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Beowulf (author unknown)

Beowulf (author unknown). Text and Context. Background(History). It was composed around 700 A.D. The story had been in circulation as an oral narrative for many years before it was written. The action of the poem takes place around 500 AD.

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Beowulf (author unknown)

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  1. Beowulf(author unknown) Text and Context

  2. Background(History) • It was composed around 700 A.D. • The story had been in circulation as an oral narrative for many years before it was written. • The action of the poem takes place around 500 AD. • The poet is reviving the heroic language, style and values of ancient Germanic oral poetry, as well as pagan values of the time period.

  3. Background (History) The poem deals with ancient Germanic peoples -- the Danes and the Geats. Only a single manuscript of the poem survived the Anglo-Saxon era. In the 1700’s it was nearly destroyed in a fire. It was not until 1936 when the Oxford scholar J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) published a paper on the poem that is became popular.

  4. The Beowulf Poet • The poet is Christian • The poem reflects established Christian traditions • There are allusions to the Old Testament • Beowulf is a Redeemer who is sent by God to save man from sin • The price of salvation is life itself • Correspondence between Beowulf’s death and the death of Christ

  5. Heroic Values in Beowulf • Relationship between king and his warriors • The king rewards his warriors with gifts of land and wealth • If a kinsman is slain, obligation to kill the slayer or obtain payment (wergild) in compensation

  6. Conflict of Christian Values and Heroic Values • The main conflict of the poem is about Christian and Heroic values • Beowulf is conflicted between the two value systems

  7. The Character of Beowulf • He fights for personal honor, but committed to service to his own people and humanity. • He is a superhuman who is recognizable • Contrast between the young and old Beowulf • Beowulf is considered the savior of his people

  8. Themes • Good vs. Evil • Fate vs. God’s Will • Self-Identity • Heroic Code vs. Christian Values • The past • Loyalty • Friendship

  9. Important Elements of the Poem • Elegiac tone • Heroic poem • Contrasts • Christian vs. pagan • Youth vs. old age • Rise and fall of nations • Joy vs. sorrow • Fate vs. God’s Will • Violence

  10. Findings at Sutton Hoo Cemetery in England • A burial site/grave was discovered in 1939 • Important links to Anglo-Saxon world and Beowulf • Remains of a boat were discovered and large burial chamber containing numerous artifacts • Artifacts suggest a distinctly Christian element intermingled with pagan ritual. • Episodes in Beowulf now have tangible archaeological violence to add creditability to the blend of customs in the text.

  11. Sutton Hoo Images

  12. The End • Questions? • Comments?

  13. Suggested Further Reading • Beowulf, A Verse Translation. Trans. Seamus Heaney. Ed. Daniel Donoghue. Norton Critical Edition. 2002. • Norton bibliography on Beowulf , p. 2902. • Websites on Beowulf, Old English poetry, and Sutton Hoo.

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