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    BEOWULF and ANGLO SAXON Powerpoint

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    Mary Ann Peñamora
    The document provides background information on the Anglo-Saxon period in England and the epic poem Beowulf. It summarizes that Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic poem in English and tells the story of Beowulf, a Geatish hero who sails to Denmark to defeat menacing monsters. There, he defeats Grendel barehanded, saving King Hrothgar and his people, and increasing his own glory and fame. The document outlines key characters and elements of the poem, such as its alliterative style and use of kennings.

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    BEOWULF and ANGLO SAXON Powerpoint

    Uploaded by

    Mary Ann Peñamora
    380 views48 pages
    The document provides background information on the Anglo-Saxon period in England and the epic poem Beowulf. It summarizes that Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic poem in English and tells the story of Beowulf, a Geatish hero who sails to Denmark to defeat menacing monsters. There, he defeats Grendel barehanded, saving King Hrothgar and his people, and increasing his own glory and fame. The document outlines key characters and elements of the poem, such as its alliterative style and use of kennings.

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    The document provides background information on the Anglo-Saxon period in England and the epic poem Beowulf. It summarizes that Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic poem in English and tells the story of Beowulf, a Geatish hero who sails to Denmark to defeat menacing monsters. There, he defeats Grendel barehanded, saving King Hrothgar and his people, and increasing his own glory and fame. The document outlines key characters and elements of the poem, such as its alliterative style and use of kennings.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    380 views48 pages

    BEOWULF and ANGLO SAXON Powerpoint

    Uploaded by

    Mary Ann Peñamora
    The document provides background information on the Anglo-Saxon period in England and the epic poem Beowulf. It summarizes that Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic poem in English and tells the story of Beowulf, a Geatish hero who sails to Denmark to defeat menacing monsters. There, he defeats Grendel barehanded, saving King Hrothgar and his people, and increasing his own glory and fame. The document outlines key characters and elements of the poem, such as its alliterative style and use of kennings.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    The key takeaways are that the document provides an overview of the Anglo-Saxon period in English history and details about Beowulf, one of the earliest surviving works of English literature.

    The Anglo-Saxon period is the earliest recorded time period in English history, ranging from 449-1066 CE and ending with the Battle of Hastings. During this period, literature was primarily an oral tradition.

    The main characters in Beowulf are Beowulf, the Geatish hero; Hrothgar, the Danish king; and Grendel, a monster who terrorizes Hrothgar's mead hall.

    LITERARY PERIODS

    A. THE CLASSICAL PERIOD(12OOBCE-456


    CE
    B. THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD(455 CE-1485 CE)
    I. THE OLD ENGLISH(ANGLO-SAXON
    PERIOD)(428-1066)
    The so –called “Dark Ages” (455 CE-799 CE)
    Occur when Rome falls and barbarian tribes move
    into Europe, Franks, Ostrogoths, Lombard and
    Goths settle in the ruins of Europe and the Angles
    BEOWULF
    Anglo-Saxon Period
    • The Anglo-Saxon period is the earliest
    recorded time period in English history.
    • The Anglo-Saxon period ranges
    from 449-1066.
    • It ends with the Battle of Hastings
    where the French, under the
    leadership of William the
    Conqueror invaded England.
    Anglo-Saxon Literature
    • Few people read in this period
    • Oral tradition – was performed and/or sung by a
    Bard (Scop) from memory in Old English
    • This is why there are often
    • several versions of the
    • same story.
    • Scops – poet/minstrels
    • Authors were unknown
    THE STORY OF BEOWULF

    • Beowulf marks the beginning of English


    literature
    • Beowulf is one of the earliest known pieces
    of literature known in the English language;
    written in Old English
    Contains specific Motifs
    • Motifs – a motif is a recurring theme or
    image in a work of literature
    • Biblical and Christian Allusions
    • Pagan Customs
    • Social Customs
    • Traits of the Warrior
    • Beowulf Boasts
    • The story of Beowulf wasn’t written
    down until about 700 AD by “The
    Beowulf Poet” who is unknown. He
    wrote down the poem which for many
    years had been only sung or spoken.
    • Scholars believe “The Beowulf Poet” was
    most likely a Christian monk, thus adding a
    Christian perspective.
    • There is only one original Beowulf
    manuscript existing today. It is in the
    British History Museum in London.
    Background Information

    • Setting - Denmark and Sweden


    • Author - Unknown, probably a
    monk
    • Composed in the 7th or 8th
    century
    • Oldest surviving English poem
    Elements of Anglo-Saxon Poetry
    • Alliteration: repetition of initial consonant
    sounds
    • “Then the grim man in green gathers his
    strength”
    • Caesura: a pause or break in a line of poetry
    • “Oft to the wanderer / weary of exile”
    • Kenning: compound metaphor used as a
    name
    • “battle-blade” and “ring-giver”
    Title of Epic Poem
    • Anglo-Saxon word
    Beo means “bright” or
    “noble”
    • Anglo-Saxon word
    wulf means “wolf”
    • Beowulf means bright
    or noble wolf
    • Other sources say Beo
    means “bear”
    CHARACTERS
    Beowulf

