Riassunto in lingua Beowulf Liberty, Sintesi del corso di Inglese

Scarica Riassunto in lingua Beowulf Liberty e più Sintesi del corso in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Beowulf How it started As the Roman Empire began to fall inthe 5th century, the geo-political map of Europe started to change. In the North, there were three warriors tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, that left their homelands and emigrated to Britain, but historians do not know exactly why. They arrived on the east coast of England, in what today we call East Anglia and they created their own small communities. They lived in traditional Anglo-Saxon thatched homes made of wood. When, in the 5th century, they arrived in East Anglia, they brought with them their own form of paganism and religious beliefs, which they maintained for centuries, before converting to Christianity. The names of their Gods remain in the English days of the week. Apart from this world of gods, there was another supernatural world, inhabited by magical creatures and monsters such as dragons, trolls, dwarves and elves. These evil creatures were always present in Anglo-Saxon stories. This fascination with magical monsters continues today, as can be seen by the enormous number of fantasy films and videogames about these creatures. The biggest Anglo-Saxon monsters were the dragons and they were often symbols of greed. The Anglo-Saxons alphabet consisted of runes. They are symbols all made of straight lines. The centre of community is the mead-hall, where people met, drank and ate together, played music and listened to stories about heroes of the past. It was also where the king or the leader had his seat of government. When they arrived, they also brought their language. Each of the three tribes had his own dialect, and together they are now called Old English or Anglo-Saxon. Also, a very interesting thing is that many common words in modern English come from Anglo-Saxon. The memory of their homeland was very important to Anglo-Saxons. They kept their culture alive through stories, especially the stories of their great heroic tradition. Beowulf is part of that tradition and is the oldest surviving epic poem in Anglo-Saxon. A poem is a long narrative lyric , written in an elevated style, about a hero who represented all the cultural and moral values of a population. These elements are all found in Beowulf. The story looks back to the 5th century and is a mixture of historical events and Nordic legends. An important focus of the story is treasure. When the king died, in fact, he was often buried with treasure. In fact, Beowulf begins with the story of the death of King Scyld of the Danes, whose body was put in a boat, covered with treasure and pushed out to the sea. In 1939 a ship similar to the one described in Beowulf, was found, containing beautiful Anglo-Saxon treasures that are now in the British Museum in London. Another interesting fact is that Beowulf survived, by chance, in one manuscript, which is now in the British Library in London. In 1731, itwasina private collection and was nearly destroyed by fire, but it has now been digitised and saved for future generations. The main characters Beowulf: the warrior and the starring Scyld Scefing: the 1st king Beow: Scyld’ son Halfdane: Beow' son Hrothgar: Halfdane” son, the king through the story Hrothgar's wife: the queen Grendel: the monster, a troll, strong and giant creatures similar to humans that live in the swamps. They are descendants of Cain, a biblical character who killed his brother, Abel. Hygelac: the king of Geats, Beowulf's uncle Heardred: Hygelacs' son Ecgtheow: the father of the knight, a noble warrior Grendel’s mother: Grendel's mother Unferth: a warrior Wiglaf: a warrior, the only one who defeated the dragon with Beowulf Summary One hero, Scyld Scefing, was a strong and a brave orphan boy who had won the favour of the people and had become their king. God sent a son to Scyld, Beow. Beow became famous in all the lands of the North. But Scyld died soon and Beow became king; he was loved by all the people. He had a son, Halfdane, a strong and a wise man, who in turn had three sons and a daughter. One of them, Hrothgar, a great warrior, decided to build an enormous mead-hall, which was soon finished. It was called Heorot and here Hrothgar put his throne and became a generous king. But outside the hall, there was death, darkness and destruction. A monster, Grendel, was walking and watching, he hated the music and the sound of happiness that always came from the hall. He lived in the dark swamps not far away. From his family came all kinds of creatures: ogres, giants, elves and most of all evil spirits. One night, Grendel decided to enter the hall. He attacked thirty men who were sleeping there. The people, including the king, were shocked and in pain. Then Grendel returned, and he came again and again, killing people every time. For twelve years the hall remained empty, because all the world knew about the monster's terrible attacks. No one could stop him BUT in the kingdom of Geatland, the