Beowulf Why Beowulf? Background Setting Poetic devices Terms Themes

Why Study Beowulf? 1. Beowulf is the oldest poem in the English language, so everything written since Beowulf stems from it in some way 2. The story of Beowulf encompasses common themes that we still see in English literature today 3. Beowulf is simply good representation of Anglo-Saxon history.

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 Old English improves your understanding of modern English 6. It’s a great story

Beowulf’sBackground What we don’t know: who wrote it when exactly it was written how much, exactly, is based on historical truth

Beowulf’s History What we do know: Beowulf is the oldest surviving English poem. It’s written in Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), which is the basis for the language we speak today. Some of the characters in the poem actually existed. The only copy of the manuscript was written sometime around the 11th century A.D. (1000’s), however…

The actual poem probably dates from the 8th century (700’s) or so, and… The story may be set even earlier, around 500 A.D. There are a lot of Christian references in the poem, but the characters and setting are Pagan…this means a monk probably translated it. These two conflicting values are clearly shown in the epic. (Discussion/Predict: how might these conflicting values manifest-or be shown?)

Beowulf’s Background So why wasn’t it written down in the first place? This story was probably passed down orally for centuries before it was first written down. It wasn’t until after the Norman Invasion (1066) that writing stories down became common in this part of the world.

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

Beowulf’s History Unfortunately, Cotton’s library burned in 1731. Many manuscripts were entirely destroyed. Beowulf was partially damaged. The manuscript is now preserved and carefully cared for in the British Museum. **Note: This epic did not become famous until the 1930’s when J. R.R. Tolkien (author of Lord of the Rings)wrote a paper about it.

Setting: Beowulf’s time and place Although Beowulf was written in English, it is set in what is now Sweden, where a tribe called the Geats lived. The story may take place as early as 400 or 500 A.D.

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 (Discussion/Partner ?: how does this help us date the epic?) 835 is when the Danish started raiding-after this, few poets would consider them heroes which is how we know it was probably written before this time. 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 Repetition of initial sounds of words (occurs in every line) b. Generally, four feet/beats per line c. A pause 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 metaphor (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” = body goldwine gumena = “gold-friend of men” = generous prince beaga brytta = “ring-giver” = lord beadoleoma = “flashing light” = sword

A few things to watch out for The Poetry in Beowulf A few things to watch out for 3. Litotes A negative expression; usually an understatement Example: Hildeburh had no cause to praise the Jutes In this example, Hildeburh’s brother has just been killed by the Jutes. This is a poetic way of telling us she hated the Jutes absolutely.

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 thane A warrior mead-hall The large hall where the lord and his warriors slept, ate, held ceremonies, etc.

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

Some terms you’ll want to know epic Beowulf is an epic poem. This means it has a larger-than life hero and the conflict is of universal importance. There’s a certain serious that accompanies most epics.

Themes and Important Aspects Good vs. Evil Religion: Christian and Pagan influences The importance of wealth and treasure The importance of the sea and sailing The sanctity of the home Fate Loyalty and allegiance Heroism and heroic deeds

Themes and Important Aspects Heroic Values in Beowulf If a kinsman is slain, obligation to kill the slayer or obtain payment (wergeld) in compensation (Discussion/Partner ?: What might be the purpose of a “death price?”) Relationship between king and his warriors The king rewards his warriors with gifts

Is this story true??? As mentioned earlier some characters did exist and it is quite possible that some events from this epic could be historically accurate. At the very least it is a fairly accurate representation of values and culture of the time period. The discovery of the ancient burial site of Sutton Hoo helped to confirm this: *Burial site discovered in 1939 *Important links to Anglo-Saxon world and Beowulf *Remains of a boat were discovered and large burial chamber containing numerous artifacts *Artifacts suggest a distinctly Christian element intermingled with pagan ritual. *Episodes in Beowulf now have tangible archaeological evidence to add creditability to the blend of customs in the text.