    • Epic hero
    • Geat
    • (from southern
    Sweden)
    • Nephew of Higlac
    • (King at story’s start)
    • Sails to Denmark to
    help Hrothgar
    Hrothgar
    • Danish king
    • Builds Herot (hall)
    • Tormented by
    Grendel for 12
    years
    • Loses many men
    • Joyless before
    Beowulf’s arrival
    Grendel
    • Referred to as demon
    and fiend
    • Haunts the moors
    (swampy land)
    • Descendant of Cain
    • (kills his brother
    Abel in Bible)
    • Feasts on 30 men the
    night of 1st attack
    Grendel’s Mother
    • Referred to as a
    • she-wolf
    • Lives under a lake
    • Challenges Hrothgar
    when she kills one of
    his best men
    Fire Dragon
    • Lives in Beowulf’s
    kingdom
    • Wakes up when thief
    steals cup
    • Guards countless
    treasures
    OTHER CHARACTERS
    • Wiglaf, Beowulf's kinsman, who aids him
    in the battle against the dragon.
    • Wealhtheow, the Danish queen, who
    admires Beowulf and assigns her sons to his
    tutelage.
    • Unferth, Hrothgar’s advisor, who envies
    and admires Beowulf.
    BEOWULF is an EPIC poem.
    • EPIC – a long, narrative poem that
    relates the great deeds of a larger-
    than-life hero who embodies the
    values of a particular society.
    Funeral Pyre for Beowulf: Epic Poem ends in
    Elegy (songs of praise)
    Examples of other EPICS are…
    • Greek “Illiad” and
    “Odyssey” – Homer
    The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings – Tolkien
    the EPIC
    And of course there’s
    HERO!!!!

    • EPIC HERO – must undertake a quest to


    achieve something of tremendous value to
    himself and his society
    SUMMARY OF EPIC
    FEATURES:
    • A long narrative poem
    • Larger than life hero; often with super-
    human characteristics
    • Concerns eternal human problems like the
    struggle between good and evil
    • Presented in a serious manner using
    elevated (poetic) language
    • Hero represents widespread national,
    cultural, or religious values
    This EPIC poem of
    BEOWULF is often divided into
    3 sections; it is about Beowulf’s
    3 epic battles w/ evil.
    …the Battle with
    Grendel
    • (Grendel represents evil)
    …the Battle with Grendel’s
    Mother
    (She also represents evil.)
    …the Battle with the Dragon
    (It not only represents evil but also Greed.)
    Just in case you wanted to know,
    Beowulf himself represents good:
    • loyalty
    • valor
    • Selflessness
    • sense of justice
    Beowulf: Where does it take
    place?
    • Geatland and Map of Baltic Region of Scandinavia
    Denmark and the Viking Invasions (700-800)
    (Modern Denmark
    and Sweden)
    More specifically…

    Beowulf takes place in a “once


    upon a time world” which taps
    into “three archetypal sites of
    fear.”
    1. The barricaded night house /
    Mead Hall (Grendel)
    2. The infested underwater lair
    (Grendel’s Mother)
    The Reptile-taunted rocks of a
    wilderness and cave (Fire
    Breathing Dragon)
    WHY?
    Why do we read Beowulf?
    • It’s a very creative, imaginative, poetic
    masterpiece.
    • It gives us insight into the origins of the
    British people, the culture, who, through
    seafaring conquests, founded the world we
    currently live in.
    • It gives us insight into the origins of our
    language.
    Why do we read it?
    • It gives us insight into all people
    everywhere and throughout time (time,
    birth, death, fame/success/glory, honor,
    friendship, conflict, home, country,
    adventure, spirituality – all of these
    things transcend English literature and
    matter to all people)
    • It’s challenging and we love a good
    challenge!!!
    Why do we read it?
    • It’s scary and gets us to think about our
    own worst fears
    • It’s a VERY important piece of
    literature historically (This is the
    “because we have to” reason!!)
    Characteristic features of
    Anglo-Saxon Literature

    • Alliteration
    • Kennings
    • Caesura
    Alliteration
    • The repetition
    of beginning
    consonant sounds
    in lines of poetry
    Kenning
    • Kenning – a metaphorical phrase used to
    replace a concrete noun
    • Ex: sea = whale’s home
    • Ex: battle = spear play
    • It is like a mini-riddle
    Caesura
    • – a natural pause in the middle of a line of
    poetry.
    • 2 part line – each line is separated by a
    pause or break in the middle of the line;
    each part generally has 2 strong beats.
    •(Put simply, it is a dramatic pause in the middle of a line.)
    Caesura example:

    Then the Scylding warrior savage and grim,


    Seized the ring-hilt and swung the sword
    Struck with fury despairing of life
    Thrust at the throat broke through the bone
    rings:
    The stout blade stabbed through her fated flesh.
    The hero Beowulf sails from Geatland
    to Denmark to fight the notorious
    monster Grendel,
    whom he defeats barehanded, thus
    saving Hrothgar and the Danes from
    evil and increasing his
    glory and fame.

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