Scarica BEOWULF SUMMARY ENGLISH LITERATURE e più Sintesi del corso in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! BEOWULF ca 11th century 1. Origins of the epic Beowulf is the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon epic poem but its origins are mysterious. The author is unknown, and scholars are unsure of its date of composition. It was probably composed by a single author for a Christian audience in England, between the 8th and the 11th centuries. The first written version dates from the 11th century. 2. Settings The story is set in various places: ● Denmark, land of the Danes, ruled by King Hrothgar; ● Heorot, the great mead hall of Hrothgar, a communal meeting place for drinking and feasting; ● A misty lake, at the bottom of a cave, where Grendel’s mother lives; ● Geatland, land of the Geats, in southern Sweden, ruled by Hygelac and later Beowulf. 3. Characters ● Beowulf is the hero and so the main character of the epic poem. He is the prince of the Geats and he’s praised for his courage, strength and generosity. He kinda has supernatural powers: he is able to kill monsters that can fly, breathe fire or live under water. ● The first monster is a man-eating descendent of Cain, named Grendel. He moves surrounded by darkness and his physical appearance is left to the reader’s imagination. ● The second monster is Grendel’s mother, and she doesn’t have a name. She looks like a woman but lives in a supernatural lake filled with sea-dragons. The poison in her and Grendel’s blood can dissolve swords, in fact Boewulf will use a magic sword in order to defeat her. ● The third and last monster is a winged, fire-breathing, serpentine dragon. He’s faced by an ageing Beowulf. 4. Plot → The poem follows the hero’s defeat of three monsters, who are prodigious figures, in order to gain glory and power. ● It opens in Denmark, where an evil monster, Grendel, has been terrorising the king’s hall for twelve years. Beowulf offers to kill Grendel: he defeats him by tearing off its claw. ● The next day Grendel’s mother seeks revenge and kills one of the king’s men. Beowulf goes looking for her and finds her at the bottom of a lake. He kills her with a magic sword because her blood can dissolve normal swords. ● The final part takes place in Geatland. Fifty years later, Beowulf is now king. He must fight a dragon that has been attacking his people. He kills it but he’s fatally wounded so the poem ends with the main character’s funeral. 5. Style and themes Beowulf has all the typical characteristics of classical epic poems. It depicts a warrior society and exalts the bravery of the hero. Loyalty has great importance. The poem deals with the eternal conflict between good and evil and shows Christian values.
