Analysis

It is often said that Beowulf begins and ends with a funeral, and that is very nearly the case. The narrator
sets the heroic tone and introduces the setting through the founding character of Scyld Scefing; his most
detailed early description is saved for Scyld's parting after death. The king's body is placed on a ship,
surrounded by treasure and "war-dress" (39) to accompany him into the unknown. Gold, silver, jewels, and
the finest swords and armor are placed aboard with the corpse and then set afloat in the sea. The idea is to
honor the king but also to provide him with objects that might prove useful in the afterlife.

Hrothgar's great hall (Heorot, "Hall of the Hart") functions as both symbol and setting. Symbolically, it
represents the achievements of the Scyldings, specifically Hrothgar, and their level of civilization. It is a
place of light and warmth in the dark, cold winters. Here Hrothgar celebrates his victories and rewards his
thanes (warriors) with various rings and treasures. Heorot is no common beer hall; it is more of a palace,
towering high like a cliff. Significantly, this is where Beowulf's first great battle for the Danes takes place.
The hall also symbolizes the concept of comitatus, the honor code that exists between the king, or feudal
lord, and his warriors. Thanes swear devotion to their leader and vow to fight boldly, to the death if
necessary, for him. If the leader should fall, his life must be avenged. For his part, the leader rewards his
thanes with treasure, protection, and land. His generosity often is mentioned as one of his strengths of
character.

When Grendel invades this setting, he strikes at the very heart of the Scyldings. Grendel's heritage is
essential to his enmity. He is a descendant of the biblical Cain, the eldest son of Adam and Eve who killed his
brother Abel out of jealousy (Genesis 4). Cain's name in Hebrew is Qayin, meaning "creature," and the
legend is that the monsters of the earth are his descendants. Grendel resents the joyful beauty of Heorot
and its inhabitants. The scop's Song of Creation (90-98) especially enrages him because it tells of the beauty
and light of God's creation, which Grendel can never recover for himself.

The modern reader might think it odd that the poem's narrator interrupts his description of the glories of the
hall to foreshadow (82-85) the hall's eventual destruction by Hrothgar's son-in-law, but such digressions are
common in Beowulf. Throughout the epic are the reminders of the sometimes grim whims of fate and the
mutability of human existence. The world of Beowulf is harsh, and joy is never permanent.

There is considerable scholarly discussion concerning the concept of Christianity in Beowulf. The epic
makes no mention of Jesus, and references to one omnipotent God are more Old than New Testament.
Harold Bloom (Bloom's Reviews: Beowulf, 1999, p. 5) says that the epic is a Christian poem but "just barely."
Hrothgar and Beowulf sometimes refer to a single, all-powerful God; there are instances of symbolic rebirth
in the epic. Grendel and his mother are described as descendants of Cain. The Beowulf poet may have been
an educated Christian, and his audience in eighth-century England had been exposed to the religion. But the
poem is more heroic than Christian. Sometimes it seems as if Christian terms have simply replaced heroic.
For example, occasional mention of God's determination regarding man's fortune, throughout the poem,
sounds very much like the Anglo-Saxon concept of fate (wyrd).

This heroic/Christian world is the context for Grendel who "grieved not at all / for his wicked deeds" (136-37)
as well as the thanes who "were ignorant of God, / knew not how to worship our Protector above" (181-82).
Grendel is too deeply engrossed in sin to consider repentance. He is beyond hope. The thanes are pagan
and near despair themselves as Grendel decimates them. They offer sacrifices to heathen gods and speak
old words designed to ward off evil. Some scholars argue that the warriors are Christian but "backsliding"
to pagan ritual under stress. At any rate, nothing works. Hrothgar and his men abandon the glorious hall at
night, and it becomes Grendel's lair. Only the "gift-throne" (168), Hrothgar's seat of power, cannot be
touched by Grendel because it carries God's blessing. Hrothgar has grown old and is helpless against
Grendel. He needs "the strongest of all living men" (196) to rescue him.
Structure of The Poem

The exact converting of poetic features of Beowulf would contradict modern rules. One of the main features is

alliteration. Every hemistich included at least one word beginning with the same consonant the last word ended with.

Moreover, all vowels were in alliteration with each other. In Old English and Old Icelandic languages the first syllable of

root was stressed so a hemistich got two stresses syllables. Rhythm of Beowulf is based on alternation of long and

short syllables, but depends on their quantity. There were a number of metrical versifications which were used by

author of Beowulf with great skill. For him alliteration was no more than minor adornment of the text, as the rhyme was

for Old English poets. From the other side, the poets of that time had never considered alliteration as a poetic approach.

