beowulf

Beowulf

AN EARLY EPIC

Hrothgar's people being terrified by a monster called Grendel. Beowulf kills the monster and then his mother, who promised revenge. Then,Bowulf returns to his own country to become king. The poem ends with a Sombre Note on Beowulf's funeral.

Beowulf is probably the most famous anglo-saxon poem. Composed in old english at the end of the 7th century, it's anonymus and it's the longest poem of that era. It is an epic poem wich tells the story of an hero called Beowulf, who came in aid of Hrothgar, King of Danes.

CHRISTIANITY & PAGANISM

In Beowulf we find a mix of religious and cultural attitudes and references. It contains both Pagan and Christian elements. Certainly the Christian church would not approve a poem like this, even if the Anglo-Saxon still have a strong connection with myths and legends of the past. Another important aspect it's the mix between myths and legends, used in this poem.

THE STORY

The poem begins with the ship burial of the Danish hero king, Scyld Shefing, who was found in a small boat on Danish shores. The poem moves on to the reign of Hrothgar, whose menaced by the monster Grendel. The monster can be seen as a physical manifestation of the internal conflicts and tensions of the royal household, and the forces of greed and violence. Thus the coming of Beowulf who kill, like a hero, the bad monster. This narrative pattern remember to us Hollywood films. We finds variations in the western, horror, science fiction and adventure genres.