1 / 4

Beowulf

Beowulf. Significance and Theme. Theme of Beowulf. Theme: the central idea or insight of a work of literature; the idea the writer wishes to convey about the subject. Theme of Beowulf = Good triumphs over evil Symbol of good defeats evil  Grendel’s arm

ifama
Download Presentation

Beowulf

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Beowulf Significance and Theme

  2. Theme of Beowulf • Theme: the central idea or insight of a work of literature; the idea the writer wishes to convey about the subject. • Theme of Beowulf = Good triumphs over evil • Symbol of good defeats evil  Grendel’s arm • The definition of “good” is determined by the poet. • Though the identity of the Beowulf poet is unknown, scholars believe that a Christian monk wrote it down.

  3. Tensions in Beowulf • Religious: Paganism vs. Christianity • Grendel and Grendel’s mother uphold Paganism while Beowulf and the others uphold Christianity. • Nature: Land vs. Water • Pagan beings reside in the water while the humans live on land. • Humanity: Good vs. Evil • Beowulf represents good while Grendel and his mother represent evil. • Good = Christian beliefs and ethics, land, Beowulf • Evil = Pagan beliefs and practices, water, Grendel, Grendel’s mother

  4. Beowulf: The Epic hero • Beowulf is a Christ-like figure because: • Savior of the Danes, who are not Christians and turn to Pagan gods for help • Sacrificial death • Fights the evil and demonic spawn of Cain • As an epic hero, Beowulf not only reflects the values of Christianity, but also the warrior qualities valued by the Anglo-Saxon culture.

More Related