Characteristics of an epic:The hero, generally male, is of noble birth or high positionThe hero’s character traits reflect important ideals of his societyThe hero performs courageous deeds that reflect the values of the timesHis actions determine the fate of many

Characteristics of an epic continued:

The setting is vastWritten in formal diction with a serious toneCharacters have long, formal speechesHero’s journey (slides to follow)Poem reflects timeless values (courage, etc)Treats universal themes (good vs. evil, etc.)

Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Literature:

Melancholic and Stern;Haunted by the sea and by an awareness of the dangers and the shortness of life;Eager to commemorate acts of heroism and endurance;Admiring generosity and fidelity.

• The plot is complicated by supernatural beings or events.• The actions of the hero often determine the fate of a nation or group of people• The poem reflects values such as courage and honor.

Beowulf Key Elements and

Hero’s Journey

The hero takes a journey to

foreign lands.3 phases of the hero journey:

•Separation – a break away from local social order, the beginning of a quest.•Initiation – a long deep retreat inward with a series of chaotic encounters which provide new insight.•Return – reintegration into society, coming back as as a more evolved person.

The general points of the cycle include:•a test (to test worthiness to complete said quest) •a main antagonist, often supernatural •a magical/unreal world, unable to be visited by a normal human, that the hero visits (e.g. the underworld or the world of the gods) •a resurrection (either from being dead or from a dead-like state of mind, or a hero who was thought to be dead who was rediscovered)

While the poem is Old English, it focuses on the Geats (a people who lived in the southern part of Sweden) and Danes.

The action of Beowulf is not straightforward. The narrator foreshadows actions that will occur later, talking about events that are yet to come. Characters talk about things that have already happened in the poem and recall incidents and characters outside the poem's main narrative.

Look for the struggles of …•good against evil

•strength against weakness•light against dark

Themes&

Conflict

Identify a hero or

heroine from a film or story and

explain how their journey fits the three phases – be sure to give examples.

1. How is BEOWULF structured? How does this structure relate to the theme or themes of the work as a whole?

2. BEOWULF is set in a male-dominated world full of violence and danger. What role does patriarchal history play in this world? Why does it matter to the warriors who their ancestors were?

3. What role does religion play in BEOWULF?4. What role does the mead-hall play in Anglo-

Saxon warrior culture? What is the proper relationship between a lord and his warriors? What examples can you find throughout Beowulf?

Now that you have read the epic, answer the following questions:

…5. How does treasure function in Beowulf? How do the characters and the poet seem to feel about the element of gold, as it appears throughout the poem?

6.Is Beowulf an ideal hero and king? Is there anything lacking in his character?

7. Would you say that the characters in Beowulf are as psychologically complex those in modern works of literature? Do they undergo any development as the poem progresses?

Heroic Code:a warrior class that was ruled by a tribal chieftaina body of personal retainers, or warriors, bound to the chieftain by kinshipa personal code of honor which included the concept of blood vengeance.  a warrior must defend his lord to the death

Mythological Analysis

•A student of Freud who differed in views of human nature.•Jung believed that human nature was more than a collection of repressed desires and fears. •He was influenced by religion, art and mythology. •Jung divided the mind into the ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious.

is the reservoir of all human experience. According to

Jung all people were connected at this level .

• Archetypes comes from the Greek word archetypos, meaning “first of its kind.”• They are universal images/concepts/ ideas that come from shared common experiences, which transcend time, place and culture. • The value in using archetypal characters in fiction derives from the fact that we unconsciously already recognize the archetype, and thus the motivations, behind the character's behavior.

Mythological Analysis

examples