Metaphor Analysis

Beowulf was written in Old English, and the dominant feature of the verse is alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonants in words placed fairly closely together. In the original Old English, each line in the poem is split up into two parts. Each line has four stressed syllables. As Seamus Heaney, the translator, explains in his introduction, the first stressed syllable of the second part of the line alliterates with the first or second (or both) stressed syllables of the first part of the line. Because of the way modern English differs from Old English, Heaney's translation cannot follow

this scheme exactly, although the pattern can seen for example in line 64: "The fortunes of war favoured Hrothgar." In this line, the first stressed syllable of the second part of the line (the first syllable of "favoured") alliterates with the first stressed syllable of the first part: "fortunes"). Heaney makes plentiful use of alliteration throughout his translation of the poem. The first five lines for example, are consistently alliterative: So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns. There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging amongst foes. The alliterating consonants are underlined. Note that "k" alliterates with a hard "c," since the sounds are the same. The same applies to "w," which is silent when followed by an "r," and "r." More examples could be chosen at random, such as: The sure-footed fighter felt daunted,the strongest of warriors stumbled and fell. (lines 1543-44) This is why the poem should ideally be read aloud (as it no doubt was in the days of the mead-hall), because then these poetic effects can be heard.

Top Ten Quotes

1) They stretched their beloved lord in his boat, laid out by the mast, amidships.the great ring-giver. Far-fetched treasureswere piled on him, and precious gear. (lines 34-37) The Danes give their dead lord, Shield Sheafson a royal send off. 2) In off the moors, down through the mist bands .God-cursed Grendel came greedily loping.The bane of the race of men roamed forth,hunting for prey in the high hall.(lines 710-13). 3) He has done his worst but the wound will end him. He is hasped and hooped and hirpling with pain,limping and looped in it. Like a man outlawed.for wickedness, he must await.the mighty judgement of God in majesty.(lines 974-78) Beowulf speaks after he has killed Grendel.

4) Grendel's mother,monstrous hell-bride, brooded on her wrongs. She had been forced down into fearful waters,he cold depths, after Cain had killed.his father's son, felled his ownbrother with a sword. (lines 1258-63) 5) A few miles from herea frost-stiffened wood waits and keeps watch above a mere; the overhanging bankis a maze of tree-roots mirrored in its surface.At night there, something uncanny happen:the water burns. (lines 136267) The poet describes the mere in which Grendel's mother lives. 6) It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. lines 1384-85) Beowulf speaks, after Grendel's mother has killed Aeschere. 7) In pure gold inlay on the sword-guards there were rune-markings correctly incised,stating and recording for whom the swordhad been first made and ornamentedwith its scrollworked hilt. (lines 1694-98) A description of the hilt of the sword Beowulf recovered from Grendel's mother. 8) The dragon began to belch out flames and burn bright homesteads; there was a hot glowhat scared everyone, for the vile sky-wingerwould leave nothing alive in his wake. (lines 2312-15) 9) Your deeds are famous,so stay resolute, my lord, defend your life now with the whole of your strength. I shall stand by you.(lines 2666-68) Wiglaf speaks to Beowulf before joining him in the fight against the dragon. 10) They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded,kindest to his people and keenest to win fame. (lines 3180-82) The Geats' tribute to Beowulf after his death.

Theme Analysis
Heroism The main theme of Beowulf is heroism. This involves far more than physical courage. It also means that the warrior must fulfil his obligations to the group of which he is a key member. There is a clear-cut network of social duties depicted

