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Tuesday, February 28
Brainstorm
a list of heroes. Your list
must include 3 heroes in each of the
following categories:
Fictional
Historical
Living
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Announcement
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We will be in the computer lab on the long day.
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Assignment:
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1. Beowulf Pt. 1
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Type/Submit Personal Statement
Due date is now 11:59 on your class period’s long day.
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Beowulf
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
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History of the Text
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One copy of the text remains
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Scientists have dated the copy that exists to around 1000 AD
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Probably hand copied by two monks
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Preserved in a monastery
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Early 16th Century--the reign of Henry VIII put it in danger
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Survives probably by being taken into private collection
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Emerges in 1563, moved to Cotton and then to British
Museum
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What We Know
Scholars have inferred:
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Consistent style suggests single author
Use of conventional poetic devices suggest educated author
Repeated phrases and formula words suggest oral composition
References to God and Bible suggest Christian author
Things that are still unclear:
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Place of origin: Studying Anglo Saxon dialect has been
inconclusive
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Date of poem: Anywhere from 700-1000 AD
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Details about the author: Scop?
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Literary Device/Term Review
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Allusion: Biblical, Germanic oral tradition, Norse myth and
legend, historical Anglo-Saxon kings (eg. King Offa of Mercia)
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Alliteration (eg. Scyld’s strong son)
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Epic poetry: a long narrative poem written in elevated style
which celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero or god.
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Kenning: two-word metaphorical name for something (eg.
whale-road=sea, mankind’s enemy = Grendel)
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Caesura: A pause dividing each line of poetry, with each part
having two accented syllables to help maintain the rhythm of
lines.
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Scop: Anglo-Saxon composers and storytellers.
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Hero: A legendary figure who performs deeds requiring
incredible courage and strength.
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Anglo Saxon World
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Roman roads and oxcarts
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Villages = wooden houses
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Communal farmland
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Stone churches
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Soldiers in armor
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Mead halls--communal banquet halls
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Harsh Environment: War, Few comforts
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Religion: Gods = neither all good nor all powerful
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Background
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Beowulf was written in Old English, an early form of English
(Check out Beowulf in Old English.)
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Old English was spoken in the Middle Ages from about 6th
century to 11th century CE
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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 like in Canterbury Tales (11001500): “Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote/The droghte
of March hath perced to the roote”
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Modern English has been spoken since the Renaissance –
Shakespeare is NOT Old English; he is Early Modern English
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Background
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Composed around 700 A.D.
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The story had been in circulation as an oral narrative for
many years before it was written.
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The action of the poem takes place around 500 A.D.
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Poet is reviving the heroic language, style and values and
pagan values of ancient Germanic oral poetry
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The poem deals with ancient Germanic forebears, the Danes
and the Geats
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Only a single manuscript of the poem survived the AngloSaxon era. In the 1700’s it was nearly destroyed in a fire
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It was not until 1936 when the Oxford scholar J.R.R. Tolkien
published a paper on the poem that is became popular.
The Beowulf Poet
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The poet is Christian
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The poem reflects established
Christian tradition
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Allusions to the Old Testament
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Think: What’s an allusion?
Beowulf is a Redeemer who is
sent by God to save man from sin
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Sound familiar?
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The price of salvation is life itself
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Correspondences between
Beowulf’s death and the death of
Christ
Heroic Values in Beowulf
 Relationship
between
king and his warriors
 The
king rewards his
warriors with gifts
 If
a kinsman is slain,
obligation to kill the
slayer or obtain
payment (wergeld) in
compensation
The Character of Beowulf
 He
fights for personal honor,
but is committed to service to
his own people and humanity.
A
superhuman who remains
recognizable
 Contrast
Beowulf
 Beowulf
 Beowulf
old and young
as savior
was a war leader of
the Geats, a group of people
in what is now southern
Sweden
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Antagonists
Grendel’s Mother
Grendel
The Dragon
Themes
 Good
vs. Evil
 Fate
 The
Importance of
Establishing Identity
 Tension
between Heroic
Code and Christianity
 Significance
 The
past
of artifacts
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Elements of an Epic Poem
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Epic hero– an character with a trait or characteristic that
is valued by his society.
(E.g.– Superman’s bravery or valor)
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Quest– A journey through which the character or the
reader learns something
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Valorous Deeds– Doing something bravely.
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Divine Intervention– The hand of God (or gods) help the
hero, proving his value.
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Great events– The hero has a hand in something
important in the history or mythology of a culture.