What is Beowulf?

1
What is Beowulf?

• It is a familiar theme a brave hero battles his
  archenemy, and evildoer who will stop at nothing
  to win.
• This theme of hero and villain goes back more
  than 1200 years to a time when Anglo-Saxon
  storytellers sang of the legend of Beowulf, the
  warrior.

2
Why is Beowulf important?

• the first English literary masterpiece
• one of the earliest European epics written in
  the vernacular, or native language, instead of
  literary Latin

3
Epics of other cultures

• You can compare the magnitude of Beowulf with
  that of the Iliad and the Odyssey of ancient
  Greece and the Sundiata of Mali.
• The Anglo-Saxons left few records of their life
  and history. Beowulf shows their dreams, goals
  and fears, as well as their values of loyalty,
  bravery and honor.

4
When was it written?

• Estimates of the date of composition range
  between 700 and 1000 AD. written in England

The story survives in one fragile manuscript
copied by two scribes near the end of the 10th or
the first quarter of the 11th century
5
History

• Beowulf began as an oral poem, passed by singers
  of one generation to the next.

• Its a good guess Beowulf would have disappeared
  along with those singers themselves if it had not
  been written down

6
Who wrote the poem?

• No one knows.
• Like all early oral poetry, it had as many
  authors as singers who performed it.

The singers may have performed it when warriors
gathered in meadhalls to celebrate like those
described in Beowulf.
It was originally spoken in Old English, the
language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons during the
years 500 to 1100.
7
Setting

• set around 500 AD
• the narrative also recounts historical events
  that happened much earlier.

8
Setting

• Denmark and Geatland (a region in what is now
  southern Sweden)

9
Trivia Beowulf as inspiration

• Beowulf has influenced
• classical music (the American composer Howard
  Hansons Lament for Beowulf, ca. 1926),
• a novel (John Gardner's Grendel, 1971),
• animated film (Grendel! Grendel! Grendel! with
  Peter Ustinov, ca. 1982),
• even a comic-book series (Beowulf, Dragon-Slayer,
  ca. 1975).

10
Tensions Between the Heroic Code and Other Value
Systems

• Much of Beowulf is devoted to illustrating the
  Germanic heroic code, which values strength,
  courage, and loyalty in warriors hospitality,
  generosity, and political skill in kings
  ceremoniousness in women and good reputation in
  all people.
• formally or elaborately polite

11

• Traditional and much respected, this code is
  vital to warrior societies as a means of
  understanding their relationships to the world
  and the menaces lurking beyond their boundaries.
• All of the characters moral judgments stem from
  the codes mandates. Thus individual actions can
  be seen only as either conforming to or violating
  the code.

12
Germanic heroic code values strength, courage,
and loyalty in warriors hospitality, generosity,
and political skill in kings ceremoniousness in
women and good reputation in all people.

• The poem presents situations that expose a
  contradiction in values, seen especially with the
  values of medieval Christianity in contrast to
  that of the heroic code.
• heroic code glory is achieved in this life
  through noble deeds versus Christian doctrine
  glory lies only in the hereafter
• warrior tradition it is always better to get
  revenge than to grieve versus Christian belief
  forgive those who have done us wrong

13
Poet accommodates two sets of values pagan and
Christian

• Heroic code honor is gained during life through
  deeds versus Christianity glory lies in the
  afterlife.
• warrior culture it is always better to retaliate
  than to mourn versus Christian doctrine
  advocates a peaceful, forgiving attitude toward
  enemies.
• Though the author is Christian, he cannot (and
  does not seem to want to) deny the fundamental
  pagan values of the story of this epic hero.

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Lets get ready to read!

• On a sheet of paper, write the word hero in the
  middle.
• As you listen to the epic poem, you will complete
  a "doodle sheet" (sounds official, huh?!), with
  the word HERO in the center, adding graphic
  representations (words, images, drawings) that
  connect to the poem

15
kenning

• A type of metaphor used in place of a noun, not
  just a comparison
• mankinds enemy Grendel
• These compounds like swans road for ocean or
  sea wood for ship form key elements in the
  rhythm and alliteration
• You will add these to your study guide as we
  read.

16
To quote lines

• him who of all the men on earth/Was the
  strongest (364-365).
• Higlacs/Follower and the strongest of the
  Geats greater/And stronger than anyone anywhere
  in this world (109-111).