in the poem. The king has an obligation to behave with generosity. He must reward his thanes with valuable gifts for their defense of the tribe and their success in battle. This is why King Hrothgar is known as the "ring-giver." He behaves according to expectations of the duties of a lord when he lavishly rewards Beowulf and the other Geat warriors for ridding the Danes of Grendel's menace. But the thanes have their obligations too. (A thane is a warrior who has been rewarded by his king with a gift of land.) They must show undivided loyalty to their lord. Only in this way can the society survive, because the world depicted in Beowulf is a ruthless and dangerous one. The warriors must be prepared for battle at all times. Only in the mead-hall is there any respite from the dangers of the world outside. As Seamus Heaney writes in his introduction to the poem: "Here [in the mead-hall] is heat and light, rank and ceremony, human solidarity and culture" (p. xv). This is why the coming of Grendel is so traumatic for the Danes. They are being attacked in their own sanctuary. Beowulf is the greatest of the heroes depicted in the poem not only because he has the greatest prowess in battle. He also perfectly fulfills his social obligations. He has the virtues of a civilized man, as well as the strength of the warrior. He looks after his people and is always gracious and kind. The following lines are typical of the way in which Beowulf is depicted: Thus Beowulf bore himself with valor;he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honourand took no advantage; never cut down a comrade who was drunk, kept his temper and, warrior that he was, watched and controlled his God-sent strength and his outstanding natural powers. (lines 2177-83) Beowulf does not fail his people, even at the last, when as an old man he goes forward without hesitation to battle the dragon. He does what he knows he must do. In this sense he is like Hamlet in the last act of Shakespeare's play, who is finally ready to avenge the death of his father. Like Hamlet, Beowulf is determined to play out his role as it is appointed for him, whatever the cost to himself. He faces up to his destiny, his fate, without flinching. By doing so he makes himself an exemplar for not only the Geats in a long-gone heroic society, but for the modern reader too. Blood-Feuds Although Beowulf is in some respects a Christian poem, its social code emphasizes justice rather than mercy. The code of the warrior society is a simple but harsh one. It is blood for blood. If there is killing, the clan that has suffered must exact revenge. Since feuds between different clans break out regularly, the effect is to create a never-ending process of retaliation. It is this, just as much as the presence of the monsters, that gives the poem its dark atmosphere. The

awareness that a feud is about to reopen supplies much of the foreboding that is apparent at the end of the poem, for example. With Beowulf their protector gone, the Geats fear that old feuds with the Swedes will be resumed, and they will be the worse for it. Various blood-feuds in the past are alluded to many times in the poem. The most vivid description is contained in the long section (lines 1070-1157) in which the minstrel sings of the saga of Finn and his sons, which is about a feud between the Frisians and the Danes. There was one other way of settling disputes in these societies, and that was through the payment of compensation in gold. This was literally the "death-price," an agreed upon price that the dead man was considered to be worth. This practice is alluded to in the lines about Grendel, who would not stop his killing, nor pay the death-price. No counsellor could ever expect fair reparation from those rabid hands. (lines 156-58) Another example is when Hrothgar pays compensation in gold to the Geats for the loss of the Geat warrior to Grendel. Christianity and Fate There are many references in the poem to the Christian belief in one almighty God who takes a personal interest in human affairs. Beowulf and Hrothgar give praise to God for the defeat of Grendel. The outcome of battles is attributed to the judgment of God, and Beowulf puts his trust in God. The scriptural references, however, are restricted to the Old Testament rather than the New. The story of Cain and Abel is mentioned, for example, in explaining the origins of Grendel. And the sword hilt of Grendel's mother is engraved with a depiction of the Flood described in the book of Genesis. But Beowulf makes no mention at all of Christ, or an afterlife in heaven for the believer. The burial rites described, in which warriors are buried with their treasure, does not suggest belief in a Christian heaven. Scholars debate the question of how fundamental Christianity is to the poem. It does not strike anyone as a thoroughly Christian work. The atmosphere of much of Beowulf is dark and pagan. There are many references to an impersonal fate that controls the destinies of men. "Fate goes ever as fate must," (line 455) says Beowulf, only a few lines after he has referred to the judgment of God. Not long after this, when Beowulf tells of his battles with sea-monsters, he says, "fate spares

the man it has not already marked." He does not say God spares the man. And the poet's words, "fate, / the grim shape of things to come" (lines 1233-34) does not suggest Christian hope and joy. The two perspectives, pagan and Christian, therefore co-exist in the poem.