Only in a few cases we can consider 2 long lines having same alliteration as a special method, but not negligence.

Beowulf has got other methods like this one: assonances and puns. Grim play on words passes through the whole

description of Grendel: in Old English language words ghost and guest sounded very similar and Grendel was called

an evil and cursed ghost, but at the same time he was an uninvited guest. Translators of Beowulf tried to save

alliteration (yet not always on the first syllable), but they could not save its old function. Modern reader would vainly try

to find usual approaches: the poem has got few similes, epithets are rather relative, and there are no metaphors at all.

From the very beginning we should pay attention to great number non-practical poetic words and synonyms, especially

connected with princes, sailing and war. In Anglo-Saxon there are no usual principles of designation of simultaneity of

events. Main plot is always interrupted with digressions. These digressions, on their part, compose another plot that has

own plan and system, yet they are not noticeable during first reading. Both plots cooperate with each other with obeying

special rules. Many events are not running, from time to time we can see hints about people and battles that are not

remembered for at least one thousand years. It is also interesting to know about other poetic approaches of ancient

times.

Study of Beowulf

Researchers of Beowulf, that are linguists, archeologists, historians interpreted difficult parts of the poem, described

its rhythm, revealed origins of Anglo-Saxon epics, their connections with myths, legends and history, its relationship

with Bible, Scandinavian and Icelandic traditions. They found out influence of Homer, Latin authors and fathers of

church. Beowulf was a source of knowledge about way of life, religion, and ethics of ancient Germans. And relatively

not long ago the poem was revealed as source of good verse. Then first works about its poetic structure and artistic

influence appeared. After the theory of two American folklorists (. Parry, . . Lord) was found, many researches

started searching basis and framework of the poem, i.e. already made parts that singer used. . Parry specialized on

ancient Greek epics and was studying epics on Balkans. He drew a conclusion that text of heroic epics was not learned

by heart, but improvised, but improvised according to strict rules. A singer combined word formulas and always used

traditional topics, i.e. habitual to this sort of genre (arrival of hero, departure of hero, arrival of ambassador etc.). This
theory was applied during studying of Beowulf. The aim of the research was ascertainment of the fact if the poem was

a product of improvisation or a product which was written as a regular poem. There was another school that was in

opposition to Parry-Lord school and affirmed that poem got one strict author, who knew Latin verses and pagan stories.

The interest was focused on the personality of the author, was he half-educated tailor or a monk? There are so many

works on Beowulf that every line can become a subject of discussion. For example, in the publication of Fr. Klaeber

(Beowulf and The Fight at Finnsburg. Edited, with introduction, bibliography, notes, glossary and appendices by Fr.

Klaeber. Third edition with first and second supplements. D. C. Heath and Company. Lexington, Massachusetts, 1950)

text of Beowulf occupies about 120 pages and preface and comments about 300 pages.

Summing up, we can say, that Beowulf is a difficult and many-sided poem and source of knowledge. Summarizing the

poem is the first step to a good essay on Beowulf. A good essay on Beowulf should have something in common with the

studies held: be rather deep and take into account historical, cultural and ethical features of that epoch. There are many

articles about writing essays on ancient poems and epics. However, if you still hesitate and do not know how to write an

essay on Beowulf, visit our Services page and order a great text for yourself.

Epic Poetry

Meter Reader

When you read Beowulf, unless you know Old English, you'll be reading it in translation, so you may not realize that
it's actually a poem. In fact, it's written in alliterative verse, which is the kind of poetry the Anglo-Saxons used.
Alliterative verse uses, you guessed it, a lot of alliterationoften three or even four words that begin with the same
sound in each line.
It also has a strong pause, or caesura, in the middle of the line, and two strong stressed syllables on either side of the
caesura. (So that's four stresses per line.) That may all sound pretty complicated, but actually it creates a really
simple, easy-to-remember formula with a heavy rhythm to it.
We suggest you go check out an audio recording of Beowulf so that you can hear someone reciting a few lines in the
original Old English. It's basically a "Dum Dum (pause) Dum Dum" sort of rhythm.
Why did the Anglo-Saxons use this heavily accented meter? Well, one persuasive theory is that most of their poetry
was recited at feasts and other gatherings by bards who needed easy ways to remember it. This sing-songy rhythm
made memorization easyand it also made it easy to compose new poetry using established patterns.

Just. So. Epic.

