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Ancient European Literature

Background Information

The poem Beowulf prevails as the most notable event of the Old English Art and, more so, the European vernacular epic. This poem highlights the happenings at the onset of the 6th century, with scholars linking it to the period between 700 and 750. Despite this poem having no title in the beginning, it obtained the name Beowulf from one Scandinavian hero who depicted the characters and activities that match this target theme. Moreover, there is no valid evidence that this character existed, but some sites, characters, and events within this poem are traceable. The presence of a well-organized poem structure, plot points, literacy devices, and roles means that ancient European literature had unique and valuable elements that should integrate into modern art for quality outcomes.

The Structure

The poem in question has six elements of an epic hence taking the format of many other verses. To begin with, the plot of the poem focuses more on the hero of an incredible stature whose supernatural strength and bravery allow him to partake in unique activities and broad context as he fights the unexplained outwardly forces (Drake). This hero promotes the style hence helps the poet to achieve the target objective as well as the omniscience. As Beowulf displays his superhuman strength and courage, he moves across the land and sea towards Grendel (demonic supernatural forces), which he must conquer. The poem comprises a “three-sided structure, which focuses on Beowulf's war with Grendel” (Neidorf 23). A conflict occurred between Beowulf and the demon, followed by his wrestle with Grendel's mother and, lastly, his fight with the dragon.

It emerges that Beowulf encountered three specific challenges whose levels of complexity supersede each other. He begins with Grendel to redeem the kingdom's glory, which led to a feast in his honor. Then came Grendel's mother, whose vengeance against the son, propelled another warfare. The emergence of the dragon presents the “now-aging Beowulf with a chance to end his heroism” (Wydrzynska 29). Beowulf begins as a hero as the escalation of the epic occurs gradually while the conflict develops. At the peak of this story, Beowulf encounters the dragon with the community's safety depends on him (Drake). One could, therefore, argue that the general structure of this poem displays every section of Beowulf's calling in the case where the audience believes that he aims at showing the hero's ultimate fate. Since the Genesis to the Malachi of his reign, this character emerges in three varied contexts. He appears as a hero who could safeguard his people and later fighting for vengeance and, lastly ending his life by protecting his beloved ones.

Plot Points

The noise from the jubilating warriors in the Heorot, which King Hrothgar of Denmark had built as an avenue for celebrating his success angers Grendel, the scariest demon residing in the swampland within the kingdom. This demon unleashes terror on the Danes, whose efforts to respond proves fruitless (The British Library). When Beowulf, a young Geatish soldier, hears of this demon, he travels to Denmark to protect Hrothgar's kingdom because the latter had once helped Ecgtheow, the hero’s father. When Grendel approaches to unleash terror, Beowulf causes a severe wound on its “arm before it escapes to the swamp where it dies” (Neidorf 36). As the Danes kingdom holds a feast to honor Beowulf with many gifts, a fierce female demon resurfaces to destroy whoever killed her son Grendel. When this demon leaves Aeschere’s body lifeless and disappears, the protagonist travels to the underworld, kills her, and chops Grendel's head to bring it to the kingdom (Drake). This act of bravery makes Danes happy hence celebrates his return and gifts him. According to Neidorf, this hero returns to his home in Geat, where his “fame had overridden him” (31). The Geatland royal family, King Hygelac and Hygd listens to Beowulf's achievements and offers him a significant threat.

As time passes, the Gates King dies in the war, followed by his only heir to the throne hence leaving Beowulf as the most suitable person to ascend to the throne. For five decades, Beowulf’s leadership brings Gates prosperity and happiness because he applies the Solomonic wisdom when handling critical matters. As he ages, a “thief attempts to steal treasure under the guard of the dragon” (Neidorf 21). This dragon reacts by ravaging Geatland, thus compelling the now old Beowulf to wage war against it. Although he succeeds in killing it, he also gets severe wounds in the neck hence dies. This situation leaves the Gates vulnerable and fearful that enemies would attack them. They fulfill the protagonist's wishes by burying his corpse on a vast funeral pyre with colossal treasure.

Writing Techniques

The illustration of the three battles in the poem Beowulf displays the application of various literacy techniques, namely personification, powerful diction, and repetition. When Beowulf travels across the sea and protect his people against the supernatural demon, called Grendel, and kills it, he remains with another threat; the demons' mother. He later journeys to the underwater to fight her. In this regard, the poem uses alliteration, which includes the sibilance and derivative (Drake). In the first two lines, the poet describes Beowulf's enemy using alliterations like “Beowulf saw the mighty water witch and swung his sword." The terms swung, saw, and sword are forms of alliteration, which allows the audience to “differentiate movements between the hero and the monster” (Neidorf 39). This sibilance facilitates an aural element to the visual picture of the sword's kinesthetic motion.

