culture, existence was meaningless until a hero had the ability to leave a lasting legacy. It was intended for tales of exploits as well as victories to be passed down over multiple generations when they were narrated repeatedly via scops.
Beowulf is an epic poem which is written in the period of Anglo-Saxon and is composed in the century of 18th as well as written down circa 1000 by bard. In English literature, the poem is the surviving epic. Part methodology and the past history, the long narrative epic poem, written in England, interconnects the story of Scandinavian 5th century warrior, a Swede whose recognition ‘far flew the boast of him’. However, the poem consists of around 3000 lines and has been passed for the hundreds of years prior it was written in the tenth century and maybe at the 9th century end. The primary stories within the epic poem are grounded on the folk traditional stories of a primitive northern societies. The only existing manuscript that has survived was created in 1010. However, this book survived both the Dissolution of the Monasteries underneath King Henry VIII & a terrible fire that obliterated Sir Robert Bruce Cotton’s libraries, who was an avid collector of antiquated books. A fifth of Cotton’s library went up in flames or wrecked when the fire that overtook his house in1731, demolished or destroyed. Despite having severely burned edges, Beowulf was saved together with other copies.
The primary social values in the civilization of Anglo-Saxon like formidable, physical strength, fame, glory, wealth, and social status, appear in the poem as a driving aim to explore as well as journey. Hence, these social norms remain valued and present in the contemporary world today. Whereas, on the other hand, it is quite significant to note that the body of a human has long been respected for its appearance, appreciated for its strengths, & lastly utilized as a framework in order to develop an original viewpoint of the individual in quo. The journey of Beowulf to the kingdom of Hrothgar’s is fired not only by their heroic goodness but also by the intent in order to gain glory. In addition, the members of tribe stated in the epic poem (Beowulf) make use of glory as condition for then social standing & the seek glory for ancestors, God, tribe, and king. Similarly, in the modern environment the detection of glory is motivated. Just as in the period of Anglo-Saxon, today many individual searches for the glory in the God name, & they commit their glory to the families. However, religion played a crucial role within the Anglo-Saxon lives. Everything did by them was for the aim that served the wishes of God. When the character accomplishes achievement in Beowulf, the attribute immediately the success to the Gods will & the negligible role they serve in his plan.
Throughout the entire story of Beowulf, one obtains various components of Christian philosophy that is the man survives only via the God’s protection, all earthly donations flow from the God, & lastly the proper bearing of man is too unselfish as well as humble. However, as per this poem, it is worth noting that the relation amongst Grendel & Cain is taken into consideration the most significant composite of the Pagan & Christian ideas in Beowulf because it combines both the component of Pagan of the demonic as well as supernatural representation of the evil & the Christian idea of God & Satan and the consistent battle of evil & good. Christianity signifies the time when paganism was dying & on the other hand, Christianity was rising. There are many other biblical allusions into the text and for example, the Grendel monster is considered to be as a direct Cains descendent, cursed for killing the brother. However, when the poet kills the mother of Grendel, then the text contrasts her blood to the floodwater, expected a reference to the Noah’s Ark story.
According to the poem, Beowulf went to assist Hrothgar as he helped the father of Beowulf when he was a child. Once the poet was born, then his father went into a war or battle with another warrior of tribe and another warrior was killed by the father of Beowulf (Ecgtheow). Whereas, on the other hand, the decreased family wished revenge, so families were killing people; war consequences. When he reaches into the kingdom of Hrothgar, the epic’s hero is still an extremely young man. He was out to form a name for himself and reputation serves as an essential them of an epic poem & of central significance to Beowulf. Furthermore, the poet states his father’s achievement as well as reputation and his king, Hygelac & his members, the Geats. Beowulf welcomes Hrothgar & informs him that he has been told that Grendel is the reason why Heorot is abandoned & worthless at night. Beowulf brags about his heroic history, claiming that he defeated a family of enormous creatures, chained five more people in a combat, and conquered water-monsters. He arrives now to combat Grendel.
The Dragon represents as the poem’s most powerful symbol, embodying the wyrd’s idea or luck, that imbues the overall story with an environment of death as well as doom. While, on the other hand, Beowulf, is necessarily invulnerable to the Grendel & his mother and thus he was also in risk from the starting against the dragon. Hence, Beowulf strikes the mother of Grendel with the sword cutting her in two & distributing her collarbones. Once the attack is finished, then a light lightens the cave, “just as from the sky heaven’s candle shines clear.” Furthermore, the poet Beowulf notices that the body of Grendel and then he immediately cut-off the demon’s head in order to represent it to Hrothgar. As a result of the blood’s extreme heat & toxic nature, Beowulf’s new sword’s blades starts to melting. Even when Beowulf sees the cave’s immense wealth, he decides not to steal any of them. The head of Grendel is held in one hand while his sword is held in the other as he rushes to shore. He is subsequently welcomed by his other soldiers, who are eager to interact with Beowulf once again. In order to commemorate the victory, four soldiers carried Grendel’s head towards Heorot.
