The Epic of Beowulf

Anglo Saxon Background From 449-1485 known as the “Dark Ages” due to the barbaric nature of the people and the bloody conflicts. Characteristics of the Period: Life was incredibly difficult Enormous upheaval and change in England Time of disastrous wars, both internal and external Time of foreign invasion Time of painful reconsolidation and emergence of England as a nation

Anglo Saxon Life Dominated by warfare Man responsibilities of leader were protection and maintaining law and order Most time spent in Mead Halls (bars) Success was achieved through loyalty to leader and success in battle Literature was a way to escape reality or give lord immortality Thanes (men who fought for a king or lord) Believed in the code of honor

Anglo Saxon People Invaders from Germany and northern Europe came in 449 AD Celts retreated primarily into Wales Most of the men were fishermen and farmers Greatest Anglo-Saxon king was Alfred the Great (died 899 AD) He began the unification of England into one country through defense of the Vikings and language Began a running history called The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Had Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People translated into English for people to study

Invasions The Vikings began invading England in 790s – they were a fearsome group of seafarers from Denmark. The Vikings looted, killed, and burned down entire villages. In the South, they met Alfred the Great, who finally started pushing them back. In 1042 a descendant of Alfred the Great, Edward the Confessor, took the throne and continued the battle against the Vikings. The last invasion of Britain came in 1066 and was known as the Norman Conquest where William the Conqueror drove out the last of the Vikings and was crowned the King of England.

Anglo Saxon Civilization Life after the Vikings: Common language Shared a heroic ideal; set of traditional values Admired men of courage Loyalty to leader and/or tribe Rulers were very generous to those who were loyal Shortness of life

Anglo Saxon Religion Beliefs changed over time (like many cultures) Strong Pagan religion was marked by belief in fate (wyrd) Their belief offered little hope so Christianity opened up new possibilities New missionaries (thought to be Roman) arrived in 300 AD Many people believed in Christianity but kept some Pagan beliefs Monasteries became centers of intellectual, literary, artistic, and social activity Greatest of the Christian Monks was Venerable Bede (673-735)

An epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds. Definition of Epic … An epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds. Epics were usually based on historical facts.

Repeated Poetic Elements Kennings – a compound word, figure of speech, substituted for the usual name of a person or thing. An example – “the Almighty’s enemy” and “sin-stained demon” are both kennings used to describe Grendel Stock epithets are adjectives used to characterize a person, place, or thing. For example, in Beowulf God is described as “the Lord of all Life” or “the Ruler of glory”. They provide a brief summary of major characters’ most essential qualities.

Qualities of an Epic Hero … Of noble birth or high position and often of great historical or legendary importance Exhibits characteristics that reflect important ideals of his society Performing courageous, sometimes superhuman, deeds that reflect the values of the era Performing actions that often determine the fate of a nation or group of people

Literary Elements of an Epic … The setting is vast in scope, often involving one or more nation The plot is complicated by super natural beings or events and may involve long and dangerous journeys through foreign lands The dialogue often includes long, formal speeches delivered by major characters The theme reflects timeless values, such as courage & honor, and encompasses universal ideas such as good & evil or life & death The style includes formal diction (choice of words and sentence structure) and a serious tone

Literary Elements (cont’d) Allusions – references in a work of literature to a well-known person, place, event, written work, or work of art. Beowulf contains numerous biblical allusions. Foreshadowing – the author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story.

Beowulf Animated Video Beowulf in 10 This is brief animated version of the epic we will be reading.