Imagery in the Old English Poem Beowulf Essay

Beowulf is an epic poem written 1000 to 1300 years ago in Old English and translated by Seamus Heaney into Modern English. Beowulf is a significant piece of literature art work not only because it is one of the earliest known works, but also because it reflects and represents the authors, the Anglo-Saxons’ culture and values. At first, this story was passed around orally, from one person to another. Then, later on, the Anglo-Saxons wrote the entire story down into a manuscript. As well as the Anglo-Saxons loved their stories, they loved to boast, too. Boasting wasn’t an arrogant thing to do in their society, instead, it was socially acceptable, or even essential in one’s life. The Anglo-Saxons loved telling stories and boasting; they also liked material things such as gold swords and silver shields. Those were the rewards a soldier receives from their king, which represents their qualities and achievements. Beowulf reveals the Anglo-Saxons’ values in many parts of the poem.

“I am Beowulf, son of Beowulf...I am Beowulf, father of himself...I am Beowulf, who am myself.” p.71 Beowulf is a good book to read if you are interested in battles between light and dark, great writing, or a real, strong hero. There are many battles in this book, ones that take you into a fen, on top of a mountain in the home of a firedrake, or just with a rotten smell in a great big hall of your uncle’s, friend’s, father.

As she passes the ruins she recreates the pleasant things that had been there. Despite the reasonable arguments that her goods belonged to God and whatever God does is just, there is in the poem an undercurrent of regret that the loss is not fully compensated for by the hope of the treasure that lies above. (84)

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or ideas. Symbolism is one of the most common practices of writing, and has been used for centuries. Symbols can often tell a story better than a human can because of there deeper meaning. When epic poems became popular during the Anglo-Saxon period they were filled with harrowing tales of bravery, and courage. Epic poems are long narrative poems that often have characters facing impossible tasks and still finding courage to defeat them. While many marvel at the original Anglo-Saxon dialect of Beowulf, Seamus Heany's modern English translation allows all readers to enjoy this tale.

Although the author of Beowulf is unknown, his ability to reveal an eternal truth is undeniable. The author uses literary elements such as theme, points-of-view, and symbolism to portray his purpose. Countries and world leaders still struggle with the concepts in Beowulf. Analyzing the deeper meaning of Beowulf will reveal the truth behind the reason for war and conflict.

Alcohol has been observed in countless works of literature throughout history. It has been seen a tool of an assailant, the preferred drink of unsavory character, or maybe even a symbol of peace. The versatile concoction has taken many forms, and at times it seems to be specifically praised and at other moments it is just a convenient transition to the next viable part of the narrative. Yet there are some narratives that expose alcohol as an important part of their ceremonies and rituals without calling undue notice to this feature. While glory, fame, and reputation are significant elements to the overall foundation of the Warrior society that is explored within Beowulf, there are other less obvious elements that hold crucial substance as well. The ceremonies such as the feasts, the passing of the beer horn, and gift presentations are saturated with ritual demands that must be observed. This analysis will take a deeper look at the significance of beer drinking that is exposed as a crucial element to the ritual completion during two different moments with the text. The first will be the Feast after Beowulf’s arrival at King Hrothgar’s court and the second will be during the feast as which Freawaru is observed distributing drink and gifts. Could the drink be used as a formality of displaying alliance and safe boarding or could it be a be a way to temper reactions during more emotionally charged moments?

Given, the current high profile debate with regard to dating the epic poem Beowulf, it is quite surprising that some scholars go as far as placing it during the Vendel era around 550 - 793 CE. Even though it is considered as a kind of folk tale, many are those who believe it happened towards the early Vendel era. As a rebuttal to this point, it might be?convincingly argued?that this period is also referred to as the Germanic Iron Age. Moreover, this era saw the rise of Norse mythology, which is very fatalistic in nature; it focuses on a world coming to an end in a great cataclysm. Along with

“Wooden floors were an unknown luxury. In a single room were huddled, like cattle, ten or a dozen persons, men, women, and children. We had neither bedsteads nor furniture of any description. Our beds were collections of straw and old rags, thrown down in the corners and boxed in with boards; a single blanket the only covering.”