The death of Beowulf was caused by a toxic wound from the dragon. Whereas, he died because his history as well as his self-importance blinded him to actual reality that he seems to be an elderly king who might no longer function the same strength as well as bravery feats, creating him a strong hero. Moreover, the body of Beowulf is positioned high directly above the sea within a fire for all to observe the treasured king. Ironically, Beowulf’s death has emerged as the prize that is deteriorating, not the wealth he died protecting. In the last chapters of Beowulf, the poet discovers his mettle being an epic hero through displaying qualities like dignity, knowledge, strength, as well as bravery. After the body of Beowulf has been buried, then he asked to develop an inordinate funeral wound on a cliff that firewood in the sea. Hence, it will be known as Beowulf’s barrow by the sailors navigating their ships over the murky seas, and everyone who visits will think of Beowulf.
Beowulf is a hero of Geatish who fights the Grendel monster, his mother, and his fire-breathing dragon. However, the boasts of Beowulf discover him to turns out to be the ablest & strongest warrior wound. In the youth, he himself personifies all of his best morals of a heroic culture or norms. In his old times, he proves to be an effective as well as wise ruler. Whereas, he is also described as an extremely noble, strong, and tall and his poem is mainly scant on the physical metaphors of him, but also went into details with respect to his heroism. In addition, the character traits of Beowulf deliver great understanding into the standards of Anglo-Saxon period. Being a hero, the most narrative function of his is to hold the standards of his philosophy. Its characteristics or feature are quite aspirational or motivating; they are frequently hyperbolic; but they also offer Anglo-Saxon men together with the role model. Hence, his primary traits contain physical strength as well as extraordinary courage. The full poem survives in the manuscript which is known as Nowell Codex and is located in the Library of British. It has no such title in the initial manuscript, but on the other hand it has turned out to be referred as a story protagonist. In the year 1731, the script was damaged severely by the fire that removed via House of Ashburnham in the country London that mostly had a group of medieval scripts accumulated by the Robert Bruce Cotton.
The poet Beowulf is already popular for his strength regarding physically, but it also displays the courage which is quite not common in various instances as well as degree. Firstly, he creates a dangerous journey by sea-Heorot, and then it offers to fight with Grendel, and lastly, wrestles with & kills the mortal without the gain of a weapon. However, his physical as well as mental traits includes:
Many of the poet’s traits such as his strength, capability to grasp his breath, physical stamina, thus these characteristics or attributes show which things valued the most by Anglo-Saxon language. In addition, he is quite tall, very strong, as well as noble and on the other hand, Beowulf poem is also scant on his physical attributes, but goes in detail regarding his heroism.
Beowulf drives the poems actions with his desire for glory as well as fame as a warrior. This wish leads him to make a travel to the city Denmark in order to fight Grendel, and moreover to approve the contest of fighting of the mother of Grendel. The Beowulf’s characters show three of the primary morals at the story’s formation time that is loyalty, bravery, and lastly honour. His motivation or dedication for this fighting is quite twofold that is he wish to assist Hrothgar as well as his individual, and he also wish to show his bravery & strength. As the text implies, “Then the warrior was in a hurry, eager for the battle.” In order to motivates him, he himself remembers victories towards the Grendel as well as mother of Grendel, and a heroic escape once Hygelac was killed. There are various reasons why people are motivated to act in certain ways in life. The three greatest incentives for individuals are affection, wealth, and authority. The Anglo-Saxon programmes states that this is not true regarding their motivations. Many things influence Beowulf’s decision to confront the three demons within the Old English heroic poem Beowulf. Another monster, Grendel’s mother, comes after Grendel, who is his initial demon. The last creature is a vicious dragon that wants retribution. Duty, glory, or gold are the three factors that drive Beowulf to battle the monsters throughout the epic poem Beowulf.
