...In the epic poem “Beowulf”, the author ”Rafael”, uses literary devices such as diction, allusion, and imagery to juxtapose between good versus evil. Initially, Rafael uses the literary device diction, in order to juxtapose good versus evil. Moreover, throughout the story, the author uses diction for the purpose of highlighting the antagonist Grendel. For instance, Rafael uses particular words in order to display Grendel’s evil. “No savage assault could quench his lust for evil” (Beowulf pg 14 line 74-75). Clearly, “savage assault, quench, and lust for evil” are particular words which help to emphasize Grendel's evil. In context to the quote, Grendel is opposed to God, therefore; he goes around killing the king's men. The significance of demonstrating Grendel evil through diction, and demonstrating why he does his evil action, depicts the juxtaposition between God who is good, and Grendel who is evil. In like manner to the literary device diction, allusion is another literary device which the author uses to juxtapose between good versus evil. Furthermore, throughout the story, the author uses allusion in order to demonstrate how Grendel is evil. In particular, Rafael reference Cain, a Biblical story in the Bible to further validate how Grendel is evil....
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...LITERATURE OF THE OLD ENGLISH AND THE OLD IRISH PERIODS (600-1100 A.D.) 1- OLD ENGLISH HISTORY AND LANGUAGE Initial literatures are spoken and that oral literature have been many amplifications, later appear the texts. Beowulf was oral first and then became written. There are lots of fragments written literally. Some texts were lost and now we only have fragments. These texts are writing in manuscripts, there weren’t books in that period. In particular there are four manuscripts that contain most of English literature: Cotton Vitelius, Exeter Book, Junius Manuscript and Vercelli Manuscript; they are from 10th century. However the poetry and the texts contain the literature from 9th century, but they originated in 7th century orally (all of them originated orally before they appear written). That manuscripts tell some things about the society of this period of time, so we know details of this century. This period is the Anglo-Saxon period, before them there were the Britons who were invaded by some different people. They spoke different dialects of old English, the stronger kingdom was Wessex, which dialect was the most important and it called “west saxon”. Beowulf was writing in this dialect. In 597 appeared the Christianization. This means that the English became Christian, it became familiar with the church language: Latin. Latin is the culture language. The entry of Christianity is the entry of the culture in Britain. 2- WRITTEN RECORDS OF THE ANGLOSAXON PERIOD ...
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...Masters in Pieces. Beowulf, composed by an unknown author between the eight and the tenth centuries AD was an epic poem from the Medieval Era. Faustus was a play written in verse by Christopher Marlowe during the Renaissance Era between 1564-1593, both reflecting the dominant ideas and values of the context. The Medieval Era was a politically unstable time predominantly influenced by Christian culture and storytelling, where heroic tales of the noble were highly valued and as a result reflect religious ideas. The Renaissance era marked a major cultural turning point for British Culture as the philosophy of humanism emerged, which engendered literature to become increasingly vibrant and free- thinking. Both canonical texts provide significant insight into both the Medieval and Renaissance era. These concepts are explored through the principals of Christianity and the prevailing conflict during each context time. The importance of religion were relevant in both contexts, Beowulf reinforcing the beliefs of the time while Faustus indicates Britain's shift to humanist values and intensified the assertion of personal independence and individual expression. Beowulf demonstrates his trust in God easily into Christian context and repeatedly acknowledges God as his protector. “The captain of evil discovered himself in a grip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth.” Allusion to supernatural powers and biblical allusions allow emphasis how Grendel...
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...The Many Battles of Beowulf An epic is a poem written in the form of a poem that usually contains most, if not all, of the heroic requirements to be considered an epic. Beowulf encloses many of the traits, but most prevalent are: the hero has supernatural abilities, characters deliver long speeches, and the actions of the hero determine the fate of a nation or group. The Danes struggle with Grendel’s terrorizing on Herot nightly for twelve winters. The Danes were so petrified of Grendel that they abandoned the great hall for the time that Grendel reigned terror on them. Beowulf hears about the complications the Danes are having and sets out on a voyage across the sea to profit from the fame and fortune for his people. Beowulf slaughters Grendel and Grendel’s mother before returning to his homeland; Geatland, where he resides until he is crowned the king. Fifty years later, a dragon plagues the Geats when a cup is stolen from his lair and given to Beowulf. He kills the dragon at the expense of his own life. These all assist to deem this poem as one of epic tendencies and lead on to the conclusion of Beowulf being the greatest epic ever written. The superhero qualities present themselves in many ways. One of the broadest honorary elements is when Beowulf shows off greater endurance than any other human as he “Swam along / The sea paths” (lines 514-515) against Brecca while “Crea / tures / [sic] Who sleep deep in sea stirred / into life.” The most challenging part...
