BEOWULF

PROYECTO INTEGRADO
ENGLISH LITERATURE
BILINGUAL ESO4

ISABEL QUESADA GÓMEZ

INTRODUCING Beowulf: THE POEM AND THE WARRIOR
SOCIETY

 Superman vs Batman: who is the hero and

who is the superhero?
 Batman has no super powers but he
chooses to help his community, just like
Beowulf does! Let’s analyse the warrior
society to understand Beowulf’s, the hero of
the poem, behaviour and acts.
 The origin of the poem Beowulf is mysterious. We
do not know the identity of the author, and we are
unsure of its precise date of composition. However,
most scholars believe it was composed by a single
Christian author for a Christian audience in Anglo-
Saxon England anywhere from the eighth to
eleventh century. Beowulf was composed in the oral
poetic tradition. Whether it was originally written or
oral is not known. The poem, filled with biblical
allusions to the Old Testament, is also influenced by
Germanic oral tradition and Old Norse myth and
legend.
 It is be interesting to know about the Germanic code
of loyalty (Comitatus). Thanes, or warriors, swore
loyalty to their king, for whom they fought and whom
they protected. In return the king was expected to
be generous with gifts of treasure and land. The
king also protected his thanes. Kings were highly
praised for their generosity and hospitality. Warriors
were expected to be brave, courageous, and loyal.
Their reputation for such qualities was very
important
 It is an epic poem:
 Epic poetry: a long, narrative poem
written in an elevated style which
celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero
or god
 Epic hero: superhuman hero or god of an
epic.
 Beowulf
 Written c. 700 C.E.
 Author unknown
 Often called the beginning of
English literature
 Written in Old English
 Only one complete original copy
remains
 Beowulf: an epic poem
 An EPIC is a long narrative poem
which follows a hero’s struggle
against universal issues.

 The epic will contain 3 elements:

 A larger-than life hero
 The Supernatural
 Elevated language style
Other Epic Poems
 The Iliad and Odyssey (Greek, Homer)
 The Aeneid (Roman, Virgil)
 Gilgamesh (Babylonian, unknown)
 Cantar de mio Cid (Spanish, unknown)
 Chanson de Roland (French, unknown)
Themes in Beowulf
 Identity
 Ancestral heritage
 Individual reputation
 Heroic glory
 Characteristics of good warrior
 Strength
 Loyalty
 Courage
 Characteristics of good king
 Hospitality
 Generosity
 Diplomacy
 Distribution of treasure: gold, horses, armour
Beowulf’s Literary elements
 Kennings (epithets)
(two-word phrase for a common word)
ex: world-candle for sun or whale-road for
ocean
 Metaphores and symbolism
 Hyperboles
 Highly descriptive passages
 Alliteration
Beowulf’s Alliteration
 Use of alliteration
 Beginning 3 or 4 words in a line with the
same letter
 OE: “waes se grimma gaest Grendel haten”
 TRANS: “a horror from hell, hideous
Grendel.”
 “Then out of the night came the shadow-
stalker, stealthy and swift“ (702-703)
Beowulf: Oral Tradition
 Oral poetry was sung by many; was
performed when warriors gathered in
meadhalls during celebrations.
 Scop (pronounced shop) in Anglo-Saxon lands
 Troubadours in France
 Trovadores in Spain
 Minnesingers in Germany
Beowulf: Writing it Down
 Mistakes in  It all depended on
translations who did the writing
 Misunderstanding and their feelings
out-of-date slang about the texts.
 Political  Beowulf shows
correctness both Norse pagan
belief and
 Intentional changes
in the text Christianity
Beowulf: The Legend
 Seems to have been entirely fictional
 Why has this story lasted through the ages?
 Good against Evil
 Strength of heart and spirit
 Truth and light vs. dark powers
 Constant Challenge
 Death always awaits, even for the hero.
THE END

Isabel Mª Quesada Gómez