TEXT BEOWULF: PRESENTATION 2



TEXT BEOWULF: PRESENTATION 2

1. Welcome to this presentation about the wonderful Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. So if I say a poem, 3000 lines written more than a thousand years ago- you’re probably thinking How boring! However Beowulf still makes for a great story. Despite being composed in the Anglo-Saxon era, Beowulf continues to captivate modern audiences. The poem has been the inspiration for films, plays, graphic novels and computer games Game of Thrones and classics such as Tolkien’s epic Lord of the Rings. Among the more notable recent versions is the 2007 film by Robert Zemeckis. So here follows a trailer to this movie:

2. Watch trailer

3. So what do we know about Beowulf. It is possibly the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and thus commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. The poem consists of more than 3000 lines. We do not know who wrote the poem and exactly when it was written, but it is dated between the 8th and the early 11th century. Only one copy remains, which is kept in the British Museum in London. The poem is written in Old English. If you remember the earlier presentation then we looked at the history of the English language. Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons. It is a West Germanic language closely related to Old Frisian and Old Saxon. In most respects, including its grammar, it was much closer to modern German and Icelandic than to modern English. So let’s hear what Old English sounds like, here are a few lines from the opening of Beowulf? See if you can recognise any words.

4. Listen to audio clip.

5. Did you recognise any words? Very few, I guess. In the previous lecture I mentioned that a characteristic of Medieval literature was something called: Kennings. These can be found a lot in Beowulf- A kenning enhances the literal meaning of words. Kennings are used to create images.

6. Here are some examples. Don’t worry if you don’t totally grasp the idea of kennings as yet as we will be looking at these in some more depth when in class.

Guardian of crime = Grendel

Cave-guard = dragon

Whale road=ocean

7. Beowulf-the story. Beowulf. is set in a much earlier time than the period in which it was composed, and the action doesn’t take place in Britain but in Denmark and Sweden. Beowulf is divided into two parts. The action in the first part takes place in Denmark, where Hrothgar is king. Beowulf, a mighty warrior from Sweden, comes to help the king destroy a monster. The second part, set in Sweden, provides an account of Beowulf as an old man who must rid his country of a fearsome dragon.

8. So let’s meet our hero- Beowulf, he is typical of an epic hero. Beowulf is a

mighty warrior, a man who has slain giants and sea monsters and is known for his strength, courage, and skill in battle. The story opens in Denmark, in the where Hrothgar is king. He’s a good king but lurking in the dark swamps of Hrothgar's kingdom is a cruel and brutal monster named Grendel.

9. Grendel lives in a cave with his mother, also a monster. As Grendel roams the

marshes and swamps, he hears the joyful sounds of song and laughter from Heorot. They fill him with envy and hatred for Hrothgar and his warriors. One night Grendel goes to Heorot and finds the warriors asleep after a great deal of drinking and celebration. He snatches up 30 sleeping men, kills them, and carries the bodies home to eat. Grendel continues to attack the kingdom for the next twelve years. Stories of Grendel's raids spread to the surrounding kingdoms, eventually reaching the land of the Beowulf in Sweden. When he hears of Grendel's deeds, Beowulf decides to sail to Denmark and help Hrothgar rid his kingdom of the monster. He fights with the monster and rips off his arm

10. Now as you can imagine Grendel’s mum wasn’t too happy about this.

Grendel’s mum is also a swamp monster, although in the 2007 film version, the swamp monster takes on a slightly more attractive form in the shape of Angelina Joley. Grendel’s loathsome mother takes her revenge, and makes a brutal attack upon the king’s hall. Beowulf seeks out the hag in her underwater lair, and slays her after an almighty struggle. Once more there is much rejoicing, and Beowulf is rewarded with many gifts.

11. The poem culminates 50 years later, when Beowulf’s is an old man. Now he is the king of the Geats, his own realm is faced with a rampaging dragon, which had been guarding a treasure-hoard. Beowulf decides to hunt the dragon down and in a mighty fight kills the dragon, but before dying the dragon bites Beowulf. The dragon’s bite poisons Beowulf and he too dies. Beowulf closes with the king’s funeral, and the poem ends with a ceremony of praise for Beowulf.

12. So that was the story of Beowulf, should you be interested in seeing more about Beowulf then I suggest the following titles.

Animated Epics: BEOWULF:

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• Beowulf the 2007 American motion capture computer-animated fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis

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