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Published byNancy Watts Modified over 9 years ago
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By: Ramazan Cav
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BACKGROUND Written between 450 and 1066 A.D. Written in Old English a.k.a. Anglo- Saxon Author is Unknown Believed to have been first written down in the 10 th /11 th centuries by monks in monasteries
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BACKGROUND 450 – 1066 were the years of the Norman-French conquests of England The Germanic tribes who took over England in the 5 th century brought Old English with them
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BACKGROUND Sir Robert Bruce Cotton found the manuscript and placed it in his collection in his library Beowulf was bound with four other stories in a combined codex known as Cotton MS.Vitellius A.xv Cotton MS.Vitellius A.xv was the 15 th item on the first shelf of his Emperor Vitellius cabinet He named all his cabinets after Roman Emperors and paced items in specific places to keep everything organized
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Fire => Present Day In 1731, Sir Robert Bruce Cotton’s library caught on fire damaging almost everything in his collection The Beowulf manuscript turned brittle due to the heat and many of it was unreadable The survival of the manuscript was in doubt and it was taken to the British Museum where ultraviolet light and other technologies recovered the missing writing
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THE STORY Beowulf is a Scandinavian prince who travels to the lands of the Geats to help King Hrothgar get rid of a monster that has terrorized his lands for 12 years After ripping off Grendel’s arm, Grendel runs home and dies Unfortunately for the King, Grendel’s mother comes to avenge her son’s death and kills Hrothgar’s most trusted advisor and closest friend Beowulf follows her home and kills her using a magical sword
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THE STORY CONTINUED http://www.beowulfmovie.com/index.html#video http://www.beowulfmovie.com/index.html#video
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BEOWULF’S DEMISE 50 years have passed and in that time, Beowulf left Hrothgar and returned home to become king After a servant in his kingdom stole a golden cup from a cave, a fire dragon awoke to ravage the land Beowulf in his old age fought one last time believing he can defy fate once more He used his sword to cut the dragon in half but he was wounded in the fight Before Beowulf died, he named Wiglaf, as successor to the throne, a young warrior who helped to kill the dragon
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THESIS Beowulf is a product of its time and place but somehow manages to include themes and motives that are relevant and important in today’s society. Because of this it has served as a writing basis for many authors to come.
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THEMES Directly From Story Loyalty Honor and Pride Strength Outside Influences Many religious Aspects Right and Wrong Fate Good vs. Evil
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LOYALTY Relationships were very important in Beowulf The loyalty between a king and his Thanes was key The king sent his thanes to serve in his army, to fight and protect his land, peoples, and name Rewards were expected for success and failing to do so lost the loyalty of followers Loyalty to family = Wergelds; avenging the death of family members and relatives by killing the murderer => never ending family feuds
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HONOR and PRIDE Men fought for the honor of their kings Beowulf fought for pride and glory Beowulf fights with honor, he didn’t not use a weapon against Grendel because Grendel had no weapon Beowulf was not born with the strength but worked very hard to become powerful Courage played a big role in Beowulf as he fought with monsters never encountered before
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STRENGTH Strength of individuals, kings, and kingdoms played a crucial role in the story Power was not given to people through hereditary rights but given to those who kept fighting and winning The power of a kingdom over any of its neighbors was as strong as the king in battle Beowulf was not about the portrayal of war but the ability to keep the peace through powerful kings He thought it was better to confront a challenge face to face than to run and hide
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OUSTIDE INFLUENCES There are themes in Beowulf that go beyond its time and place Religious aspects such as fate, good and evil, right and wrong and even a god or multiple gods show that these were outside influences on the story Anglo-Saxons were pagans when they arrived in England but through war Christianity seeped into England and influenced the story
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RELIGIOUS ASPECTS Beowulf was always trying to defy fate and choose his destiny He believed that his courage can save a doomed man from fate Beowulf refers to an almighty force in the heavens many times and it is believed that he refers to a God The almighty God also comes with those of opposite yet equal presence; demons, which Grendel is believed to be Good and evil is clearly seen as a hero is always needed and that hero is someone who represents all that is good in society
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BEOWULF’S CHANGES Beginning Beowulf was young and eager to fight Ready for any chance to prove himself He faced Grendel prepared to die He fought Grendel’s mother as a way to end the struggle Ending Beowulf became older and grew weaker As a king he did not want to risk losing his kingdom He did not want to fight the dragon but he had to protect his people and lands
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Conclusion Beowulf was the first English masterpiece Earliest epic The story’s analogies bridge Christian and pre-Christian Germanic worlds Influenced authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and William Morris
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