Beowulf

Epic Poems:
 An epic is a long, narrative poem
celebrating the feats of a traditional hero.
 Other examples of epic poems:
 Illiad
 Odyssey
Characteristics of Epic Poems
 About the adventures of larger-than-life
characters
 Hero is a great leader strongly identified with a
particular people or society
 Setting is broad and often includes the upper and
lower worlds
 Hero does great deeds in battle or undertakes an
extraordinary journey
 Sometimes the gods or other supernatural beings
take part in the action
 Story is told in heightened language
Beowulf – The Poem
 Epic poem about war heroes
 First great work of English national
literature
 Mythical and literary record of a formative
stage of English civilization
 Uses many traditional motifs associated
with heroic literature all over the world
Motifs: Stories of dream and
legend
 Of monster and of god-fashioned weapons
 Of descents to the underworld
 Of fights with dragons
 Of the hero’s quest
 Of a community threatened by the powers
of evil
Plot
 Tells story of Beowulf (may mean “bear”)
 Geat from Sweden who crosses the sea to
Denmark on a quest to rescue King Hrothgar
from the demonic monster Grendel
Beowulf – Epic Hero
 Central figure in a long narrative that reflects the
values and heroic ideals of a particular society
 Has superior strength
 Supremely Ethical
 Must defeat monsters that embody dark,
destructive powers
 At the end of his quest, is glorified by the people
he has saved
Beowulf: an Epic that is:
 Composed by an unknown Anglo-Saxon
poet
 Thought to be composed in England, but
set in Scandinavia
 Originally composed in Old English,
probably in northeast England
 Composed sometime between the years
700-750 A.D.
 Depicts the world of the 6th Century
Oral Story Telling
 Handed down, with embellishments and
changes, from minstrel to minstrel
 A traditional oral epic familiar to the
audiences who crowded around the bards
in communal halls at night
Details of the Story
 Many characters in the poem (Swedish &
Danish royal family members) correspond
to actual historical figures.
 Much of it is based on early folk legends
 Some Celtic
 Some Scandinavian
Religious Aspects
 Christian elements described lead us to believe
the poet may have been a monk.
 Poem is full of religious elements (both Christian
and Pagan references)
 Ex: Poet sings to the “Almighty”
 Many references to God, his creation, and the need to
thank God.
 It is God who leads Beowulf to victory over
Grendel’s Mother.
Warrior Culture
 Results from this early feudal arrangement.
 Is important to the story and our
understanding of Saxon civilization
 Strong kings demand bravery and loyalty
from their warriors; warriors then repaid
with treasures won in war.
The Manuscript
 Dates from the year 1000
 Now in the British Museum in London
 Burned and stained
 Discovered in the 18th Century
Background of the Plot
 In Scandinavian world of the story, tiny
tribes of people rally around strong kings.

 Kings protect their people from danger,

especially from confrontations with other
tribes.