Beowulf How long can one keep out - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Beowulf

How long can one keep out the dark?Slide2

Why Study Beowulf?

Woody Allen’s opinion

Seamus Heaney's opinion

In reference to Grendel

bit into his bone-

lappings, bolted down his bloodand gorged on him in lumps, leaving the bodyutterly lifeless, eaten uphand and foot.Slide3

J.R.R. Tolkien

A man of some fame who made his living teaching Beowulf at Oxford University in the early 20

th

century

He wrote a famous book about

Beowulf, titled, “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics”Slide4

J.R.R. Tolkien

“A man inherited a field in which was an accumulation of old stone, part of an older hall. Of the old stone some had already been used in building the house in which he actually lived, not far from the old house of his fathers. Of the rest he took some and built a tower. But his friends coming perceived at once (without troubling to climb the steps) that these stones had formerly belonged to a more ancient building. So they pushed the tower over, with no little

labour

, and in order to look for hidden carvings and inscriptions, or to discover whence the man's distant forefathers had obtained their building material. Some suspecting a deposit of coal under the soil began to dig for it, and forgot even the stones. They all said: 'This tower is most interesting.' But they also said (after pushing it over): 'What a muddle it is in!' And even the man's own descendants, who might have been expected to consider what he had been about, were heard to murmur: 'He is such an odd fellow! Imagine using these old stones just to build a nonsensical tower! Why did not he restore the old house? he had no sense of proportion.' But from the top of that tower the man had been able to look out upon the sea.” Slide5

J.R.R. Tolkien

Of the same scene previously mentioned:

“…biting the bone-joints, drinking blood from veins, great gobbets gorging down.

Quickly he took all of that lifeless thing to be his food, even feet and hands.”Slide6

So how do we approach

Beowulf?Slide7

Background

An Epic, and one of the most important pieces of English literature

The oldest poem in the English language

Written in Old English (actually Anglo-Saxon)

The basis for English today; however, it is far removed from modern English

Written sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries CESignificance of the dates?Christianity comes to England as early as 171 CE, but doesn’t fully “take hold” until the 8th centuryLater it the 10th

century, Christianity would see a revivalSlide8

Background

The actual story in Beowulf likely comes from the 5

th

century

There are real people in the poem, like Beowulf’s king

HygelacFrom the amount of Christian references and the particular framing of the poem, the most likely author (the elusive Beowulf Poet) was a Christian monkWhy was it written down so much later?Stories weren’t often written down in the far corners of the world (the British Isles) until after the Norman Invasion in 1066 CESlide9

Importance of the author

Starts with the bard (scop) telling us we will listen to a story we already knowThis is also the position of the Christian scribe

The “heathen hope” lines 175 – 180

Let us peer into a past that we all know, and take tonight to reflect on the culture that once waxed now waned

“I have heard it said…”, “It is said…”, “Let us remember…”

The scribe is telling his audience that if they would like to enjoy the story, proceed; if they want to find religious justification in the eradication of a pagan culture, go aheadSlide10

Oral vs. Literary Poem

Oral composition vs. oral styleRepetition, alliteration of earlier epics

BUT an unbelievable amount of attention paid to specific words and verse

Did the poet try to imitate

The Iliad / The Odyssey / The Aeneid

?The former two: no; the later: possiblyHowever, The Aeneid is a foundational history; Beowulf is a swan’s songSlide11

Who are the people in the text?

The Geats

People who originated from modern day Sweden

The Danes

People who originated from modern day Denmark

The SwedesPeople who originated from modern day SwedenSlide12

Confused?Slide13

Vikings!Slide14

What about the Anglo-Saxons?Slide15

And the Christians?Slide16

Back to Beowulf…

Beowulf (Geat

)

King

Hygelac

(Geat)Wiglaf (Geat)Hrothgar (Dane)Unferth (Dane)Wealhtheow (Dane)Grendel (Monster)

Grendel’s mother (Monster)The Dragon (Monster)Heorot

(the mead hall/palace)

CharactersSlide17

Back to Beowulf…

Beowulf is hugely creative and imaginative3182

lines, 4000 unique words, 600 compounds that only exist in the text (kennings)

Beowulf the hero is every bit as imaginative as the poet

When talking to Hrothgar about the Grendel affair, Beowulf sticks to the truth

When speaking to his own king, Grendel now has spiked claws and a dragon-skin pouchBeowulf the Boaster?Slide18

The Poetry in

BeowulfAlliterative verse:

Repetition of initial sounds of words (occurs in every line)

Generally, four beats per line

A pause (

caesure) between beats two and fourNo rhymeSlide19

The Poetry in Beowulf

An example of alliterative verse:

(There was Shield

Sheafson

, scourge of many tribes,

A wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.The terror of the hall-troops had come far.)

Oft

Scyld

Scefing

sceapena

praetum

,

Monegum

maegpum

meodo-setla

ofteah

;

Egsode

Eorle

,

syddan

aerest

weard

.Slide20

The Poetry in

BeowulfKennings:

Compound metaphor

Many were unique to Beowulf and used throughout the text (repletion)

With a partner, try to figure out the meaning of the following kennings

Bone-houseRing-giverFlashing-lightWave-steedsWhale-roadSlide21

The Poetry in

BeowulfLitotes:

A negative expression usually presented as an understatement

“

Hildeburh

had no cause to praise the Jutes”Context – Hildeburh’s brother was just killed by the Jutes (Hildeburh hates the Jutes with a burning passion)Slide22

Structure of

BeowulfCritics are divided on how best to divide

(

hehe

)

the story of Beowulf4 part structureGrendel | Mother | Return Home | Dragon3 part structureGrendel | Mother and Return Home | Dragon2 part structureGrendel and Mother | Return Home and DragonTolkien’s influence Slide23

Structure of

BeowulfIs

Beowulf

a story about man or a story about monsters?

What might the monsters represent?

If the story is about man, how do we interpret the poem?Slide24

Other themes and important aspects of

Beowulf

Good vs. Evil (it’s an Epic after all)

Treasure and the importance of heirlooms

Religion

Loyalty and allegiance, kings and heroesHeroismFateImmortalitySlide25