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Beowulf

Beowulf. The Grandaddy of all English Language Texts. Old English (Anglo-Saxon) 600-1100 A Sample : Can you guess what this is?.

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Beowulf

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  1. Beowulf The Grandaddy of all English Language Texts

  2. Old English (Anglo-Saxon) 600-1100A Sample: Can you guess what this is? • [....]g fæder, þu þe on heofonum eardast, geweorðad wuldres dreame. Sy þinum weorcum halgad noma niþþa bearnum; þu eart nergend wera. Cyme þin rice wide, ond þin rædfæst willa aræred under rodores hrofe, eac þon on rumre foldan. Syle us to dæge domfæstne blæd, hlaf userne, helpend wera, þone singalan, soðfæst meotod. Ne læt usic costunga cnyssan to swiðe, ac þu us freodom gief, folca waldend, from yfla gewham, a to widan feore.

  3. Middle English1100-1500 A Sample: Can You Guess What This Is? • Oure fader that art in heuenis halowid be thi name ... • Poul, the seruaunt of Jhesu Crist, clepid an apostle, departid in to the gospel of God; which he hadde bihote tofore bi his profetis in holi scripturis of his sone, which is maad to hym of the seed of Dauid bi the flesch, and he was bifor ordeyned the sone of God in vertu, bi the spirit of halewyng of the ayenrisyng of deed men, of Jhesu Crist oure Lord, bi whom we han resseyued grace and the office of apostle, to obeie to the feith in alle folkis for his name, among whiche ye ben also clepid of Jhesu Crist, to alle that ben atRome, derlyngis of God, and clepid hooli, grace to you, and pees of God oure fadir, and of the Lord Jhesu Crist.

  4. Modern English1500-present Sample: Can You Guess What This Is? • Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

  5. Beowulf: It’s Epic! • Before the tenth century in OLD ENGLISH • Adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century. • Oldest surviving epic in British literature. • Beowulf exists in only one manuscript. • Survived lots of history, including a fire • It’s in the British Museum • It’s NOT about British people and events.

  6. Beowulf: Genre • It’s an EPIC (long) • It’s a POEM (not prose) • It’s an EPIC POEM • It’s an ELEGY • (nostalgic poem often sad) • HEROic style (long, formal, heroic figure determines the fate of the tribe) • Takes place in Norway and Denmark • Elements of German and Norse history, folk tales and mythology • Pagan tale transSCRIBEd by a Christian.

  7. Beowulf: Two Parts • Part One: Young Beowulf's successful fights with the water monster Grendel and with Grendel's mother • Part Two: Beowulf’s victory in his old age over a dragon and his subsequent death and funeral at the end of a long life of honor.

  8. Beowulf:Characteristics • Depicts HEROIC CODE OF HONOR: strength, courage, bravery, loyalty, respect • Not read widely until the 1800’s • Not respected until the 1930’s • Didn’t affect Shakespeare or any of the other respected British writers before the twentieth century. • J.R.R. Tolkien loved it, wrote about it, and eventually he was inspired by it: The Lord of the Rings

  9. Beowulf: Structure • Strongly alliterative, called Alliterative verse • Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers • Each line is divided into two halves. Break in each line is called a caesura.Lade ne letton Leoht eastsn com • Featured rhetorical devices (writer’s tools and tricks). • One featured rhetorical device is “kenning” which isgiving one thing another name: ship = searider

  10. A Few Helpful Hints • Heorot = Mead Hall = Pub in the castle • Grendel = big scary monster who doesn’t like overhearing fun in Heorot above him. May be descended from biblical Cain. • Hrothgar = King of Denmark; can’t stop Grendel • Beowulf = Young, bold warrior from Geatland; king of Geatland in later life. • Unferth = Part of Hrothgar’s posse; jealous of Beowulf • ? = Grendel’s mother, a swamp hag • Aeschere = Advisor to Hrothgar; swamp hag kills him. • Hygelac and Hygd = King and Queen of Geatland • Shylfings = Enemy of Geats; kill Hygelac • Wiglaf – Has Beowulf’s back when Beowulf is old and kills the dragon

  11. Sources • Breeden, Dr. David. “Beowulf” http://www.lone-star.net/literature/beowulf/index.html (09/11/03) • Stanford Unversity Libraries Resources and Academic Information Resources. “English Language and Literature Medieval Studies” www.bible-researcher.com/versions.html (09/12/03

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