english literature

Beowulf OLD ENGLISH POEM – ANALYZING THE LITERATURE, PART 1

Old English Literature Written during the 6th Century – 700-750 AD

• Anglo-Saxons had an oral tradition kept alive by Scops (pronounced shope ) Scops would tell and retell stories like Beowulf.

• This created a central reference point for Anglo-Saxon culture.

• Listening to Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon could learn of bravery and loyal to one’s fellows, of the monsters that spite and hatred could breed, and of the heroism needed to conquer such monsters.

• Opening lines of Beowulf in Old English

Background

• Epic Heroic Poem

• Highest Achievement of Old English literature

• Earliest European vernacular epic

• Deals with events of the early 6th Century; composed between 700 and 750

• Originally untitled – Later named for the Scandinavian hero, Beowulf

• No evidence of a historical Beowulf • Some characters, sites and events in the poem can be historically verified

• Didn’t appear in print until 1815

• Preserved in a single manuscript that dates circa 1000 • Known as the Beowulf manuscript

Context

• Beowulf belongs metrically, stylistically, and thematically to a heroic tradition grounded in Germanic religion and mythology.

• It is also part of the broader tradition of heroic poetry.

• Many incidents, such as Beowulf ’s tearing off the monster’s arm and his descent into the mere, are familiar motifs from folklore.

• The ethical values are manifestly the Germanic code of loyalty to chief and tribe and vengeance to enemies.

Context Continued

• Many critics have seen the poem as a Christian allegory, with Beowulf the champion of goodness and light against the forces of evil and darkness.

• His sacrificial death is not seen as tragic but as the fitting end of a good (some would say “too good”) hero’s life.

• That is not to say that Beowulf is an optimistic poem.

• The English critic J.R.R. Tolkien suggests that its total effect is more like a long, lyrical elegy than an epic.

The Poem

• Consists of 3,182 lines in verse

• Author unknown, but believed to be a medieval poet or scop, who wrote down the poem’s events.

• Probably carried from generation to generation through the spoken retelling of the poem, since most people of that day were illiterate.

• Events set in a pagan Germanic society governed by heroic code of honor would have been familiar and pleasurable to its listeners.

• Chronologically in two halves- Beowulf when young and Beowulf when old

• Action- wise in three sections • 1. Exposition and Grendel conquest

• 2. Battle with Grendel’s mother

• 3. Beowulf ’s battle with the dragon

Common Characteristics of Epic Poems

• Long, narrative poem written in elevated style

• A hero who is a figure of heroic stature, legendary or significant

• Setting is vast in scope

• Action consisting of deeds of great valor or requiring superhuman courage, supernatural forces-gods, angels, demons

• A style of sustained elevation and grand simplicity

• An epic poet who recounts the deeds of his heroes with objectivity

Objects or Places

• Denmark • Land of the Danes, located in Eastern Europe.

• Geats • A people of southern Sweden, the Gotar, conquered by the Swedish kingdom in about

the 6th century A.D.

• Wulfings • A Germanic tribe, geographically located somewhere south of the Baltic Sea.

• Beowulf ’s Tower • A tower built after Beowulf ’s death where his ashes are buried.

• Grendel’s Mother’s Battle Hall • The underwater mead-hall where Beowulf defeats Grendel’s mother.

More Objects or Places • Herot Hall

• The battle-hall built by the Danish King Hrothgar, to house his men, and show off his victories and fame; the mead-hall is the symbol of society. It is the central place that all people gather to feast, socialize, and listen to the scop perform.

• Hrunting • Unferth’s sword from ancient times.

• Nagling • Beowulf ’s sword’s name

• Swedes • The blanket term for many different tribes and peoples living in and around what is now modern-

day Sweden.

• Danes • The tribe later traced to the present inhabitants of Denmark.

• Lair • The fiery underground home of Grendel and his mother, which exists in the old battlehall of a

castle, beneath a lake

Anglo-Saxon Culture

• Belief in fate (Wyrd) - a concept in Anglo-Saxon culture roughly corresponding to fate or personal destiny.

• Comitatus-a Germanic code of loyalty. Warriors, or thanes, swore loyalty to their king, for whom they fought and whom they protected. In return the king was expected to be generous with gifts of treasure and land.

• Wergild- Germanic custom of paying wergild or “man-payment” is the practice of paying a slain man’s family to atone for the deed and to prevent them from taking revenge against the manslayer. For example, before the events of the poem, Hrothgar paid a wergild to Beowulf's father. Hence, Beowulf feels compelled to help Hrothgar in his time of need.

More Anglo-Saxon Culture

• Treasure equals success

• Fame and fortune

• Loyalty to the leader

• Pagan, Germanic, and Christian ideals

• Fierce, hardy life of warrior and seamen

• Strength, courage, leadership abilities appreciated

• Rowdy rituals of mead-halls

• Expected the hero to boast

Social Expectations • HEROISM/LEADERSHIP & GENEROSITY: The Anglo-Saxon social

structure consisted of tribal units led by chieftains ("kings," or "lords") who earned their respect from their warriors (or "thanes“).

• Kings were expected to display the heroic ideal and be known for an extraordinary and courageous feat or for success in war, all preceded by some boasting.

• The king must be a generous "ring-giver" too -- that is, he must dish out the spoils of war to his thanes rather than hoard the treasures won in tribal warfare.

• The craftsmanship of such items were always elaborate and there was a story behind each item.

• It was vital for one's sense of self-worth to be part of a tribe and come from a warrior community. The worst fate for these people was to be exiled or to outlive all one's fellow warriors.

Social Expectations Continued • GLORY & JUSTICE: Fighting was a way of life, and not to avenge the

death of a family member was a social disgrace, so endlessly intricate blood-feuds generated perpetual excuses for going to war. The two alternatives for ending a blood-feud were 1) paying "wergild" -- the man price, or 2) arranging a marriage.

• Women were known as "cup-bearers" (because they served the mead) and "peace-weavers" (because of this function whereby feuds could be ended). But none of this really ever worked. The Germanic tribes hated peace; fighting was more honorable.

Anglo-Saxon Hero

• Strong

• Courageous

• Loyal

• Desires fame

• Generous

Anglo-Saxon Ideals

• Good defeats evil

• Wergild—restitution for a murder

• Comitatus—code of loyalty

• Boasts must be followed by actions

• Fate is in control

• Only fair fights are honorable

Where in the world?

• Swedes

• Geats

• Danes

• Herot

Point of View

• 3rd person omniscient (all-knowing narrator)

• The narrator comments on the character's actions and knows and reports on what they think.

• The narrator is aware of things that are not known to the epic's characters.

• Christian perspective in a pagan culture

Oral Traditions to Written Text

• The manuscript was damaged by fire.

• The poem is still considered important to English literature.

• Beowulf is the first surviving epic written in the English language.

• Beowulf is the oldest known piece of literature in English.

The Manuscript

1,000-Year-Old Manuscript of Beowulf has been digitized by the British Library and is now online. It is the oldest surviving manuscript of the longest epic poem in Old English.

Old English Alphabet

What’s Next

• Watch the next video lecture: Beowulf Lecture – Analyzing the Literature Pt 2