Beowulf is popularly known as a great hero & was popular earlier when it has been told by the bards during the 1000’s AD. Thus, various attributes of the character of Beowulf could be seen during the entire story. Whereas, the courage of the poet’s heroism is displayed via his different quests in order to protect the honour as well as show his strength. The one primary theme of this poem “Beowulf” is the heroism and a true hero which goes to an end of his lowest point to contests for his individual life just for the others protection. However, a hero has various traits like bravery, honour, and strength; Beowulf demonstrates that. While going into the fighting with Dragon, the poet believes via his courage that he would be popular and that he could decide his individual fate through his determination, courage, bravery, as well as strength. Once he has been defeated, he provides his kingdom to the person Wiglaf, who represents as a symbol for the upcoming time.
As per the fate, the purpose or aim of Beowulf is to exchange the suffering as well as grief of his member. He was provided to them as the source & comfort of hope. Hence, from his birth, the poet Beowulf is destined to be the comforter as well as protector of his people. At the poem’s end, Beowulf went to fight the demon, predicting that it would be his final battle or fight. He finally achieves in killing the opponent, but on the other hand, he is extremely wounded. Therefore, the main characters in Beowulf understand fate’s pervasive influence in all their actions and are troubled by it continuously. These individuals seem to be haunted by fate; however, it is because of this power that they are forced to recognise their impending demise as people. In Beowulf poem, fate serves as a recurring subject that shows itself in the individuals’ thoughts, notably Beowulf. The reader’s preface to the poem makes a clue about upcoming events that would bring disaster to the legendary warrior Beowulf.
Loyalty represents one of the primary concepts of Beowulf, and it is exemplified by the book’s title characters. Beowulf’s driving characteristic throughout his whole career has been loyalty. For unknown explanations, Beowulf lends his helping hand with the Scyldings (Danes). In the Beowulf poem, kinship is observed between the poet as well as his men and between the thanes of Hrothgar & Hygelac. Although it cannot be readily viewed immediately in The Wanderer, yet appears in retrospect with nostalgia. A significant portion of the poem is devoted to the Wanderer’s longing for his kinsmen. Beowulf proves his devotion to Hrothgar by agreeing to assist him in purifying the fortifications of Grendel, the demon that has been terrorising the hall of mead for the previous twelve years. However, Beowulf is eager to prove his loyalty by murdering Grendel in order to comfort the soldiers who have left the hall due to the suffering Grendel encompasses inflicted.
Every event in Beowulf’s stories serves as an illustration of the battle between Good and Evil. What could be more heroic in comparison to a hero who vanquishes evil? Beowulf serves as the embodiment of all heroic qualities. He symbolises a warrior battling savage creatures in the well-known poem. the hero has several instances of good triumphing over evil, such as his conflicts with both the demons as well as the dragon. As was already said, Beowulf’s monsters were “all evil” whereas his characters are “all good.” Within the struggle against darkness, he constitutes the light, and simultaneously, he strives to establish justice across the globe, emphasising the fact that he never engages in human conflict. Beowulf frequently engaged in combat, as any good epic hero should. The heroic codes, which emphasises honour, bravery, fortitude, as well as strength, is an integral component of what made him become the role model that he is today. He represents all of these qualities, yet his adversaries are all pure evil.
When Beowulf was written, the Anglo-Saxons used storytelling as a tool to transfer knowledge and influence the next generation. Thus, the trust that citizens & leaders had in one another and their fellows was also greatly influenced by storytelling. In the world of Beowulf, bragging is beneficial. A travelling warrior who additionally has to convince individuals that he is capable of taking on any monstrous challenge must be able to claim, or give an explanation regarding all the incredible things he has accomplished. It resembles a warrior credentials with a little bit of drama. When Beowulf was written, the Anglo-Saxons used storytelling as a tool to transfer knowledge and influence the generations that followed. A significant part of how storytelling affected people’ and leaders’ credibility
The characters from Beowulf are listed below. The heroic epic poem Beowulf was written in Old English. The single surviving manuscript was created during the eighth & eleventh centuries, & it was last copied about 1010. The book is famous for being lengthy at 3183 lines. Despite taking place in Scandinavia rather than the British Isles, this has attained national epic reputation in England. Beowulf contains a huge cast of characters, which includes strictly fantastical dragons to historical personalities like Hygelac. Additionally, Wiglaf is the only warrior still present after all the other combatants have fled. The height of friendship is demonstrated by this. Beowulf receives his encouragement for never giving up and to keep battling. He assures him that he will constantly be by his side.