The utilization of words such as the “sword sang Beowulf's strength” or “sang its fierce song presents” the style of personification. The poet used the word sing to personify the armor made practical through its similar usage of the initial letter. When the author uses sibilance, he creates a continuous link between the sword, represented attributes, imagery, and the weapon. According to this poet, the sword's swooping sound via sibilance signified the power of motion. He viewed that the majority of the described “words in the five lines are monosyllabic” (Wydrzynska 13). Here, the diction makes the action in the poem parallel. Either the war between Grendel's mother and the protagonist influences the construction of the central theme in the poem hence becoming the center of the plot (The British Library). The audience's attention would, therefore, go to the critical lines through alteration, robust diction, and personification, which appears continuously in this art.

The Theme

Beowulf's heroic code of honor is the leading theme in this poem. The Anglo-Saxon culture loved and valued honorable behavior and characteristics. This ancient society considered bravery, courage, and the fighting as the radical tradition of the heroic codes. The protagonist in this poem displays these norms since the time he encounters Danes (The British Library). Beowulf kills the demon Grendel to fulfill his pledge to "settle the outcome in single combat." The poet creates resonation via these words when the protagonist encounters Grendel's mother, and more so, as an older adult, “he faces the dragon, which he kills despite risking his life” (Neidorf 41). One of his youngest companion presents a scenario which indicates that the heroic code prevailed after Beowulf’s death. This episode takes place when Wiglaf says, “vowed you would never let your name and fame fade while you are gone.”

Character Analysis

The epic's protagonist or hero is Beowulf, who plays an unquestionable role in eliminating the forces of evil in the poem, in the form of ogres Grendel and his mother. Later, he kills the dragon and dies in the process. The protagonist’s characteristics of heroism alongside his adventurous tales are enough evidence that he was a true warrior and not an individual who boasts (Drake). Beowulf exists as the epitome of a Great Anglo-Saxon hero who feared nothing during the war, lead his people justly, and stood by his words.

Furthermore, King Hrothgar was the leader of the Danes, whose era presented his people to prosperity and peace. Grendel interrupted his leadership, thus finding help from the son of a man he had helped in the past (Wydrzynska 47). Hrothgar symbolizes a wise aging warrior who played a role model for Beowulf. Besides, Grendel played the demon whose origin in the Biblical Cain, who introduced murder to humanity (The British Library). The author presents this demon as the bearer of God's mark of vengeance hence disturbs the peace in Heorot and causes death among the jubilating Danes.

At the same time, the author presents Grendel's mother in anonymity, yet the audience knows that she is a female demon, which also displays extreme vengeance. Her appearance in the poem is to avenge her son's death without seeking to understand what happened. This poet also uses the dragon to articulate “another source of evil and the last of the three tests Beowulf had to overcome” (Neidorf 33). This character completes the cycle of heroism since its onset. Although Beowulf slays this dragon, its venom does not spare him, hence dies too.

Unferth was a warrior from Dane who could have fought Grendel, but his fear could not have led him. He attempts to “question Beowulf's legitimacy in such wars, thus behave as the protagonist's counter” (Wydrzynska 17). Here, Beowulf characterizes the good while this counter has no virtues. Conclusively, Wiglaf prevails as Beowulf's kinsman and warrior who helped him fight the dragon hence proving that he could succeed the protagonist as the King. Through him, the poet articulates the cycle of heroes' activities, which continues even when the poem ends. Indeed, this character ascends to the throne when Beowulf joins his ancestors.

Works Cited

Drake, Tom. Six elements of epic. University of Idaho, 13 March 2011. https://webpages.uidaho.edu/engl257/General%20lit/six_elements_of_the_epic.htm

Neidorf, L. Beowulf Unlocked: New Evidence from Lexomic Analysis by Michael D. C. Drout, Yvette Kisor, Leah Smith, Allison Dennett, et al. 2016. Palgrave Macmillan, 4 September 2017. https:// DOI: 10.1080/0895769X.2017.1348285

The British Library. Beowulf. The British Library, 9 December 2014. https://www.bl.uk/collection-item/beowulf.

Wydrzynska Ela. Monster versus Monstrous A discussion of the characterization of Grendel’s Mother. University of Nottingham, 13 January 2016. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/documents/innervate/16-17/11.-wydrzynska-e-q33221.pdf