Anyway, back to Beowulf. So Beowulf is a poem, but it's a very specific kind of poeman epic. Like
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, or Virgil's Aeneid, or Dante's Inferno, Beowulf is a larger-than-life tale about heroic battles
and journeys.
It takes place over many yearsa little more than fifty years, in factand describes entire family trees of kings and
lords in three different tribes. It deals with the deeds of man, but also with the plans of God and the relationship
between God, man, and supernatural creatures. It travels between several different lands, sweeping across the sea,
and even gestures at the wider context of all of Europe.
It's also very longmore than 3,000 lines survive, and there may once have been more. All these characteristics work
together to give it a broad scope and truly make it, not just a poem, but an epic poem.

Formal, Laudatory, Pious, Mournful

The narrator of Beowulf uses several different tones over the course of this long epic poem, but throughout everything
he is always super formal. This isn't a chummy, chatty, nudge-you-in-the-ribs kind of narrator. Instead, everything in
Beowulf seems to be spoken with grave, calm, even stiff formality. We see this in the characters as well as in the
narrator; even Beowulf himself announces his own name through an elaborate speech about his deeds:
"So every elder and experienced councilman among my people supported my resolve to come here to you, King
Hrothgar, because all knew of my awesome strength. They had seen me boltered in the blood of the enemies when I
battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-next and in the night-sea slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered
extremes and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it upon themselves, I devastated them). Now I mean to be a
match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat." (415-426)
Although his tone is always formal, the narrator of Beowulf does shift between three more specific tones, depending
on what's happening at the moment in the story. When Beowulf or someone else is behaving especially heroically, the
narrator becomes laudatory, or praising:
Thus Beowulf bore himself with valour; he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour and took no
advantage. (2177-2179)
In fact, we'd go so far as to say that this narrator does some real boot-licking. To listen to the narrator, you'd think that
Beowulf was just the most awesome, honorable, powerful hero who ever livedwhich is exactly what epics are
supposed to be about.
But when Beowulf starts losing, the narrator becomes mournful, lamenting the hero's defeat and the suffering of the
people, or pious, reminding us that all heroism is dependent on God's favor:

Majestic, Grandiose, Gruesome

Apart from the poetic qualities of the alliterative verse in which Beowulf is written (see "Genre" for more on that), the
epic has a grand, majestic style that seems to lift you up as you read it.
Beowulf isn't just a hero, he's a "prince of goodness" (676). Grendel isn't just a demon, he's a "captain of evil" (749).
Beowulf isn't just trying to win a wrestling contest for the Danes, he's going to "ease their afflictions" (628).
Of course, all these phrases are in translation, but you get the idea. In Beowulf, you never just take off a necklace; you
unclasp a collar of gold from your neck in your great-heartedness (2809)now that's a grandiosestatement.

Of course, sometimes all this grandeur and majesty gives way to gruesomedescriptions of violent deaths. Grendel
doesn't just eat a man; he "bit into his bone-lappings, bolted down his blood / and gorged on him in lumps" (741-742).
Then, after he's dead, you can see how much everyone else valued him by what amount of treasure there is at his
funeral. Lots of gold and jewels equals a great man. It's pretty straightforward.

That's why, even though the ending of Beowulf might be a surprise to us as 21st Century readers, it wouldn't have
been a surprise to the Anglo-Saxon audiences listening to a storyteller recite the epic in the 8th Century.
They weren't interested in experiencing a vicarious thrill of victory when the hero triumphed. They wanted to know
whether he could actually face down certain death and not flinchand not because he knew he'd win in the end, but
because he cared about honor and valor more than about his own life.
That's why the narrator keeps ruining the ending for you, making references to Beowulf's eventual demise long before
it actually happens. And, heck, if nobody can defeat you except a dragon, and you still manage to kill the dragon
despite being mortally wounded yourself, then you're just that much more awesome.

Initial Situation

King Hrothgar and the Danes are at the mercy of the marauding demon Grendel, who keeps attacking Heorot Hall.

Not only is this what's happening at the beginning, which should tip you off that it's the initial situation, it's also an
obvious set-up. A wild demon attacking a defenseless group of people? It's time for a hero to come on the scene and
put this to rights.

Conflict

A Geatish warrior, Beowulf, throws his armor and weapons aside and fights the demon Grendel in a wrestling match
to the death.

How much more obvious can a conflict get? We've got two guys in a no-holds-barred wrestling competition to the
death. If that's not a conflict, we don't know what is. Beowulf isn't usually very subtle about these things.

Complication
Grendel's mother shows up to avenge the death of her son.

This is just the kind of frustrating thing that happens to you when you're a heroic Geatish warrior. Here you are, going
all-out and wrestling a demon to the death, and just when you think you've won and you have a few minutes to get
drunk and celebrate, the demon's mom comes along and gets her panties in a twist because you killed her kid. We
love mothers, but they do seem to make things complicated sometimes.

