OLD

ENGLISH &
BEOWULF
 Early England Created by Three Invasions
2. Anglo-Saxon
1. Roman
and Viking
Occupation 55
Invasions 410 –
B.C.-410 A.D. .
1066 A.D. GERMAN(IC)

3. The Norman
Invasion (The
Battle of Hastings)
LATIN
in 1066 A.D. FRENCH
 English is a Melting Pot of Indo-European
Languages

Celtic Latin German French

Routes Taken to Britain
 450CE the Angles (Anglo) and the Saxons from
Northern Germany invaded England
 The Germanic tribes established
permanent bases and displaced the
native Celts.
 Later the Saxons gradually became
the dominant group
 The new Anglo-Saxon nation,
became known as Anglaland or
Englaland, later shortened to
England.
 OLD ENGLISH
PERIOD
The Anglo-Saxon Period
(450-1066 A.D.)
 Anglo-Saxon Literature
 began as an oral tradition.
 Stories, poems and songs were all told aloud and passed
from generation to generation orally.
 BEOWULF: The first masterpiece of English
literature, the epic poem - a splendid story of adventure,
a record of Anglo-Saxon life and an illustration of the
ideals and values, which constitute a part of Old English
life.
 1.

AUTHOR.
The author of Beowulf is a
mystery, as most poets of
the Anglo-Saxon period
are.
BEOWULF is believed to have been
composed between 700 and 750.

It was set in DENMARK.

The poem did not appear in print until

1815.
 2.
Summary of beowulf .
Hrothgar, king of the Danes, has
built the mead hall Heorot for
feasting his warriors, but they
abandon it because of the
murderous ravages of the monster
Grendel. Beowulf, nephew of King
Hygelac of the Geats comes with 14
warriors to challenge the monster
and is received by Hrothgar at a
great feast.
In mighty fights, Beowulf with his bare hands killed
both Grendel and his mother. Since Hygelac and his
son both die in wars with Swedes, Beowulf
eventually becomes king of the Geats, ruling well
for 50 years. Then a fire-breathing dragon begins to
ravage the land. Although Beowulf and his
companions kill the dragon, he receives his own
death-wound.
The Geography
of Beowulf
 3. Battles in Beowulf.
First : Second: with Third
with Grendel's battle:
Grendel Mother. with The
.
Dragon.
First battle: BEOWULF with Grendel.
Beowulf hears that the people
in Heorot kingdom are living in
fear. Because Grendel- a
bloody evil terrorizes them. He
sails to Denmark with his c

group and fights against

Grendel unarmed. He tears the
monster's arm off. Grendel
runs back into his swamp and
dies.
This battle is mythological in nature:
it shows Beowulf's superhuman
strength.

Beowulf's motive is revenge against

the monster for his crimes against
Beowulf's kinsmen.
 Second Battle: BEOWULF with Grendel's Mother.

Grendel's mother gets angry

when she knows her son has
died. She comes to Heorot to
revenge for his son. She kills one
of the most loyal fighters.
Beowulf traces her to her lair
under a lake and uses a sword to
cut her head off. He brings her
head back to Heorot and gives it
to the King.
This battle too is mythological.
However, in this battle Beowulf must use a
weapon (sword) to defeat her.
This shows Beowulf's mortality and
gradual deterioration of strength.
Beowulf's motive is spiritual, as he is
destroying evil at its root source (in hell).
 Third battle: BEOWULF with The Dragon.
Beowulf becomes the King. 50 years
after the fight with Grendel and his
mother, a thief steals a golden cup in the
dragon’s treasure. When the dragon
wakes up, it leaves the cage with a rage.
The dragon breaths fire to destroy the
Geats. Beowulf and his men come to
fight the dragon. He slays the dragon but
he is mortally wounded by the venom
when the dragon bites him. People burn
their king body and bury it on the huge
hill as he wishes.
Beowulf must use armor and weapons to kill the
dragon, which shows Beowulf's age and impending
death.
This battle is realistic in nature (at least for
Beowulf), as he uses no mythological (unrealistic)
feats of strength.
Beowulf dies in the battle because his motives are
greedy: he's after the Dragon's treasure.
 3

Characters of beowulf .
 1. Beowulf

THE PROTAGONIST:
BEOWULF
 a Geatish hero who fights the monster
Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-
breathing dragon.
 the strongest, ablest warrior around.
 In his youth, he personifies all of the
best values of the heroic culture.
 In his old age, he proves a wise and
effective ruler.
2. King Hrothgar

THE KING OF THE DANES.

A wise and aged ruler
Hrothgar represents a
different kind of leadership
from that exhibited by the
youthful warrior Beowulf.
a father figure to Beowulf
and a model for the kind of
king that Beowulf becomes.
3. Grendel
A DEMON descended from
Cain
preys on Hrothgar’s
warriors in the
king’s mead-hall,
Heorot.
fits solidly within the
ethos of vengeance
that governs the
world of the poem.
 4. Grendel’s Mother

AN UNNAMED SWAMP-
HAG
seems to possess fewer
human qualities than
Grendel, although her
terrorization of Heorot is
explained by her desire
for vengeance.
5. Dragon

AN ANCIENT,
POWERFUL
SERPENT guards a
horde of treasure in a
hidden mound.
 6. Wiglaf
 A YOUNG KINSMAN
AND RETAINER OF
BEOWULF
 helps him in the fight against
the dragon while all of the
other warriors run away.
 adheres to the heroic code
better than Beowulf’s other
retainers, thereby proving
himself a suitable successor
THEMES OF BEOWULF
 1. Family
Beowulf, as a descendant of the Geatish royal family,
imbues him with a sense of duty and honor to protect
his people and uphold his family's legacy.
Additionally, the relationships between Beowulf and
his kinsmen, such as his uncle Hygelac and his loyal
warriors, emphasize the importance of loyalty,
kinship, and solidarity in facing challenges and
achieving greatness.
 2. reputation
In "Beowulf," the theme of reputation
underscores the importance of fame and glory in
the warrior culture of the time.

Beowulf's desire for renown drives him to

undertake heroic deeds and face formidable
foes, solidifying his status as a legendary figure
among his peers.
3. Generosity
In this system, the king or feudal lord provides land,
weapons, and a share of treasure to his warriors
(called thanes or retainers) in return for their
support of the leader in battle. The leader's
generosity is one of his highest qualities.
 4. revenge
Grendel seeks revenge upon mankind for
the heritage that he has been dealt. He
delights in raiding Heorot because it is the
symbol of everything that he detests about
men: their success, joy, glory, and favor in
the eyes of God.
Grendel's mother's revenge is more
specific. She attacks Heorot because
someone there killed her son. Although she
is smaller and less powerful than Grendel,
she is motivated by a mother's fury.
In "Beowulf," the dragon seeks revenge after a
thief steals a golden cup from its hoard. It
unleashes its fiery revenge upon the Geats and
Beowulf, leading to a climactic battle that
ultimately results in Beowulf's death.