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...The plots of Beowulf reveal how society changes culturally as time progresses. The epic poem initially begins as a story symbolizing Pagan ideas and beliefs. As time advances, the epic poem gradually evolves into a story involving Christianity. The latest variation of Beowulf tackled various issues society encounters in our modern world. Overall, Beowulf is an ever-changing epic. Elements of Paganism is seen numerous times throughout the epic poem. Many examples of Paganism is seen in Beowulf’s character. Beowulf’s character is written as a hero. In Pagan society, heroes fight or go to war for fame or to be remembered when they meet their death. This was Beowulf’s purpose for volunteering to leave Geatland to venture to Denmark to end evil. Many characters possess superhuman strength. Beowulf and Grendel are prime examples of characters with superhuman strength. Beowulf displays his abilities when he swims underwater for hours without gasping or oxygen. Grendel displays his superhuman abilities with his incredible strength as he murders Danish soldiers. The symbolism of Good vs Evil displays with Grendel and Beowulf’s gruesome duel. Within the many examples of Paganism, Christian aspects also appear in Beowulf. An example of Christian faith in the poem is when Beowulf and his troops arrive in Denmark to battle Grendel, the group thank God for the safe ride to Denmark. A major example is Beowulf’s character. Beowulf’s heroic personality and decisions consider him to be a God-like...
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...Beowulf Essay Before the integration of written text, stories were transmitted exclusively through word of mouth, and, consequently had a short lifespan. Beowulf is a striking departure from these faltering stories, even as such it did not reach us unaltered. Beowulf edited by M.A Roberts, as a modern text, has obtained many attributes from the people who relayed the story, possibly so much it barely conveys the original authors intent. These unoriginal attributes are present throughout Beowulf’s epic hero journey, manifesting themselves within his resurrection, restitution and hubris. In the location and time where this story emanated from, Christians were oppressing and attempting to convert pagans, who were, in the Christian mind, a great evil, sometimes even thought to be a manifestation of the devil himself. Enter Beowulf’s conquering of an apparent evil, the dragon. Beowulf willingly sacrificed his life to spare and avenge humanity from the damage afflicted by this wretched worm who was aggravated by a sinful peasant. This Relates to Jesus dying on the cross freeing all people from their sins. As Beowulf dies he instills the dragons hoard upon Wiglaf. “’Now go quickly and gaze upon the hoard beneath the white rocks, beloved Wiglaf, now that the worm lies low in sleep’”(Roberts 86). This is Beowulf’s resurrection, reaching his low point when his liegemen abandoned...
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...English * D - Danish | * G - Germanic * Ic - Old Icelandic * N - Norse * ON - Old Norse | * Nor - Norwegian * S - Swedish | ------------------------------------------------- List of Kennings[edit] Primary Meaning | Kenning Translated | Original Kenning | Explanation | Source Language | Example | axe | blood-ember | | | N | | battle | spear-din | | | N | Snorri SturlusonSkaldskaparmal | blood | slaughter-dew | | | N | | blood | battle-sweat | | One reference for this kenning comes from the epic poem, Beowulf. As Beowulf is in fierce combat withGrendel's Mother, he makes mention of shedding much battle-sweat. | N | Beowulf | blood | wound-sea | svarraði sárgymir | | N | Eyvindr SkáldaspillirHákonarmál 7). | chieftain or king | breaker of rings | | Alludes to a ruler breaking the golden rings upon his arm and using them to reward his followers. | OE | Beowulf | death | sleep of the sword | | | OE | Beowulf | death | flame-farewelled | | Implicitly honourable death | N | | fire | bane of wood | grand viðar | | ON | Snorri...
