Beowulf Why Beowulf? Provenance Setting Poetic devices Terms Themes

Why Study Beowulf? 1. Beowulf is the ___________in the English language, so everything written since Beowulf stems from it in some way. 2. The story of Beowulf encompasses ___________that we still see in English literature today. 3. Beowulf is simply good writing.

Why Study Beowulf? 4. In some ways, it doesn’t matter what you read, but how you read it, so…since Beowulf came first, you might as well start there. 5. Studying ________________improves your understanding of modern English. 6. It’s a great story.

Beowulf’s Provenance What we don’t know: ______ wrote it ______ exactly it was written how much, exactly, is based on _____________

Beowulf’s Provenance What we do know: Beowulf is the ________________________. It’s written in ___________(or _________), which is the basis for the language we speak today. ________ of the characters in the poem actually existed. The _______ copy of the manuscript was written sometime around the ____________A.D. (________’s), however…

The actual poem probably ______ from the _____ century (____’s) or so, and… The story may be ____ even earlier, around _____ A.D. There are a lot of ________ references in the poem, but the _________ and ________ are ________…this means a ______ probably translated it.

Beowulf’s Provenance So why wasn’t it written down in the first place? This story was probably _____________ (________________) for centuries before it was first written down. It wasn’t until after the _____________(_____) that writing stories down became common in this part of the world.

Beowulf’s Provenance So what’s happened to the manuscript since the 11th century? Eventually, it ended up in the library of this guy. ____________(1571-1631)

Beowulf’s Provenance Unfortunately, ________’s library _______ in ______. Many manuscripts were entirely destroyed. _______ was partially damaged. The manuscript is now preserved and carefully cared for in the ___________________

Setting: Beowulf’s time and place Although Beowulf was written in English, it is _____ in what is __________, where a __________ called the ________ lived. The story may take place as early as __________________________

Setting: Beowulf’s time and place Insert: Time of Beowulf Europe today

How we date Beowulf Some Important Dates: 521 A.D. – death of Hygelac, who is mentioned in the poem 680 A.D. – appearance of alliterative verse 835 A.D. – the Danish started raiding other areas; after this, few poets would consider them heroes SO: This version was likely composed between 680 and 835, though it may be set earlier

A few things to watch out for The Poetry in Beowulf A few things to watch out for 1. Alliterative verse ____________ of initial sounds of words (occurs in every line) b. Generally, ______ feet/beats per line c. A _______, or _________, between beats two and four d. No rhyme

A few things to watch out for The Poetry in Beowulf A few things to watch out for Alliterative verse – an example from Beowulf: Oft Scyld Scefing sceapena praetum, Monegum maegpum meodo-setla ofteah; Egsode Eorle, syddan aerest weard.

A few things to watch out for The Poetry in Beowulf A few things to watch out for There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, A wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes. The terror of the hall-troops had come far.

A few things to watch out for The Poetry in Beowulf A few things to watch out for 2. Kennings a. Compound ___________ (usually two words) b. Most were probably used over and over For instance: hronade literally means “whale-road,” but can be translated as “sea”

A few things to watch out for The Poetry in Beowulf A few things to watch out for Other kennings from Beowulf: banhus = “bone-house” = _______ goldwine gumena = “gold-friend of men” = ____________ beaga brytta = “ring-giver” = ____ beadoleoma = “flashing light” = _______

Some terms you’ll want to know scop A bard or story-teller. The scop was responsible for praising deeds of past heroes, for recording history, and for providing entertainment

Some terms you’ll want to know ________ Literally, this means “______” or “________” This term identifies the concept of _______ and _____mutually ____________to one another

Some terms you’ll want to know thane A _______ mead-hall The _______where the lord and his warriors slept, ate, held ________, etc.

Some terms you’ll want to know _______ _____. This idea crops up a lot in the poem, while at the same time there are _________ references to God’s will.

Some terms you’ll want to know epic Beowulf is an _________. This means it has a ____________and the conflict is of universal importance. There’s a certain serious that accompanies most epics.

Some terms you’ll want to know elegy An elegy is a _____ that is ____ or _____. The adjective is elegiac. homily A homily is a written ______ or section of the poem that gives ___________

Themes and Important Aspects Good vs. ______ Religion: _________ and ______ influences The importance of ________and treasure The importance of the sea and sailing The _______ of the ______ Fate Loyalty and _________ Heroism and heroic deeds