The following comrades & allies are mentioned and presented below:
The mother of Grendel is the three antagonists into the Old English Poem “Beowulf” and on the other hand, the other two are the Grendel as well as Dragon. Every antagonist replicates negative approaches of both the heroic community & the hero Beowulf that the poem is being set in. However, the mother of Grendel was introduced or represented in the lines around 1258b – 1259a. Beowulf’s opponents include the dragon, Grendel, as well as Grendel’s mother, both of whom do harm to innocent individuals. Due to this, it is likely the Beowulf arrives & engages them in combat as long as he is killed. Beowulf wishes nothing more than to battle and appear greater than reality to those surrounding him along with those who will hear his narrative when he is radiant & powerful. Grendel believes there is the initial monster he meets. Due to his jealousy over the fact that he belongs to the Cain offspring, Grendel creates devastation on Danish soldiers, forcing him to wander the globe lonely as well as without company for all time. Middle Earth remains home to Grendel’s family, who only think about & prepare attacks on people.
Danish king Hrothgar, who reigned in the first half of the 6th century AD, is considered to be semi-legendary. In addition to the Anglo-Saxon stories Beowulf & Widsith, Hrothgar is also encountered in Norse sagas, poetry, & mediaeval Danish records. Hrothgar corresponds to Scylding, according to both the Anglo-Saxon & Scandinavian mythology. He is the eldest child of Halfdan, the brother of Halga, & the great-uncle of Hrólfr Kraki. Additionally, the people depicted in both legends were immediate with the Swedish king Eadgils, & both legends refer to a conflict between two men by the names of Frói as well as Ingeld. According to the general opinion, the similar individual is described in Anglo-Saxon & Scandinavian legends. In addition, A tribe known as the Danes (Dene) lived in the region that is now known as Denmark. On the other hand, Hrothgar serves as the king of the Danes for the majority of the story’s events. Geatland serves as the Dragon’s native land. It keeps a significant treasure under earth and lives there.
In the poem Beowulf, the poetic technique that has been utilized is “Literary Devices” and thus these devices are kenning, assonance, alliteration, and lastly caesura. In order to generate flow & unity of language, poets such as the one who wrote the poem “Beowulf” instead of making use of a figurative language in the poetry. Figurative language serves as a language that conveys real significance and comprehension while not being entirely accurate.
In the poem Beowulf, assonance is the form of figurative language that mainly depends on the recurrence of vowels sounds that are quite close to each other and everyone. For example, assonance in Beowulf contains the following which is mentioned below:
In Beowulf poem, alliteration is the sounds repetition at the starting of the words which are close to each other proximity. It is a well-known fact that the poem was specifically written in the Old English Language, hence modern or contemporary readers are reading the translations of an original text. Alliteration is extremely hard to faithfully replicate in a translated text since Old English seems considerably different from modern English. The metaphorical language used in the initial version is faithfully translated by translators.
Personification has emerged as a form of metaphorical language wherein non-human things or entities are given human characteristics or human behaviours. Here are several instances of personification from Beowulf.
A kenning also serves as a form of figurative speech when a writer names an item using two words joined by a punctuation mark. They are regarded as analogies, & Old English & Old Norse poems frequently utilised them. The following is a compilation of Beowulf kenning instances & the things they speak to.
Since very early instances, the Germanic tribes have recounted stories via songs. The custom was already quite old as well as the process of transitioning from an entirely oral to a completely written poetry whenever some of these practises became recognised in the course of the Middle Ages. There are at least three impacts upon the oral traditional framework that might be mentioned. Writing itself was one of them, Germanic vernacular songs like Elene or Christ and Latin were another, and a third, thereafter was the mediaeval French style of narrative, which had its roots in oral customs.
One of the first pieces of literature into English, Beowulf represents an Old English epic poetry. Although the precise era of composition is unknown, the poem’s text was most likely written about 1000 CE. Its creator is unidentified which is common for many pieces of mediaeval literature. In accordance to the poem, a demon known as Grendel tortures King Hrothgar as well as his territory for a period of twelve years, including kidnapping and eating Hrothgar’s soldiers. When the youthful warrior Beowulf from neighbouring Geatland hears of this, he approaches the king & proposes his services. Grendel is combated by Beowulf with only his hands as one arm is torn off of him. Scandinavia in the early sixth century, particularly in what are now Denmark as well as Sweden, is the setting for the epic poem Beowulf.
Beowulf is a comprehensive poem that describes the events of a renowned warrior. It is a heroic poem. The warrior character of a heroic poem provides a moral instance; during the course of his narrative, the importance and significance of a community’s ethical code may be investigated. Beowulf aids researchers in tracing the development of the English language & in understanding the customs and practises of Anglo-Saxon people throughout the Middle Ages. Beowulf offers an insight into English history as well as the country’s first literary creations.
