the epic, epic hero, and beowulf anglo-saxon england
TRANSCRIPT
Epic Hero
• Superhero
• Brave, strong, good
• Usually high social status
• Important in his people’s history
• “Larger-than-life” (Superman, ex)
• Embodies the ideals of his people
The Epic Tale
• LONG narrative poem
• Formal language
• Tells the story of the Epic Hero
• Most not written; told by storytellers, called scops (shopes), and gleemen (or “singers of tales”), probably accompanied by music
• Very few complete written epics survive
Plots of Epics Involve
• Supernatural events
• Long time periods; Distant journeys
• Life & death struggles between good and evil
• Hero: ALWAYS REPRESENTS GOOD
• Forces that threaten the people: ALWAYS REPRESENT EVIL
• Defeat of evil determines fate of nation
The Anglo-Saxon Epic Hero:
• Anglo-Saxon ideals for hero:
-courage
-physical strength
-loyalty to tribe or king
-wisdom
-supreme self-confidence
Beowulf
• Set in: 6th or 7th century (500s-600s a.d.)
“Imagine a time when tribes from Europe regularly raided one another’s shores to loot and burn each other’s settlements; when great warriors feasted, drank, and bragged of their bloody conquests in huge mead halls…; when kings bestowed riches upon their brave warriors to retain their allegiance; when people believed in monsters and dragons” (Glencoe British Literature, 43).
Beowulf
• Place: NOT ENGLAND
• Set in Scandinavia
• Involves:
The Geats-tribe from southern Sweden
The Danes-tribe from Denmark
Why is it considered English?
• Scandinavians were part of the Anglo-Saxons
• When Anglo-Saxons settled in a place, their stories came with them
More on Beowulf’s History
• Oldest known English literary work
-A scop probably first wrote Beowulf down in 700s
-Oldest known, surviving manuscript was written 300 yrs. later by unknown author
Beowulf: Names
• Hrothgar: King of the Danes• Grendel: monster that terrorizes Danes
• Beowulf: from family of Kings of Geats; hero
• Grendel’s mother: seeks revengeon Danes
Poetic Devices in Beowulf
Scops and gleemen needed poetic devices to help remember tales and give stories greater impact
1. Alliteration: repetition of similar consonant sounds (Ex: miserable, mighty men tormented)
2. Caesura: an obvious pause in a line of poetry, usually found near middle of line, w/ 2 stressed syllables before and 2 after. Indicated with //.(Ex: A prince of the Geats// had killed Grendel)
3. Kenning: An imaginative phrase that takes the place of a single noun (Ex: whale-road=sea; life-house=body)
Literary Elements in Beowulf
• Foreshadowing: hints about what’s to come. Ex from Beowulf:
“But fate, that night, intended/Grendel to gnaw the broken
bones/Of his last human supper…” (293-295)
*Look for another example of foreshadowing as you read; write down the line numbers*
Vocabulary for Beowulf
• Lament (n): an expression of sorrow, OR a song or writing that mourns a death
(V): to express sorrow• Forged (v): formed or shaped; made • Shroud(n): burial cloth• Infamous (adj): famous for something bad;
notorious• Writhing (v): twisting in pain• Spawned (v): born