Beowulf pg 1-22

pg 5 "..never heard of before of a ship so well furbished..."

Here is the theme and motif of the respect of a king. Shield had served his kingdom, given wealth, pride, and glory so in respect they give back to him the same way. Also the theme as a warrior as much of the treasure is armor and weaponry.

pg5 L46 "...and launched him alone out over the waves.."

The idea of being fated or backed by god plays in here. When Shields parents or who ever sent him off sent him out they decked him out with goods. This can be compared to moses being sent off in a basket in the the river Nile who was also taken up to become a leader of his people and to be honored much like Shield. There is a reason the parents sent them off in the first place and a reason why they were able to survive.

pg11 L144 "...so Grendel ruled in defiance of right..."

Ironic for Grendel to be ruling over Herot being the only person to feast at it and completely being in control of it rather than the king...

pg13 L156 "...nor stop his dealing nor pay the death price..."

When nothing can be done to pay of the wyrguild the person is exiled such as in kin killing. Grendel has been exiled but continues to wreak havoc ignoring the codes of honor. Interesting how bad things go when people forget about the rules..

pg13 L176 "...at pagan shrines..."

Idea that god may need to be involved to help defeat Grendel. This idea is further backed by Line 169 "...the treasure seat, he was kept from approaching"  Plays into the idea of Grendel being a decedent of Cain and being marked and exiled.

pg15 L200 "sail the swan's road.."

Beowulf is sailing the "swans road" as the swan is considered to be a very large, beautiful and powerful bird often associated with royalty and princess. There are man comments about a swans wings being strong enough to break a mans arm, interesting how beowulf rips off Grendel's arm......gives a sense of glory and dignity to him

pg17 L220 "...thanked God for that easy crossing on a calm sea..."

with the foreshadow of these mighty knights showing up to kill Grendel the idea of God backing them and being involved with killing Grendel is reinforced because God allowed them to get their safely...

Literary Elements

Rite Of Passage: a ritual or doing, that causes a change in a person's social status.

This takes part in the Role of Warriors and as a theme that a warrior must go out into battle and do great deeds so that a poets will sing of them. It is also what Comitatus is based off of, the idea of doing something great to up your status.

Metonymy: the substitution of the name of an object for that of what is actually meant.

Example: In Beowulf the word Iron replaces sword as well as in Moby Dick for harpoon.

This use is used simply to capture what it would be like in real life and to set the "mood" of the piece.

Literary Elements Used in Beowulf

Synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole.

Appositive: a building up of phrases that mean the same thing. This was characteristic of oral poetry to have a set of stock phrases that could be used to fit a pattern. The build up is suppose to have climatic effect. (shepherd of evil, guardian of crime)

Motif: any recurrent image, symbol, theme, character type, subject, or narrative detail that reappears. (kin killing, feuds and ambushes, women mourning, the arming of the warriors swords, heads and limbs, the giving of gifts) how do these things make meaning in the text

Allusion: a reference to a person, event, statement, or theme found in literature, the arts, myths, religion, or popular culture. (many allusions to the bible in beowulf) Grendel is an offspring of cain

Symbols: Heorot, Grendel's lair, Grendel's Arm, Swords, The dragon's Treasure, The three monsters, Many of the characters in the digressions.

Characters: Beowulf, Hrothgar, Unferth, Brecca, Shield Sheafson, Heorogar, Wulfgar, Grendal

Map of Denmark and Sweden, where Beowulf takes place.

Roles of Women: the female role in beowulf is twofold. Firt it involves peacemaking biologically through a woman's marital ties with foreign kings as a peace pledge or a mother of sons. Secondly, it involves peaemaking socially and psychologically as a cup passing and peace weaving queen within a hall.

Roles of Woman: Hostess, Peace Pledge, Monsters

Comitatus: Germanic tribes which invaded britain held strong beliefs in the basic family unit and were industrious and warlike. They chose their kings for birth and their generals for merit. Even poor tribal members could become rich and powerful if they were willing and able to prove themselves brave and adept in battle. The practice of comitatus (a term used by early historian tactitus_ was an agreement by which a youth would attach himself to a strong leader for the purpose of gaining riches and prestige. This arrangement could have been the precursor of the lord-thane relationship of feudal institutions of the time, which can also be observed in Beowulf.
(exile was the worst thing that could happen to a warrior)
(kin-killing was the worst crime that one could commit in the society)
(cowardice equaled failure. It was better to die well in battle than to run away and live to fight another day)

Warrior Culture: Warrior kept their armor and weapons at their sides at all times. "always prepared for war" (swords are symbols and motifs) war is considered a natural, desirable and constant part of life.

Christianity: The poet of Beowulf is christian, but the society he describes is not. Sometimes the narrator's voice comments from a christian perspective on pagan values, beliefs, and customs.

Revenge: the death of a kinsman mst be avenged by his male relations, in blood or in money.

Burial Practices: Burial at sea is the most familiar form of Germanic tribal burial. But they also buried warriors and kings in mounds and in a s tone barrow. Burials often included the weapons and wealth of the corpse.

Boasting: is an art!