Climax

Back home in Geatland, Beowulf must defend his people against a marauding dragon.

Just when you think Beowulf is going to live happily ever after, he has to face his greatest challenge yet: a fifty-foot-
long firebreather. If anything screams "climactic battle scene," it's the arrival of a dragon.

Suspense

Beowulf hangs out on the side of the dragon's barrow, recalling his past glories and wondering if he's going to die
fighting the dragon.

If you're tempted to yell, "Just get on with it!" at this point, you're not the only one. Beowulf hangs out for several
hundred lines, talking about his past glories and wondering if he's going to die while fighting the dragon. Still, it does
help to build suspense... because it makes us wonder, too.

Denouement

Beowulf is mortally wounded, but manages to kill the dragon and win its hoard of treasure.

It's a double-whammy: Beowulf dies, but so does the dragon. After that, it's obviously all downhill, so this is definitely
the denouement.

Conclusion

The Geats give Beowulf a splendid funeral and prepare to be attacked by their neighbors.

Is anything more conclusive than a funeral? Beowulf is dead, and after mourning his death and celebrating his heroic
deeds, the Geats look to the future. Of course, without his protection, it's a pretty bleak future.
So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by
and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.
...
There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,
a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.
...
A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on
...
In the end each clan on the outlying coasts
beyond the whale-road had to yield to him
and begin to pay tribute. That was one good king.
(1 1 1 )

These lines, which open the poem, establish the highly stylized nature of Seamus
Heaneys translation and set forth some of the poems central ideas. Heaneys choice to
translate the first word of the poem as So has been much remarked upon. It had
previously been translated into such poetic-sounding invocations as Hark and Lo or,
more casually, Listen. In his introduction, Heaney explains his choice by pointing out that
so, in the speech of his Ulster relatives, operates as an expression which obliterates all
previous discourse and narrative, and at the same time functions as an exclamation calling
for immediate attention. From the outset, then, the poem whips us into its world while
maintaining an inviting, conversational tone.

Heaneys translation re-creates many of the conventions of Anglo-Saxon poetry. He breaks

his lines into two halves with a strong caesura, or pause, wherever possible (lines 4, 5, and
11, for example). Second, he uses alliteration, or repetition of consonant sounds, across
the caesura to bind the two half-lines together through sound (foundling . . . flourish). He
also replicates the Beowulf poets extensive use of multiple names or phrases for a single
person, group, or idea; thus Shield Sheafson, in the space of two lines, is referred to as
scourge of many tribes and wrecker of mead-benches. Finally, the compound word
whale-road, used here to refer to the sea, is one of the most famous examples of the
Anglo-Saxon rhetorical figure called the kenning, which replaces a noun with a
metaphorical description of the noun.
In addition to these stylistic features, the opening lines also introduce a number of thematic
ideas that prove important throughout the poem. The poets presentation of the ancestor
Shield Sheafson as the model of heroism is representative of the poems obsession with
patriarchal history. Characters are constantly defined in terms of their fathers and
ancestors. This passage also emphasizes heroic action itself as a cultural valueeven a
fatherless individual can make a name for himself if he behaves like a hero. Thus, the
orphan Shield Sheafson earned an immutable reputation as one good king by the end of
his life. The great force of reputation will also continue to be an important theme. By
establishing fame in his lifetime, an individual can hope to be remembered by subsequent
generationsthe only consolation that death affords.

2.
And a young prince must be prudent like that,
giving freely while his father lives
so that afterwards in age when fighting starts
steadfast companions will stand by him
and hold the line. Behaviour thats admired
is the path to power among people everywhere.
(2025)

This excerpt, which expounds the virtues of the early Danish king Beow, illustrates the kind
of political prudence that characterizes Hrothgar, who is a descendant of Beow. The heroic
codes system of loyalties entails a very specific political and diplomatic structure.
Generosity is valued greatly in a king, but there is no attempt to disguise the fact that it is
motivated by the need to maintain the support of a band of retainers. The warrior culture
accepts and embraces this give-and-take relationship between ruler and ruled as
necessary for society to function effectively. The emphasis on the loyalty of the warriors
(when fighting starts / steadfast companions will stand by him) has a special resonance
for Beowulf, given the disloyalty of his men in his encounter with the dragon.

This passage also emphasizes the importance of behavior in securing the respect and
support of others. Because this warrior society so highly values its heroic code, it highly
esteems those who conform to the codes principles. Beowulf vaunts himself as a great
warrior and backs up his words by defeating Grendel; he is thus celebrated and received
as a hero. Unferth, on the other hand, proves an empty chatterer, unwilling to fight Grendel
or Grendels mother. Though such verbal elements as boasts and stories are crucial to the
warrior culture, heroes are, above all, defined by action.

