Literary
Elements
Through the story of Beowulf
Theme
 The
controlling idea of a piece of
literature.
A
unifying or dominant idea
Themes in Beowulf
 Greed
for glory leads to downfall.
 Greed
for glory leads to heroism.
 “The
fight is not yours,/ nor meet for any but me
alone/ to measure the might with this monster
here/ and play the hero.”
Characterization
 The
characteristics of a character
 Physiological-
like
 Sociological-
what the character looks
the character’s background
 Psychological-
the character’s behavior
Characterization of Beowulf

Physiological: strongest man of all


Sociological: loyal & has seen victory far and wide


“[…] Higlac’s/Follower and the strongest of the
Geats– greater/ And stronger than anyone
anywhere in this world […]”
“Higlac’s Follower” & “I drove/ Five great giants
into chains, chased/ All of that race from the
earth.”
Psychological: reckless, brave, greedy for glory

“But Higlac’s follower remembered his final/ Boast
and, standing erect, stopped/ The monster’s flight
[…]”
Conflict
 The
opposing forces that come into
disagreement in a story
 External




& External Conflicts:
Man vs. self
Man vs. man
Man vs. society
Man vs. nature
Conflict in Beowulf

Man vs. self


Man vs. man



“ […] my hands/ Alone shall fight for me,
struggle for life/ Against the monster.”
“The sage assumed that his sovran God/ he had
angered, breaking ancient law,/ and
embittered the Lord.”
Also three battles could be considered here
Man vs. society & man vs. nature

Three battles could be considered
Setting
 When
and where a story takes place
Setting of Beowulf
A
changing world between Pagan and
Christian ideas– a world that is attempting
to rid itself of the old, “evil” ways
 Anglo-Saxon Period in the regions of
modern-day Denmark and Sweden

“Hail/ To those who will rise to God, drop
off/ Their dead bodies and seek our
Father’s peace!”
Protagonist vs. Antagonist
 Protagonist:
the leading character, hero,
or heroine of a literary work
 Antagonist:
the character or force that
works against the hero or protagonist
Pro. & Ant. in Beowulf
 Beowulf
vs. Grendel
 Beowulf
vs. Grendel’s Mother
 Beowulf
vs. Dragon
Plot

The action of a literary work





Exposition: the act of explaining the setting and
introducing the main characters & other literary
elements at the beginning of a literary work
Rising Action: a related series of incidents that build
towards the climax
Climax: THE POINT OF NO RETURN/ THE HIGHEST OR
MOST INTENSE POINT IN THE STORY
Falling Action: the part of a story that occurs after the
climax has been reached and the conflict has been
resolved
Resolution: the outcome of the story- the protagonist
either gets what he/she wants or does not
Plot Triangle for Beowulf
Climax: Beowulf fights the
Dragon and is injured
Rising Action: Beowulf kills
Grendel & Grendel’s
Mother/ is named King
Exposition: Beowulf is
great/ Danes in trouble
and need help
Falling Action: Wiglaf
brings Beowulf the
treasure
Resolution: Beowulf
dies a hero and is
buried in a funeral
pyre
Point of View
 The




perspective from which a story is told
First person- “I”
Second person- “you” “us” “we”
Third person limited- “he” “she” but we see
one character’s thoughts
Third person omniscient- “he” “she” but we
see all characters’ thoughts
Point of View of Beowulf
 Third


person omniscient
“That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime,/
Knew at once that nowhere on earth/ Had
he met a man whose hands were harder;/
His mind was flooded with fear […]”
“That mighty protector of men/ Mean to
hold the monster till its life/ Leaped out,
knowing the fiend was no use/ To anyone in
Denmark.”
Motif
A
recurring subject, theme, idea, etc. in a
literary work
 These
motifs can also be symbolic, which
can make them also symbolism
Motif in Beowulf
 Fate



“Fate will unwind as it must!”
“But Wyrd denied it,/ and victory’s honors.”
“At home I bided/ what fate might come,
and I cared for mine own;/ feuds I sought
not, nor falsely swore/ ever an oath.”
 Monsters

Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, the dragon
Symbolism
 Items
or characters that represent larger
ideas and concepts
Symbols in Beowulf
 The
Mead Hall- a place of unity and
celebration
 Beowulf’s chain mail- God’s grace/ the
“chosen one”
 Mead Cup- all soldiers drink from it = the
symbol of unity
Literary
Techniques
Through Beowulf
Allusions
 Referring
to a famous person, place,
thing, etc. in a literary text
Allusions in Beowulf
 Several


allusions to God and heaven:
“That was their way,/ And the heathen’s
only hope, Hell/ Always in their hearts,
knowing neither God/ Nor His passing as He
walks through our world, the Lord/ of
Heaven and earth […]
“God must decide/ Who will be given to
death’s cold grip.”
Foreshadowing
 Hints
in the text of what is to come
Foreshadowing in Beowulf
 “But
fate, that night, intended/ Grendel to
gnaw the broken bones Of his last human
supper. Human/ Eyes were watching his
evil steps,/ Waiting to see his swift hard
claws.”
Alliteration
 Two
or more words begin with the same
sound
Alliteration in Beowulf
 “Long
while of the day/ fled ere he felt
the floor of the sea./ Soon found the fiend
who the flood-domain sword-hungry held
these hundred winters,/ greedy and grim,
that some guest from above,/ some man,
was raiding her monster-realm.”
Assonance
 Rhyme
in which the same vowel sounds
are used
Assonance in Beowulf
 “[…]
Up from his swampland, sliding
silently […]”
 “Now Grendel’s/ Name has echoed in our
land: sailors have brought us stories of
Herot, the best/ Of all mead-halls,
deserted and useless when the moon/
Hangs in the skies […] Light and life fleeing
together.”
Consonance
 Repetition
of the same consonant sounds
anywhere in the word
Consonance in Beowulf
 “[…]
if in thy cause it came that I/ should
lose my life, thou wouldst loyal bide/ to
me, though fallen, in father’s place!”
 “Bloody the blade: he was blithe of his
deed/ Then blazed forth light.”
 “Tore its fasteners with a touch/ And
rushed angrily over the threshold.”
Simile
A
comparison using like or as
Simile in Beowulf
 “Bright
within/ As when from the sky there
shines unclouded/ Heaven’s candle.”
Metaphor
 Direct
comparison that does not use like
or as but directly states that one thing is
another
Metaphor in Beowulf

Kennings and epithets are also metaphorical









“shepherd of evil, guardian of crime”
“Prince of the Weders”
“The Son of Ecgtheow”
“The Geatish hero”
“sky-candle”
“long sleep”
“whale road”
About the Dragon: “thus he moaned his woe,/ alone,
for them all, and unblithe wept/ by day and by night,
till death’s fell wave/ o’erwhelmed his heart.”
“God must decide/ Who will be given to death’s
cold grip.”
Understatement
 Saying
less than reality in order to
emphasize the emotion of a situation
Understatement in Beowulf
 When
Grendel’s Mother refers to Beowulf
as her “guest from above” when he’s
come to kill her
Personification
 Giving
human qualities to inanimate
objects
Personification in Beowulf
 “Death’s
cold grip”
 “Herot trembled”
Apostrophe
 Directly
addressing a someone or
something that cannot respond either
because it’s not living or is not present/
oftentimes a digression as a sign of
desperation
Apostrophe in Beowulf
 “O
mighty Lord!”
 “God, the Almighty, we call for you to
come”
Hyperbole
 Using
extreme exaggeration for emphasis
Hyperbole in Beowulf
 “Courageous
men/ carried the head from
the cliff by the sea/ an arduous task for all
the band,/ the firm in fight, since four
were needed/ on the shaft-of-slaughter
strenuously/ to bear to the gold-hall
Grendel’s head.”
 Beowulf’s feats– not realistic
Irony
 Three



types:
Situational- when the opposite of what you
expect to happen actually happens
Dramatic- when we know something a
character does not know
Verbal- sarcastic sayings or
understatement/ overstatement in speech
Irony in Beowulf

Situational-- The giant’s sword hanging on the
wall


Dramatic– the soldiers think Beowulf has died


“’Mid the battle-gear saw he a blade
triumphant,/ old-sword of Eotens, with edge of
proof,/ warriors’ heirloom, weapon unmatched”
“To many it seemed/ the wolf-of-the-waves had
won his life.”
Verbal- understatement/ Beowulf brags

“No small band of men had gathered to hear
Beowulf’s boast.”