BEOWULF
"Set against the coming of× Christianity, this is the story of the last hero: in 507, a monstrous troll wreaks havoc in the mead hall of the× Danish king, Hrothgar. He offers rewards for the death of× Grendel, so Beowulf, a great and boastful× Geatwarrior, arrives with his thanes. Beowulf sets aside his armor and awaits the monster; a fierce battle ensues that leads to× Beowolf's entering the watery lair of×Grendel's mother, where a devil's bargain awaits. Beowulf returns to× Herot, the castle, and becomes king. Jump ahead many years, and the sins of the father are visited upon× Beowulf and his kingdom. The hero must face his weakness and be heroic once again. Is the age of demons over?..."
- Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
1. What biblical allusions are made in the poem?
Some of those are:
The
allusion that Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. Grendel and his “family”
are said to be descendants from Cain because of the grave sin he committed when
he killed his brother.
Grendel
is referred to as a descendant of Cain: “the hostile-hearted creature, Gods enemy,
guilty of murder”
Also
there is a reference to the Great Flood that took place in Genesis: “The origin
of ancient strife, when the flood, rushing water, slew the race of giants they
suffered terribly: that was a people alien to the Lord. The Ruler made them a
last payment through water welling” , the author of Beowulf is suggesting that
the swords creators were descendants of those that caused God to bring on the
flood perhaps even suggesting that they were descendants of Cain.
Earlier
in the passage these same giants are referred to with reverence: “There came
into the possession of the prince of the Danes, after the fall of devils, the
work of wonder-smiths”, there is a contrast between the pagan and Christian
cultures as the same “giants” are referred to with honor and contempt in
succeeding paragraphs.
2. Old English poems rely heavily on alliteration, what
instances of alliteration can you find on Beowulf?
“He found the
sprawled in sleep, suspecting nothing, their dreams undisturbed”
“Up from his swampland, sliding silently
toward that gold-shining hall”
Both
of this uses “s” to give Grendel the appearance of moving quietly and smooth as
well as mean almost like a snake.
“To glow across the land and light it,
the corners of the earth were made lovely with trees and leaves, amide quickly
with life with each”
The
reiterating “I” sound produces a very calm and happy image, an ideal picture of
a peaceful life.
3. What Symbolism can you find in the story?
A
symbol of the mead hall symbolizing what is good can be found in the very
beginning of the story when all of the soldiers are singing happily,
"…as day
after day the music rang Loud in the hall, the harps rejoicing Call and the
poet's clear songs, sung…"
Another
example of a symbol the evil and hate of Grendel is shown when he goes to the
mead hall at night and eats the sleeping soldiers and scares them enough to
where they have to abandon their great hall,
"To escape
him, searched for rest in different beds, as far from Herot as they could find,
Seeing how Grendel hunted when they slept. Distance was safety; the only
survivors were those who fled him. Hate had triumphed."
4. Is foreshadowing used?
Yes
it is used.
When
it shows the funeral of Shield Sheafson, with which the poem opens, foreshadows
Boewulf’s funeral at the poems end, the story if Sigemund told by the scop, or
bard, foreshadows Beowulf’s fight with the dragon, the story of king Heremod
foreshadows Beowulf’s eventual ascendancy to kingship.
5. What is Beowulf's guiding philosophy?
Beowulf
demonstrates an interesting mix of Christian belief with pagan view of the
world. Throughout the text Beowulf and other talk about wyrd which is the
Anglo-Saxon view of fate. They are very aware of their actions and the glory
they hope to gain from their choices in the actions that take. But over it all,
they see fate as being a dominating force. It is fate that Beowulf leams of
Grendel, it is Hrothgar’s fate to accept the help from Beowulf, it is fate that
Beowulf dies after a fatal wound from the fire breathing dragon.
An
also the character talk about God, and pray for Gods good providence in their
lives. These comments seem to be in opposition to the concept of wyrd, but when
we consider that the story of Beowulf is a pagan story, but was only passed by
oral tradition the Christian views of God find their way into the story.
Both
of these philosophies of life are presented throughout the text, both before
battlers, during battles, and after them. The audience of original story would
have understood the idea of wyrd’s role in life, and the later Christian
audiences understood a blending of fate and God.
6. When does Beowulf become king of the Geats?
He
became kind of the Geats after killing Grendel’s mother.
7. Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic hero, what are
those characteristics and how are they shown in the story?
Beowulf
exemplifies the traits of the perfect hero. The poem explores his heroism in
two separate phrases: youth and age and through three separate and increasingly
difficult conflicts with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Although we
can view these three encounters as expressions of the heroic code, there is
perhaps a clearer division between Beowulf’s youthful heroism as an unfettered
warrior and his mature heroism as a reliable king. The two phrases of his life,
separated by fifty years, correspond to two different models of virtue, and
mucho of the moral reflection in the story centers on differentiating these two
models and on showing how Beowulf makes the transition from one to another.
Here you have the direct link to see the movie BEOWULF online,
Hope you enjoy it!
