Theme Of Literary Devices In Beowulf

Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye is a story of horrendous monsters of legends Beowulf has to face. But, Beowulf is not your ordinary hero, and this story isn’t your ordinary hero legend of Good Vs. Evil. In Fact, the story shoes things aren’t so black and white. You will hear again and again, about light and darkness being in the same being, a kind of a yin and yang concept. That is one of many themes throughout this story, and the longer you read the more you see the deeper, overarching theme of the entire story.

The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic, chronicling the distinguished deeds of the great Geatish warrior, Beowulf, who travels across the seas to rid the Danes of the evil monster Grendel, who has been inflicting destruction and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land fiendish monsters and stopping the scourge of evil, while the monster, Grendel, is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves death for its evil actions. However, many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel, sets out to change the reader’s perception of Grendel and his role in Beowulf by narrating the story through Grendel’s point of view. John Gardner transforms Grendel, once perceived as an evil fiend in Beowulf, into a lonely but intelligent outcast who is actually quite similar to humans, due to his intelligence capacity for rational thought and his real, and at times irrational emotions. Gardner portrays Grendel as a hurt individual and as a victim of oppression, ostracized from civilization. Although the two works revolve around the same basic plot,, the themes and characters in Beowulf and Grendel are often different and sometimes contradictory.

“No better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise.” This is an ultimate description of the heroic events of Beowulf, an old Anglo-Saxon poem about a warrior who battles and destroys three horrifying monsters. Although written long ago, the emotions expressed within this work, emotions of bravery, valor, and ethics still speak to us centuries later. The anonymous author of the poem convinces us through the masterful use of various literary elements that emphasize its meaning and message. Conflict, imagery and setting are three literary elements that contribute to the effectiveness of the poem.

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that tells a story of a Geat hero named Beowulf who comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, and agrees to help his people defeat the monstrous Grendel. After successfully ridding the land of the beast, Beowulf eventually becomes the king of the Geats for quite some time until his own demise at the hands of another beast. The story was influenced by both pagan and Christian mythologies as it was written during a

The rigid and confined society of the Danes also shaped the way its people think and act, but also influenced greatly on the writings. Given the fact that metaphors and kennings are common in Old English literature; the representation of “evil” is also something not to be taken on a literal level. “Edgetho had begun a bitter feud / Killing Hathlaf, a Wulfing warrior” (459-460), inter-tribal feuds, therefore, are also a destroyer of peace. Grendel takes on a form that is left uncertain; its real meaning hidden behind the metaphorical mask of a monster, is the never-ending battles between tribal armies (namely, the Danes, Geats, Frisians, and the Swedes) that had disturbed the tranquility people had longed for. It is almost a barrier of peacekeeping, hider of hope. Hence, it is represented by Grendel, a great evil hated by many, whom

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.

Theme is the central topic of a given text. In Beowulf, war is the theme that is presented thrice within the progression of the story. The first of the three wars is with the monster, Grendel, the second is with the monster’s mother, and the final battle is with the dragon. Within each of these battles, the author subtly questions the reasons for each of them, and whether or not they are actually practical and necessary. The first of the monsters that Beowulf faced had his grievances plainly stated in lines 104 through 105 when it reveals that Grendel “had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters.” This revelation, although it does neither condone nor justify his actions, provides his reasoning for feasting upon the sleeping men. Some may argue that Beowulf, himself possesses many undesirable qualities for a hero. Chih-chiao Joseph Yang addresses this argument in his essay entitled “Humanizing the monsters: a schematic reading of Beowulf” when he states that

The theme of Beowulf: A New Telling is dark versus light or good versus evil. The king of Danes, Hrothgar is a king loved by his people and shows great light and good in him. He is a strong, generous king. He is one of the main protagonists of the story and almost dies at the hands of Grendel, until his lovely wife Wealtheow saves him. Wealtheow is also an example of light in Beowulf: A New Telling because she cares so deeply for Beowulf, and gives him a magnificent gold ring. Her love and light thwarted Grendel as she threw herself on top of Hrothgar to die with her love. Grendel is an example of dark and evil in the book. Grendel is a cold-hearted murder who literally leaves a trail of blood wherever he goes. Grendel is fat, greedy, and the Son of Cain, which shows darkness that contrasts against the great light of Wealtheow and Hrothgar. Grendel lives in the Fen, a dark and evil place filled with horrific creatures such as a horse with no head and hands instead of hooves. The Fen is full of

The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the

Beowulf exemplifies heroic qualities that convey his nobility and courage. The poem named Beowulf has no known author. The author of the poem is known to be a Anglo-Saxon poet. The poem, "Beowulf", is an Old English epic poem. The character, Beowulf, is a noble hero who offered to help King Hrothgar by fighting a demon named Grendal. He fought many enemies before and while becoming a king. Beowulf is a loyal and noble hero to the people of Geats and Danes. Epic heroes are defined with specific qualities that this particular literary epic hero fits into. Many literary heroes are described with particular characteristics, and Beowulf fits those standards in order to be considered a hero. Beowulf expresses many heroic qualities that depict him as a noble and loyal leader.

In the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is said, "Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people" (Beowulf 5). That being stated, it is very apparent throughout the entirety of the story. The main character, Beowulf, quickly comes to a position of power once defeating multiple atrocities and executing numerous heroic deeds. The people in the city admire Beowulf and abide to his ways; but once offered kingship, he declines. Throughout the epic poem, it is obvious that Beowulf would rather be a hero than a king because of the individual representation that comes with it, the rewards, and the self-reliant aspect.

Beowulf is an epic story that relates well to the time that it was introduced by having the stories of the epic battles and the defeats of the treacherous monsters that kept everyone entertained during this era. Not only does Beowulf represent the era well, but it also has very interesting characters, themes and symbols that help teach us lessons that are very much so needed in today's society.

Literary devises use utilized by authors to help show common themes as well as tone and symbolism. The epic poem Beowulf (translated by Seamus Heany) is a three-part epic of the Anglo-Saxon warrior Beowulf. First, he brought his warriors to Heorot and to the king Hrothgar to help him get rid of the monster Grendel. Grendel is a monster, and is very isolated. Beowulf is successful and ends up killing Grendel, and kills Grendel’s mother after she returns an attack. The final part is Beowulf’s final fight with a dragon, in which he dies. Various literary terms are used in Beowulf to help provide themes of fear of outcasts, the struggle of good and evil, and the difference between isolation and being part of a tribe.

Grendel, a monster who lives at the bottom of a nearby mere, is provoked by the singing and celebrating of Hrothgar's followers. He appears at the hall late one night and kills thirty of the warriors in their sleep. For the next twelve years, the fear of Grendel's fury casts a shadow over the lives of the Danes. Hrothgar and his advisors can think of nothing to calm the monster's anger.

Early in the writing, the use of kennings helps communicate one of the many motifs in the poem: courage. King Hrothgar, ruler of Denmark, builds a meadhall for the Danes. Once the hall is built, loud celebrating commences each night. Soon enough, nearby mythical monster, Grendel, becomes angry with the noise and terrorizes the residents. Grendel’s attacks are described as follows in lines 120-122: “Like a dark