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...Eng 201 September 7, 2012 Analysis of Christian and Pagan Themes in Beowulf The heroic poem, Beowulf, written circa ninth century after the Common Era (C. E.), presents a bloody chronicle of a king’s role in the violence and tumultuous Germanic tribes shortly after the Roman Empire’s expulsion from the low countries of Northwestern Europe. Evolving from oral narrative’s, Beowulf’s origins, while traceable to a general place and time in history, remains obscure, and comes to modern readers through a manuscript written around the year one thousand C. E.. Written in the language of the Anglo-Saxons, Beowulf, namesake for the title, defeats three monsters, Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and finally after many years of ruling his lands, a dragon. While fictional, the author weaves the main plot centering on defeating these vicious adversaries with a mixture of both pagan and Christian customs. Beowulf illustrates numerous biblical references and Christian influences, while simultaneously reflecting a core of Germanic pagan customs. Christianity and its religious elements, alongside, pagan customs and practices, play a fundamental role in the heroic poem, Beowulf’s narrative. Grendel, the monster that terrorizes Hrothgar’s great Hall of the Hart, traces his lineage back to Cain, one of the two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain commits the first murder according to Christian teachings, slaying his brother, Abel (The Holy Bible, Genesis 4-8). Grendel sprang from, “Cain’s clan, whom...
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...Beowulf: Christian or pagan? The epic poem, Beowulf, which was composed about 850 CE, is a tale of a warrior named Beowulf. The plot of Beowulf primarily revolves around the expeditions and fights that Beowulf undertakes throughout his life. Regarding this poem, one of the essential controversies is whether it is a Christian or pagan poem. In the text, Beowulf is depicted as the one who values his own fame most and is hallowed highly by people due to his violence in battle. These characteristics of Beowulf seem to separate the poem from Christianity. Although the poem appears to be originally pagan, Beowulf is a Christian poem in terms of its historical background, biblical allusions, and the characters’ beliefs and reliance on God. First, the author of Beowulf lived in a period when the transformation from Germanic paganism to Christianity occurred. When Beowulf was written, the old paganism was dying out, and the influx of Christianity from Europe and Ireland had taken place. “This transformation reached every level of society and affected nearly every aspect of daily life” (Streissguth 83). Due to this Christian influence, people had to make a radical change, discarding the old beliefs that value courage, vengeance, and violence in gory battle. The poet of Beowulf was also a part of this drastic change of the era. The “nameless author undoubtedly was a Christian” (Bloom 1). We can observe the author’s Christian quality when he blames people who return to paganism in the poem:...
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...Christianity in Beowulf Although there are constant battles between religions about which religions’ values and practices are correct, one thing is clear in all religions: the contrast between good and evil. Take for instance the Christian faith: in the Christian faith, a good man is someone who is virtuous, and has passion for what they believe in, and follows the bible but an evil person is someone molded by corruptions, including sins and vices. The Christian faith depicts evil through monsters such as demons and serpents, and their impacts in their tales. In the poem Beowulf, Beowulf’s fight against the monsters represents a fight between the Christian concepts of good and evil. The first depiction of good and evil in the poem can be seen in the battle between Beowulf and Grendel. Often times, biblical allusions are used as a means to describe characters Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. This is illustrated in Andy Orchard’s criticism of the poem, when he states, “As for Beowulf, there seems no getting rid of the poet’s clear references to the biblical tales of Cain and Abel” (Orchard 131). Grendel’s depiction of a demon is derived from these tales in the text when it reads: Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell Not hell but earth, He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God, punished forever for the crime of Abel's Death (14-17). In this...
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...The key character in the poem Beowulf, is a heroic and a legendary character whose actions are embodied to the Anglo-Saxon culture. As a hero he has the accepted and the most ideal characteristics that are accepted in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The tale revolves around these characteristics to make up an epic tale. Beowulf is moulded to possess the virtues, traits and beliefs that were highly respected and requires in the Anglo-Saxon culture. Therefore, is displayed to have these virtues in his own actions and words during different circumstances in the tale. Reading Beowulf brings out lots of similarities with many pieces of literature from the Ancient Greek and the Modern literature. The Beowulf carries is similar to many Greek dramas that focused on a protagonist who was turned out to be a tragic hero. There was an element of belief in the gods who had super- human powers and had unique and ultimate special skills of their own, and overcame unsurmountable problems. However, in Beowulf, there is no Greek or Roman gods, but there are other supernatural beings defined as monsters that exist and are difficult to win over. Beowulf is extra-ordinarily strong, agile, and super intelligent. He is portrayed as one who overcomes many obstacles and was able to kill Grendel and his mother and the others in the sea. In addition, the wide character list and meaningful names is similar to those of other types of literature of the early eras. The story of Paradise lost opens in hell. Satan...