Beowulf constitutes a crucial poem because it enlightens readers on the social customs of the Anglo-Saxons, the evolution of Old English towards Modern English, as well as the nature of the epic poem. Additionally, Beowulf is the first known instances of a great poem written in English. Epic verses are lengthy narrative poems that are frequently narrated from the perspective of a heroic character as they overcome several challenges en route to fame. Often, but not usually, epics conclude with the demise of the hero. Like their modern lyrical equivalents, they frequently include alliteration, metaphors, as well as imagery. Despite being composed in a primitive language that gradually gave way to the English language which is spoken today, Beowulf is sometimes cited as the earliest significant piece of English literature. Hence, Old English is significantly more Germanic than contemporary English, with minimal French as well as Latin influence.
As per the entire poem (Beowulf), it can be said that many critics have observed the poetry as an allegory of Christian into which Beowulf, who is the champion of light and the goodness, fights the forces of darkness & evils. His selfless demise is not viewed as heart-breaking, but rather as suitable for the conclusion of an admirable hero’s life. Only one mediaeval manuscript of Beowulf remains. Because the book lacks dates, its age must be determined by examining the writers’ handwriting. The book may have been created as recently as the time of King Cnut, who governed England between 1016 to 1035. Several scholars have indicated that it was created around the latter part of the tenth century, while others have proposed the beginning of the eleventh century.
Beowulf, 1998
Director: Graham Baker
Notable Cast: Christopher Lambert
This version significantly alters the poem’s plot by setting it in the future of dystopia as opposed to a previous era. Thus, the dragon is completely removed.
Beowulf and Grendel, 2005
Director: Sturla Gunnarsson
Notable Cast: Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgård
This Icelandic rendition stays true to Beowulf’s ethos while substantially altering the plot. The only surviving individual of an ancient tribe is Grendel.
Beowulf, 2007
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Notable Cast: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, & John Malkovich, and lastly Angelina Jolie
Zemeckis’ film, though perhaps the most loyal to the poetry of its movie versions, nonetheless makes a lot of alterations. Grendel’s mother as well as Beowulf had intercourse, & the result was the birth of the Dragon.
Beowulf aids researchers in tracing the creation of a English language & in understanding the customs and practises of the people of Anglo-Saxon origin throughout the Middle Ages. Beowulf offers an insight into the past of England & the origins of English literature. Both of these sorts of heroes have contemporary counterparts. Superman resembles a fictional hero without any specific abilities who needs to depend on his brains & will, whereas Superman corresponds to Beowulf & battles with extraordinary strength. Superheroes like the Hulk & Thor are among the many who follows in Beowulf’s heroic ways. Since individuals haven’t changed, despite the fact that times have evolved, actions in contemporary America are comparable to the ones in Beowulf. Today, there are still instances of valour, courage, & dignity as well as fraud, avarice, & enmity. Both then & in the future, there has been and is expected to be a conflict amongst good & evil.
Based on the above discussion and analysis mentioned above in the research paper it can be concluded that the fact that Beowulf was the earliest known piece of English literature has made it renowned. It is significant both for its literary worth as a work of epic poetry for its cultural and language understanding. Grendel represents a huge creature that may be a demon or a form of troll that terrorises Hrothgar & his troops. Grendel despises parties because he despises joyfulness and happiness. For the past twelve years, he has been visiting Heorot, a fortified structure that Hrothgar built to serve himself & his men. Grendel curses those who enjoy themselves and celebrate. He brings terror & devastation to Heorot as he consumes & murders Hrothgar’s troops every day. The poem Beowulf serves as an example of three crucial ideals of the day: courage, honour, and devotion. This is especially evident in the figures of Beowulf as well as Wiglaf.
The poem’s protagonist, Beowulf, demonstrates incredible bravery in all of his actions. The moment Beowulf attempts to slay the mother of Grendel together with his weapon but cannot penetrate her body is the turning point in the story. He is compelled to use just his hands to combat her. Once Beowulf discovers a massive, decorative sword fashioned by the local monsters, the two engage in exchanges combat.
Beowulf is regarded as an epic poetry because its hero must traverse vast expanses in order to show his bravery in the face of otherworldly animals and monsters. The underlying message of an essay is referred to as the central concept. It is the point the author is attempting to make with the tale. An overarching life lesson is frequently the topic of a narrative. The topic of a tale is significant since it contributes to the the writer’s motivation for writing the piece.
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