bravest warrior on earth heard the stories about Grendel. He ordered his men to prepare his ship, saying he intended to sail to help King Hrothgar. Nobody tried to stop him from leaving. He searched for the best fourteen warriors in his country and they set sail. It was fortunately a safe voyage. They met a guard, who said that a clever man knows the difference between words and actions and that God may protect them all. his golden helmet, which was so carefully made that no sword could penetrate it. But the best weapon he had was a rare and ancient sword, called Hrunting, which was lent to him by Unferth. It had never failed anyone who had used it in a battle. Beowulf replied that he had come to the point of action and he asks Hrotgar to remember what they said earlier: that the king would be like a father to him and if would die, the king would take care of Beowulf's young warriors and send the treasure he gave him to his king, Hygelac, so that he could admire his generosity and know that Beowulf found a king of rare nobility and return the sword to Unferth. Grendel’s mother soon understood that a human was in her lair. When she found him, she tried to kill him, but his armour was too strong. She carried Beowulf to her court, holding him so tightly that he could not use his sword. They arrived at an underwater hall, where there was no water and a fire was burning . In a moment, Beowulf turned quickly and freed himself from Grendel’s mother. His sword came down hard on her head, but did not break her skin. Hrunting, the sword, the winner of many battles could not kill this monster. Beowulf was protected, yes by his armour, but also by God. As he turned, he saw Eotens” sword, a weapon made by giants and the strongest sword ever made, too heavy for a human. But Beowulf picked it up and hit the monster‘s neck, cutting through her skin and breaking her bones. She fell to the floor. In a corner, Beowulf saw Grendel’s body, so he swung the sword in the air and brought it down on the monster’s body, cutting off his head. The waters of the lake turned red, and the men waiting for Beowulf thought he was dead, also because nine hours had passed. Hrothgar and his men returned home, but the Geats stayed on the shore, waiting for their lord. Then, with Hrunting and Grendel’s head, he swam up to the surface. His men thanked God for his safe return and immediately helped him take off his armour and helmet. Grendel’s head was so heavy that four warriors had to carry it. They finally walked into the hall, pulling Grendel’s head by the hair. All the people inside looked at them in amazement. Then, Beowulf said: “Hrothgar, | now give it to you. It almost cost me my life, but God protected me. Hrunting sword was not strong enough. | used it to kill the beasts in the lair, and their blood melted (ha sciolto) the sword, but not his golden jewelled top, which I give to you. “ Hrothgar replied:” Beowulf, my friend, you were born to glory. You are known everywhere. You are strong , but also wise and good. | repeat my promise of friendship. Beowulf was very satisfied and sat down to drink and eat next to the king. The celebrations continued late into the night. Happiness has at last returned to the hall. Then it was time for bed and all the warriors were impatient to return home. In the morning, before leaving, Beowulf told Hrothgar that if his son Hrethric one day wants to go to his court, he will find many friends there. After a while, the old king cried; he felt they would never meet again face to face. After giving a jewelled sword to the guard who had protected their ship since their arrival, Beowulf and his warriors set sail for Geatland. The winds were strong and the journey was fast. Once on the shore, they carried the treasure to Hygelac's home. It was a magnificent building not far from the sea, where the king lived with his young queen, Hygd. As soon as Hygelac heard of Beowulf's arrival, he ordered the hall to be prepared for a feast. When they arrived, the king greeted them warmly and he asked about every detail of their journey, so Beowulf told him everything from the arrival, to the generosity of Hrothgar and his wife, from Grendel, to the undersea, to Grendel's mom, to victory and farewells (addii, congedi). Beowulf, also gave his uncle foru armoured horses, which Hrothgar had given him. He loved his uncle and Hygelac loved him. To his uncle’s wife, Hygd, he gave three horses and the beautiful gold necklace that Queen Wealhtheow had given him. Beowulf was not only brave, but also generous and honourable. God had given him enormous strength, but he always used it well. In the past, when he was young, other Geats had considered him weak and not brave, but then he had shown them not only his strength of body but also his strength of character. Years later, his uncle Hygelac was killed in battle. His son, Heardred, was still too young to protect his people, so Beowulf helped him grow into a good king. When Heardred, too, was killed, Beowulf became king of the Geats and, for fifty years, he was a wise and good protector of their