Beowulf:
The Beginnings of English
Literature
Origins
Unknown author;
possibly one Christian
author in AngloSaxon England
Unknown date of
composition (roughly
8th-11th Century CE)
England before the English
• When the Roman legions
arrived, they found the
land inhabited by
“Britons.”
– Today, the Britons are
known as the Celts
• Stonehenge
• no written language
• The Britons were
absorbed into Roman
society
– Latin is spoken
• Romans withdraw as the
Empire crumbles, leaving the
Britons behind
• group of pagan people
from Northern Europe
begin a series of
invasions
– Anglo-Saxons (Angles,
Saxons, Jutes)
– bring Germanic
languages
– still have their language
• Wednesday…day of
Woden, father of the
gods
• Thursday…day of Thor,
god of war
Woden--father of the gods
• By 600, Anglo-Saxons
conquer the Britons
– language becomes more
Germanic
• still retains some Latin
• The Anglo-Saxons’ two
urgings--war and
wandering become part
of the oral tradition
– Beowulf is an example of
an Anglo-Saxon hero tale
• By 700, Christian
missionaries arrive to
convert the pagans
– Latin (the language of
the Church) returns
• King Alfred
– the Britons become
organized
– first true king of the
Britons
– period of prosperity
• In 1066, the Normans (French
speaking people from Normandy),
led by William the Conqueror attack
and defeat the Britains (a blend of the
Britons and Anglo-Saxons) at the
Battle of Hastings
• the 3rd language is introduced-French
– French culture and French literature
arrives
Welcome to England and the English…
an island of peoples, languages, and divisions...
Latin -- church, schools
French -- court, castle
English -- commoners
What was it like to live
in the Middle Ages?
The 3 Estates in the Middle
Ages
• The idea of estates, or orders,
was encouraged during the
Age, but this ordering was
breaking down.
– Clergy
• Latin chiefly spoken, those who
pray, purpose was to save
everyone’s soul
– Nobles
• French chiefly spoken, those who
fight, purpose was to protect—
allow for all to work in peace—
and provide justice
– Commoners
• English spoken, those who work,
purpose was to feed and clothe all
above them
feudalism
A tenant (vassal) renews his oath of fealty
to his lord
• The economic system of much
of the Middle Ages (800-1100)
• Commoners (peasants) lived on a
feudal manor. The lord of the
manor gave his vassals (the
peasants) land to farm.
• In return, the vassals received
protection from roving bandits. Yet
they were taxed and had to
surrender a portion of their crops to
the lord.
– it was better to be a lord than a
vassal!
• Feudalism is important as it
created ties of obedience and
fostered a sense of loyalty
between the vassals and their lord.
Chivalry
• A product of feudalism,
chivalry was an idealized
system of manners and
morals
– Restricted to nobility
• The Medieval knight was
bound to the chivalric code
to be loyal to…
– God
– his lord
– his lady
• Chivalric ideals include...
– benevolence
– brotherly love
– politeness
• Sir Gawain is an example
The Church
• Provided guidance
through well known
precepts..
– Seven Deadly Sins
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pride
Greed
Wrath
Envy
Gluttony
Sloth
Lust
The Wheel of Fortune
The idea of Fortune and her
wheel was one of the
most pervasive ideas
throughout the Middle
Ages.
On the wheel are depicted
four figures: one at the
top, one at the bottom,
one rising, and one falling.
It served to remind of the temporality of earthly
things.
The Wheel helps understand the medieval mind,
and it can help remind us that the important things
in life come from within, that hard work has its own
merits. An award, an office, a title--these are not
the things that make for greatness.
the Ptolemaic
Universe
•
Imagine a sphere that encloses
another that holds another that holds
yet another…and continues into
heaven…
• It is a commonly held myth that
people of the Medieval period
thought the Earth was
flat…FALSE!
– It was round, but at the center of the
universe!
• So what! Well, the people
of the Medieval period
loved order! Remember the
Three Estates, the Seven
Deadly Sins—a place for
everyone and everyone in
that place.
Enough already!
I thought this was an English
class!
Literary Devices
Allusion: Biblical, Germanic oral tradition,
Norse myth and legend, historical AngloSaxon kings (eg. King Offa of Mercia)
Alliteration (eg. Scyld’s strong son)
Epic poetry: a long narrative poem written
in elevated style which celebrates the deeds
of a legendary hero or god.
Kenning: two-word metaphorical name for
something (eg. whale-road=sea)
Scop: Anglo-Saxon composers and
storytellers (like minstrels or bards)
Warrior Code
Comitatus: Germanic code of loyalty
Thane: warrior – swears loyalty to the king
for whom they fought and whom they
protected
Kings: generous, protected thanes
Reputation: thanes were expected to be
loyal, brave, courageous; kings were
expected to be generous and hospitable
Wergild: “man-payment”; a fee paid to the
family of a slain man to atone for his
murder and to prevent the family from
seeking revenge.
Characteristics of Medieval
Literature
• Heroism
– from both Germanic and Christian traditions,
sometimes mingled
• Beowulf
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• Presentations of idealized behavior
– literature as moral lesson
• loyalty to king
• chivalry
• use of kennings (especially in Beowulf)
– A figurative, usually compound expression
used in place of a name or noun. Example,
storm of swords is a kenning for battle.
Geats and Danes
Beowulf was a war
leader of the Geats,
a group of people in
what is now
southern Sweden
Hrothgar was king
of the Danes
Old English
 Beowulf was written in Old English, an early
form of English
 Old English was spoken in the Middle Ages from
about 6th century to 11th century CE
 In 1066, William the Conqueror successfully
invaded England, bringing his Norman French
language with him; the nobility began to speak
French, and gradually Old English evolved into
Middle English (1100-1500): “Whan that Aprill,
with his shoures soote/The droghte of March
hath perced to the roote”
 Modern English has been spoken since the
Renaissance – Shakespeare is NOT Old English;
he is Early Modern English
Elements of an Epic
1. Epic hero– an character with a trait or
characteristic that is valued by his society.
•
(E.g.– Superman’s bravery or valor)
2. Quest– A journey through which the character
or the reader learns something
3. Valorous Deeds– Doing something bravely.
4. Divine Intervention– The hand of God (or
gods) help the hero, proving his value.
5. Great events– The hero has a hand in
something important in the history or
mythology of a culture.
2 Types of Epics
1. Folk
–
–
–
–
Told out loud first (usually by scops)
Unknown author
Unknown dates
(E.g.—Beowulf is a folk epic because we don’t know
who wrote it)
2. Literary
–
–
Known author
(E.g.– Paradise Lost, by John Milton is a literary
epic because we know who wrote it.)
3 Epic Conventions
1. Invoke a muse
– Muse– inspiration provided by the gods
2. Plot begins in medias res
– In medias red– “In the middle of” the action
3. Serious tone
•
Not necessary to have all on these, but
need most at least
Beowulf’s Name
• Beowulf’s father– Edgetho
– In most cases, the son is named after the father
•
•
•
•
Don
Donald (son of Don)
McDonald (son of son of Don)
McDonaldson (son of son of son of Don)
• Proves Beowulf is own individual with own powers and
abilities (and more important than his father)
• Beo– Bear
– Bears are known as Great Protectors in Norse mythology
– Strong
• Wulf– Wolf
– Wolves are also great protectors, but are also cunning and
speedy