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Beowulf

Beowulf. An Epic Tale. The Epic Tradition. Beowulf is one of the world’s oldest recorded epics. Characteristics of an epic include: Long narrative poem about a quest told in formal, elevated language Larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular culture

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Beowulf

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  1. Beowulf An Epic Tale

  2. The Epic Tradition • Beowulf is one of the world’s oldest recorded epics. • Characteristics of an epic include: • Long narrative poem about a quest told in formal, elevated language • Larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular culture • Incredible plot involving large scale events • Mix of myth, legend, and history than often includes gods and goddesses as characters.

  3. The Archetype of the Epic Hero • Archetype: A model that is somehow familiar to people of all places and times • Gilgamesh: Ancient Mesopotamia • The Iliad: Greece • Beowulf: England Epic hero is a single figure that personifies the values of the societies that create them, but also embodies universal ideals.

  4. Beowulf • Beowulf was originally an oral epic • It’s very short, compared to the Homeric epics The Iliad and The Odyssey • It was composed in Old English sometime between 700 and 750 AD, but depicts the world of the early sixth century. • Much of the material is based on early Celtic and Scandinavian folk legends. • The only surviving manuscript dates from the year 1000, and is now in the British Museum in London.

  5. The Kenning • Acompound expression in Old English and Old Norse poetry with metaphorical meaning, e.g., oar-steed = ship. • Examples from Beowulf include: • Whale Road=Sea • Shepherd of Evil=Grendel • Shield Bearers=Warriors • Light of Battle=Sword

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