land. Then, one night a furious dragon was seen in the sky. He lived in a barrow at the top of a cliff, where it guarded an enormous treasure. One day, while he was sleeping, a man had entered the barrow and had taken a golden cup. The men had not intended to steal anything. He was a slave running away from his master, and had found the barrow full of treasure. He had decided to hide there but, when the dragon woke up, he was so frightened that he ran off, still holding a golden cup he had picked to admire. Many centuries before, an ancient lord had put the treasure there, after all his family and companions had died. It was found by a dragon that, under a magic spell, had protected it for three hundred years. When the dragon realised that the cup was missing, it was furious. It immediately went to search for the thief, killing people and burning down homes. Night after night, the dragon continued to destroy the Geat's land. The dragon also attacked Beowulf's house, burning everything with his fire. Beowulf for many days tried to understand why God was punishing him. Beowulf finally began to plan his attack. He ordered his smiths to make an enormous iron shield. He was not afraid. Beowulf had passed gloriously through risk and danger many times, but in that moment he knew he was preparing for his last battle. When they were near, the king sat down and spoke. His heart was sad and he knew that his spirit and his body would be separated soon. In his speech, he said that he would wear his armour and take his shield. Then God would decide the winner. He also told his warriors to wait there, because that fight was his. Either he would win glory and riches or they would lose a king. After he had finished speaking, Beowulf climbed the cliff up to the barrow, followed by his men. When he saw that there was a river of fire, which he could not pass, he shouted out in anger. Hearing his voice, the dragon woke up. Beowulf held his shield high as the dragon twisted and turned around him. But his shield was not as strong as he thought aand, for the first time, destiny and glory were not with him. And, for the first time, his sword had failed. Beowulf, like all men, was losing his life. With one enormous breath, the dragon surrounded Beowulf with a terrible wall of fire. His men ran for protection to a wood nearby. Only one young man remained to fight with him, Wiglaf, who pulled out his ancient family sword and ran at the dragon. The sword did not break and the dragon felt his point. Then, Wiglaf shouted out angrily to the other men. The dragon heard his voice and became wild again. He ran to his king, and together they used Beowulf's failing shield. The young warrior's courageous words had given Beowulf new strength. The dragon attacked again. Wiglaf” sword penetrated the dragon’s stomach and the fire calmed. Then the beast fell to the ground. Together the two men had killed the fire- breathing creature. It was the last glorious act of the king. The dragon's poison ran quickly through Beowulf's body. Very slowly, he walked away from the dragon and sat down. Wiglaf brought water, took off his lord*s helmet and washed his wound (ferita). Beowulf knew that his life was coming to an end and he spoke to his noble warrior: Now is the time when a father gives his armour to his son, but I have no son. Go quickly, dearest Wiglaf, and bring the treasure here. | want to see those beautiful jewels before | die. Wiglaf ran into the barrow. There were incredible treasures all around. Wiglaf quickly filled his arms with treasure, taking the flag too, and returned outside to show his king, hoping to find him still alive. The king of the Geats was on the ground, dying as he was bleeding. Wiglaf washed his wound again and slowly Beowulf turned his head to look at the gold. Then the king took off his necklace and gave it to the young warrior with his armour, his helmet and his ring saying that he was the last of his family and Wiglaf was the last of his, too. That is destiny. Then his soul left his body. It was hard for the young warrior to watch his hero die. But the dragon was there, dead on the ground, too. Few warriors were prepared to face a dragon's anger, but Beowulf's strong arm had ended its life. The other men came out of the wood. They had left their lord when he needed their help and now they were ashamed. They saw Wiglaf, sitting next to their king, trying desperately to bring him back to life with water. But God had taken him and he could not come back. Then Wiglaf sent a messenger to a group of men who were waiting near there. The messenger spoke clearly: “The king of the Geats is dead. The dragon lies next to him. It died under Beowulf's sword. Wiglaf is sitting next to our king’s body with a sad heart...we will bury the treasure with him.” The group stood crying as the messenger spoke. They went to the barrow, where they found their king. Near him, they saw the terrible dragon, burnt with its own fire. Wiglaf then said that Beowulf asked them to build a barrow for him, and that they would do that, because he was the greatest warrior that ever lived.