3.
Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better
to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.
For every one of us, living in this world
means waiting for our end. Let whoever can
win glory before death. When a warrior is gone,
that will be his best and only bulwark.
(13841389)

Beowulf utters this compressed statement of the heroic code after Grendels mother kills
Aeschere, Hrothgars trusted advisor. Although Hrothgars grief seems understandable in
light of the principle of loyalty that operates in this culture, Beowulf speaks of it as an
indulgencean inappropriate and ineffective way of responding to the death of a
comrade. Beowulfs reminder to Hrothgar that vengeance is the real warriors response
and the truest sign of love and loyalty reflects a fundamental value of warrior culture,
namely an aggressive approach to life. Part of this approach involves the understanding
that only reputation will perpetuate a warriors existence after death. Beowulf, for example,
perceives life as a race to glory (Let whoever can / win glory before death). This speech
encapsulates the poems tension between doom and death, on the one hand, and the
necessity of behaving courageously and honorably, on the other. Beowulfs energetic
emphasis on action helps temper the pessimism surrounding the inevitability of death that
saturates the poem.

4.
Beowulf got ready,
donned his war-gear, indifferent to death;
his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail
would soon meet with the menace underwater.
It would keep the bone-cage of his body safe:
...
[His helmet] was of beaten gold,
princely headgear hooped and hasped
by a weapon-smith who had worked wonders. . . .
(14421452)

These lines describe Beowulfs preparation for his battle with Grendels mother. The
treatment of weaponry and armor is of great importance to the Beowulf poet. We see, here
and elsewhere, that armor has a double history, much like a warrior does: a history of its
making, which corresponds to the family lineage of an individual, and a history of
performance, which corresponds to reputation. These lines seem to imply that the success
of a weapon in battle is related to the skill with which it was crafted. The poet pays a great
deal of attention, in general, to the craftsmanship that goes into physical objects and feats
of language.

This passage is also characteristic in its exposition of the idea of fate. The poets narration,
though always in the past tense, often looks ahead to what will happen either in the
immediate futurein the next few lines of the poem, evenor in the long term. The poet
tells us, for example, that Beowulfs armor would keep the bone-cage of his body safe.
Though this tendency violates the readers expectation that a narrator wont give away
what will happen next, the poem is composed with a different set of literary expectations in
mind. According to the warrior culture in which the poem is set, part of the meaning of fate
is that future events are already contained in the present. To the Beowulf poet, then, it
would seem foolish and pointless to try to counteract fates powerful presence. Rather, he
accepts it and includes it in his narrative.

5.
O flower of warriors, beware of that trap.
Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part,
eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.
For a brief while your strength is in bloom
but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow
illness or the sword to lay you low,
or a sudden fire or surge of water
or jabbing blade or javelin from the air
or repellent age. Your piercing eye
will dim and darken; and death will arrive,
dear warrior, to sweep you away.
(17581768)

This passage is the culmination of a long speech, often referred to as Hrothgars sermon,
in which Hrothgar warns Beowulf of the seductive dangers of success after Beowulf
defeats Grendels mother. Hrothgar asserts that power causes the soul to grow distracted
by fortunes favor and so to lose sight of future perils. The speech is one of many points in
the poem where the Beowulf poet overlays Christian morals onto the pagan world that he
depicts. The idea under consideration here is the Christian maxim pride goeth before a
fall. Hrothgar specifically warns Beowulf not to give way to pride, an admonition that is
discordant with the culture of boasts and reputation that other parts of the poem celebrate.
Hrothgar also emphasizes to his young friend that life is fleeting and that he should orient
himself toward eternal rewardsa supremely Christian idearather than worldly
success. Throughout the poem, however, it seems that eternal rewards can be won
only through worldly successthe reward of fame for being a valiant warrior.

Hrothgar expresses the ephemeral quality of human life in beautiful terms. Calling Beowulf
the flower of warriors, he employs an image that doesnt evoke Beowulfs strength and
fortitude but instead emphasizes the fragility of his life and the fact that his youthhis
bloomwill fad[e] quickly. This choice of imagery encapsulates the idea, implicit in this
passage, that there are two death[s] that threaten the warrior. He must be prepared not
only for a jabbing blade or javelin from the air, which will wound him, but also for
repellent age, which will eat away at his youthful audacity and force him to think in terms
of honor, nobility, and leadership that arent dependent on mere physical prowess.