HELP! I need somebody!• Think of a time when you helped someone in need

or someone helped you OR a time when you did NOT render help and wish you had. Give a brief summary of the incident then answer the following analysis questions: – What was your/their motivation (why was help

rendered?)? – What was the result? – What would have happened if help was not

rendered? – Did anyone else offer help? Why/why not?

Beowulf:The Beginnings of English

Literature

OriginsUnknown author; possibly one Christian author in Anglo-Saxon EnglandUnknown date of composition (roughly 8th-11th Century CE)

Conflict Christian Values and Heroic Values

• This tension is at the heart of the poem

• Pagan history and myth are made to point to a Christian moral

• Beowulf is poised between two value systems

Mix of pagan and Christian Values• Fate vs. choice of good

and evil• Mythological monsters

vs. references to God and Jesus

• Beowulf was a war leader of the Geats, a group of people in what is now southern Sweden

• Hrothgar was king of the Danes

The Epic HeroDefeats his enemies using

Physical strengthSkill as a warriorNobility of characterQuick wits

Is not modest – boasting is a ritualEmbodies the ideals and values of his peopleIs eager for fame

Because the Germanic tribes believed death was inevitable, warriors sought fame to preserve the memory of their deeds after death

A man of high social status whose fate affects the

destiny of his people

Old English Beowulf was written in Old English, an early

form of English Old English was spoken in the Middle Ages

from about 6th century to 11th century CE In 1066, William the Conqueror successfully

invaded England, bringing his Norman French language with him; the nobility began to speak French, and gradually Old English evolved into Middle English (1100-1500): “Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote/The droghte of March hath perced to the roote”

Modern English has been spoken since the Renaissance – Shakespeare is NOT Old English; he is Early Modern English

Elements of an Epic1. Recounts a journey2. Main character is a hero3. Exaggerations are used4. The setting covers multiple nations5. Gods and the like are included in the plot6. Story begins in the middle of things (in medias res)

7. Journey to the underworld8. Use of the number 39. Typical theme of good vs evil10. Long narrative poem

Literary DevicesAllusion: Biblical, Germanic oral tradition,

Norse myth and legend, historical Anglo-Saxon kings (eg. King Offa of Mercia)

Alliteration (eg. Scyld’s strong son)Epic poetry: a long narrative poem written

in elevated style which celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero or god.

Scop: Anglo-Saxon composers and storytellers (like minstrels or bards)

Kenning: two-word metaphorical name for something (eg. whale-road=sea)

Kennings

• A kenning is a poetic renaming for a simpler, more concrete noun; for example, storm of swords is a kenning for

• Examples of modern day kenning: gas guzzler

Battle SUV = Old Car

KenningsCompound

WordsPrepositional

PhrasesPossessives

Sky-candle Whale-road Ring-giver Gold-ringed Battle dew Sea stallion

Wolf of wounds Winters of grief Shepard of evil Storm of swords Guardian of the people Path of the sea

Seabird’s bath Ocean’s face Heaven’s joy Arrow’s storm Water’s chain Battle’s torch

Warrior CodeComitatus: Germanic code of loyaltyThane: warrior – swears loyalty to the king

for whom they fought and whom they protected

Kings: generous, protected thanesReputation: thanes were expected to be

loyal, brave, courageous; kings were expected to be generous and hospitable

Wergild: “man-payment”; a fee paid to the family of a slain man to atone for his murder and to prevent the family from seeking revenge.

2 Types of Epics

1. Folk– Told out loud first (usually by scops)– Unknown author– Unknown dates– (E.g.—Beowulf is a folk epic because we don’t know

who wrote it) 2. Literary

– Known author– (E.g.– Paradise Lost, by John Milton is a literary

epic because we know who wrote it.)

Themes• Good vs. Evil• Forces of darkness—irrational

and menacing—are always at work in society

• Life is a continuing struggle• Actions speak louder than words• Judge the greatness of a human

by the greatness of his deeds and noble ancestry

• Help thy neighbor• To be loyal is to selflessly make

sacrifices for a loved one.