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... but a political identity began to emerge only during the ninth century in response to the Danish invasions, and through King Alfred's efforts to revive learning and to make Latin religious and historical works, such as Bede's History, available in vernacular translations.Most of the surviving vernacular poetry of Anglo-Saxon England consists of free translations or adaptations of Latin saints' lives and books of the Bible, such as Genesis, Exodus, and Daniel. But with the exception of The Battle of Maldon about the defeat of Earl Byrhtnoth and his men by Viking raiders and The Battle of Brunanburh, a poem celebrating an English victory over the invaders, secular heroic poetry has little or nothing to do with England or English people. Beowulf is set in Scandinavia; its principal characters are Danes, Geats, Swedes, and there are brief references to other...
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...worries about finding new ways for expressing the beauty, but also to renew the themes of his works. In this period the poet wants to create a new world of beauty throughout a simple world. An important style of Renaissance Poetry was epic style, and sonnets (Shakespeare). Characteristics include: Rhyme, intensity in feelings, repetition, meter, iambic pentameter. The Renaissance poems came in many languages, commonly Latin, Italian and Greek. Some are translated and being used today as a historical and religious sources. The topics of the poems varied from religion to heroes. Most of the Christian poems talk about how they survived the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. Poems about heroes-heroines were very popular, the most successful is Beowulf. The 11th and 12th centuries were periods where satires, fables, tales, ballads and poetry became exceptionally popular. POEM In the first quatrain, the speaker spends one line on each comparison between his mistress and something else (the sun, coral, snow, and wires--the one positive thing in the whole poem some part of his mistress is like. In...
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...ASPECTS OF MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE (1066-1500) Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Anglo-Latin After the Conquest: dramatic changes in language and cultural temperament Old English literature: Middle English literature realistic,matter-of-fact,unromantic, growing audience, a panorama of most serious, often melancholic, diverse folk of many social classes (castle, monochrome gray, loyalty to the lord, barnyard, town); the appearance of leasure desperate courage in defeat, class and an audience of women rigorous adherence to the tribal code; new type of secular entertainment: major theme: agony of the lordless man, code continued but became chivalric social alienation, noble and heroic deeds; agony of alienation, physical hardships for audience: almost exclusively male;lords and the sovereign lady thanes - no mention of lower classes, strong courtly flavour, …So they duly arrived The sumptuous bed on which she lay in their grim war-graith and gear at the hall, Was beautiful. The drapes and tassel, and, weary from the sea, stacked wide shields Sheets and pillows worth a castle. of the toughest hardwood against the wall, The single gown she wore was sheer … And made her shapely form appear. … And the troops themselves She’d thrown, in order to keep warm, were as good as their weapons. Then a proud warrior An ermine stole over her arm, questioned the men concerning their origins: White fur with the lining dyed ...
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...CONTENTS INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………3 CHAPTER 1. LINGUISTIC SITUATION IN OLD ENGLISH AND MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD……………………………………………………………..5 1.1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTHARK……………………………………5 1.1.1 THE RUNIC ALPHABET AS AN OLD GERMANIC WRITING TRADITION……………………………………………………………………6 1.1.2 OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE IN THE PERIOD OF ANGLO-SAXON ETHNIC EXTENSION…………………………………………………………7 1.2 LINGUISTIC SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE ENGLISH………………..11 1.2.1 LINGUISTIC SITUATION IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND AFTER THE NORMAN CONQUEST……………………………………………….……….11 1.2.2 DIALECTAL DIVERSITY IN THE MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD.…...13 1.3 THE MIDDLE ENGLISH CORPUS……………………………………….15 1.3.1 GEOFFREY CHAUCER AND HIS LENDING SUPPORT OF THE LONDON STANDARD’S DIFFUSION……………………………………….17 1.3.2 THE ROLE OF THE PRINTING IN THE FORMATION OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE………………………………………………….…….19 1.3.3 PRINCIPAL MIDDLE ENGLISH WRITTEN RECORDS AS A REFLECTION OF ONGOING CHANGES IN STANDARDIZATION………25 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………….…………....28 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………….30 APPENDIX 1……………………………………………………………………33 INTODUCTION linguistic history english language The English language has had a remarkable history. When we first catch it in historical records, it is a language of none-too-civilized tribes on the continent of Europe along the North Sea. From those murky and undistinguished beginnings, English has become the most widespread language in the world, used by more peoples for more purposes than any language on...
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