Since humans first emerged into the intellectual sphere of literature, extravagant tales of mystical lands, bloody wars, and gallant heroes spread far and wide. All treasured tales transpire time, From trespassing viking warlords, to poetic french vineyards, and indian tribes across the sea, each culture remains coated in these tales. In the twenty first century there is no need for memorizing stories, however in times gone by stories were circulated by tune or voice until christianity began to spread worldwide. Beowulf, written by an anonymous christian monk, possesses a timeless approach of a classic fight for love and glory; a case of do or die to audiences across the span of a lifetime with intricate tones,

The mead-hall is both symbolism and a setting in the epic. The building is like a palace that towers high just as a cliff with horn shaped at the ends of the walls. It’s more than a home for the

In the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf, King Hrothgar’s men enjoy feasts and drown their sorrow and fears in all the finest mead served at Heorot, the King’s mead-hall. The mead hall originated in Europe as a gathering place for the community, where the rulers lived and administered daily function, and their warriors served as faithful guards. In the early Anglo-Saxon period before Christianity gained influence, a ruler summoned his household for a ritual gathering, where the men drank, made boasts or binding oaths in the service of their lord and received gifts of land from him. Even drunken oaths were upheld and the safety of those in attendance at feasts safeguarded by the lord. The mead-halls were constructed of timber with thatched roofs to accommodate hundreds of guests. There were everyday gatherings,but feasts to celebrate battle

The role the mead-hall plays in Anglo-Saxon warrior culture is an important one, for without such a hall, there is no such basis for a community. The mead-hall offers the security and stability that a warrior needs after a long day. Likewise, it is also the warrior culture’s ultimate vulnerability, “So times were pleasant for the people there until finally one, a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world” (p1237). As presented in Beowulf, the mead-hall is the very reason he is given a chance to prove his extraordinary strength and power due to Grendal sneaking in the great hall at night to ravenously devour warriors one by one, “So, after nightfall, Grendal set out for the lofty house…there he came upon them, a company of the best asleep from their feasting, insensible to pain and human sorrow…he grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair” (p1238).

      The characters in the Old English poem Beowulf certainly delighted in the seas. This essay seeks to compare their attitude toward the sea with that expressed in another Old English poem, The Seafarer.

Anglo-Saxon Brittan 1500 years ago was a harsh time, countless warrior tribes lived with the constant threat of attack. These tribes of Germanic, Scandinavian, and Danish decent relentlessly warred with each other in order to increase their tribe’s influence and wealth. Each tribe was led and cared for by a King. A King’s influence over its neighboring lands was determined by his military might, his wealth, his thanes, and his mead hall. Of these three, the mead hall was the most multifaceted and essential. The Swiss Army knife of buildings, the mead hall was a palace, a dining hall, a bar, and sleeping quarters—a truly essential communal property that was a beacon of light in an unforgiving dark world. It is for this reason Heorot hall, immortalized in the epic poem Beowulf, is the best supporting actor of the tale. Every King has a palace, and in Beowulf, Heorot Hall was King Rathgar’s

The poem of Beowulf is one of the earliest recorded pieces of literature in history, written at an estimated time of around 1000 A.D. and set in the pagan world of sixth-century Scandinavia. Disregarding the poem’s age, the writing uses many of the same literary devices people use modern day-- such as kennings, alliteration, and caesura. Kennings are compound expressions used in Anglo-Saxon writings that have a metaphorical meaning. For example, the word sea-traveler could be used to describe a boat. Alliteration is when there is a repetition of words that start with the same letter. Caesura is a type of verse unique to Anglo-Saxon, Greek, and Latin literature that breaks the text into two with each side sharing a similar number of syllables to create an intense, ominous tone of rhythmic sound. With the use of these three devices, pictures are painted in the minds of readers, and characters are both directly and indirectly developed to enhance the story. Often in this epic poem, courage is expanded upon and interpreted in different ways with the use of these tactics.