THE MONSTERS AND THE CRITICS

Tolkien looked at Beowulf as a fantasy rather than a story written to outline the history of its time. In his criticism he uses the criticism of other authors to point out what and why people have been approaching Beowulf the wrong way by looking at what history is embedded into it and trying to get the history of its time out of it. One critic argues that the structure of Beowulf is "curiously weak" as all it has is the fighting of monsters and not in between, such as the Odyssey or the Aeneid does. Tolkien's take on this idea is that there does not need to be any in between story, as its not setting up the idea of a nation or real hero by trying to make reasons for all the epic battle, but it is a story meant to be read for the pleasure of reading about a heroic warrior. Other critics also argue that the allusions to history does not stick out enough and explain enough about what is going on. Not quite making sense to the story of Beowulf itself. This is partly because the claim that they don't have enough background such as Odysseus's Cyclops does. Tolkien explains this is the way its supposed to be as the history is their to make what Beowulf does seem more prestige and dramatic. The history is there to set the idea of the hardship and battle Beowulf is facing against his enemies the same way you would compare a basketball game to a battle to make the idea of intensity come through. The monsters don't need to have history because they are meant for the sole purpose of Beowulf killing them to make a great journey, not to set up the idea that Beowulf or his nation is fated to be awesome. 

Tolkien's view on the piece allows a reader to enjoy the story for what it is rather than try to pick the history out, and apparently be disappointed as all the other critics were who tried to do so. The idea that a christian writing about a pagan life style was  being looked at as a historic piece, until Tolkien looked at it as a fantasy is notable.  Its interesting because now rather than the piece being historical, the Pagan lifestyle, in a way, has been warped into a fantasy adventure filled with imaginary monsters and creatures. I would wonder if Beowulf would have lived in the end if he was a christian.

Bran The Blessed! (Bendigeidran)

Bendigeidfran, King of Britain, son of Llyr and Penarddun, brother of Branwen, Manawydan, Nisien, and Efnysien. Bendigeidfran’s main actions were in the second part of the Mabinogion where he tried to create peace between Britain and the Irish by marrying off his Sister Branwen to the Irish king Matholwch. This would have gone well but Bendigeidfran’s brother kills his horses and a war is started. In the end after Bendigeidfran wades across a giant canal because he is also a giant. He ends up getting poisoned by a spear and having his head cut off which then is buried and protects Britain from invasion until it is dug up. Bran is seen as a protector and a provider as he also had a magical “horn of plenty” that provided food and drink in abundance for all that asks. He also seems to get bigger and smaller during different situations and is said to be so big that no boat or house has ever been able to contain him.

Peredur son of Efrawg or The Fisher King

Bendigeidfran is seen as a symbol of his country and as a protector for it. This is largely do to the fact the fact that he is a giant large enough to never have been contained by boat or house. This idea is furthered in The Mabinogion when he is compared to the mountains and forest’s as he wades across the Irish canal. As the king represents his country the idea of never being contained in another house gives the idea that his country cannot be contained by anyone but themselves as well as seeming to be much larger and more powerful. Bendigeidfran also protects after death by having his head lobbed off to be buried in London to protect the nation from invasion. By doing all these things Bendigeidfran is used to glorify Britain in the same way the Aeneid did for Rome. Bendigeidfran was most likely created to empower the Welsh and have them buy into he idea of their background so that they would be proud of their history.

Although Bendigeidfran is a hero and a giant who wades across giant bodies of water I find him to be to perfect and a pansy. First, if you’re a giant who can’t fit into a house and can wade across an ocean just for fun. How much of a pansy are you if you get struck by a little spear and then die from it. The Irish are small people I doubt their spears could have been that big, perhaps like a Horse dying from 3 Advil. Second, it is no fun to read about somebody who is invincible. If he can walk across water he should be able to wreak havoc and destroy anybody who comes into his path. I would compare him to super man, somebody who should be able to kill anybody he wanted to based of pure advantage in size and strength, not to mention magical powers, but then they die from some little flaw that needed to be made up so they could die. I do give him credit though for having his head cut off and still being able to talk and entertain people.

Hyperbole: An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect.   

Bran is an over exaggeration as I have a hard time believing that there was a man that large. However his idea of hugeness is used to heighten the effect of his nation and his people and all the things that are associated with his power.

Cacophony, Alliteration

Cacophony:
a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds
Billy Joel was able to get a good nights sleep, despight the cacophony of Quinns car scraping by.

Jabberwocky: by Lewis Carroll
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.


Alliteration:
The repetition of the initial consonant. Normally at least two in a row.

"..Great bodies beating at its beautiful walls...". The B sound in this alliteration gives a sense of the battle sounds, or beating sound that Beowulf created during his battle with Grendle. ."

Branwen Daughter of Llyr: Motif

“They were not within a house, but within tents. Bendigeidfran had never been contained within a house.” Bendigeidfran not being able to be contained is used as a motif in Branwen Daughter of Llyr to make Whales seem much more powerful than Ireland. Bendigeidfran is the king so he represents his people. ”Being contained…” can be looked at as a form of imprisonment or suppression and not being able to be contained gives the idea that Bendigeidfran kingdom will also never be suppressed, especially by another house, such as the Irish. When the Irish do try to contain him in a house, all the people hiding in bags are crushed by his brother who is also a giant. Bendigeidfran also wades across the very deep canal next to his warriors in boats. This reinforces him being king and his power as he is described as a mountain. His people being the forest around him.  The idea of being uncontainable and larger than life simply enforces the idea of power and control over his people as well as making the Irish look week compared to Bendigeidfran and his fellow giants.