Surviving in a single, charred manuscript, the date of Beowulf is not completely certain, it must be later than the poems of Cædmon, who, as Bede records, was the first to write heroic Christian "poetry in his own English tongue," and long enough after the conversion of the English for the Christian style and diction of the poem to be appreciated by its audience. This argues for a date sometime in the eighth century. Certainly, it would not have been later than that, as theViking raids which began with the sack of Lindisfarne in AD 793 make it unlikely that the poet would praise the Danes as he did. A date in the early or middle eighth century also is consistent with the cultural development of Northumbria (or possibly Mercia) at the time.
The poem tells the story of Beowulf, nephew of Hygelac, king of the Geats, a people in southeastern Sweden. He hears of the depredations of a monster called Grendel, who has been attacking Heorot, the dwelling of the Danish king Hrothgar. Beowulf journeys over the sea, where he is received by the king. When Grendel comes again to the hall, he is slain, his arm wrenched from his body by Beowulf, who is praised by the king for the deed. The next night, however, Grendel's mother returns to the hall to avenge her son, devouring Hrothgar's favorite counselor. Beowulf is entreated to rid the kingdom of this monster and follows her back to her lair beneath the water. There, his strength failing him, he slays his foe and returns to Heorot with the head of the monster. Beowulf is rewarded with land and titles, and returns home to his uncle's court.
In time, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and has ruled for fifty years when a dragon, its hoard robbed of ancient treasure, devastates the countryside in revenge. Beowulf resolves to fight the monster but his sword fails him. His retainers, too, flee except for Wiglaf, who reproaches them for their cowardice and strikes the dragon a fatal blow. Beowulf then cuts it in two but sustains a fatal wound. A great funeral pyre and a barrow, filled with the dragon's hoard, is built over the body. Thus ends the story of Beowulf, "most eager for fame."
Critics have varied in their opinion of almost every aspect of Beowulf. For Tolkien, one of the most astute, Grendel and the Dragon both are fundamental to the meaning of the poem, one a suitable beginning for the hero's exploits, the other a fitting end. Together, he regards them as framing the poem's structure and providing a contrasting description of two moments in the life of the hero: its rising and setting, youth and age, first triumph over the nearly human and final defeat by an older and more elemental force. Such monstrous foes are powerful creations of the imagination and elevate the story above history and place to one of fate and the effort of human life. It is not surprising, therefore, that Tolkien later expresses these same themes in the Lord of the Rings.
I'm assuming that the first paragraph is the critic trying ballpark the general date of the poems composition, concluding that is was probably before the Viking raids. The author ends by refering to how Tolkein see's Beowulf's story as a represenative of the life of a hero, begining with triumph over a demon, ending with man perishing after destroying a extraordinary elemental force showing, "...one a suitable suitable beginning for the hero's exploits, the other a fitting end." I will agree with Tolkeins opinion that Beowulf's life shows one of most heroes, a suitable rise, and a great end.
I agree that Beowulf's battles with Grendel and the dragon depict two different stages of the heros life. In the battle with Grendel, Beowulf's youth is represented through his swiftness and decisive victory, while his battle with the dragon is almost sloppy and ends in the death of both.
this seems like a book report of Beowulf along with a short little reader response, however the author does make comparisons to the structure of Beowulf as (s)he compares the rise and fall of Beowulf to the structure that J.R.R. Tolkein employs in Lord of the Rings.
There is sort of a two sided part to Beowulf and his figthing. When he fights the dragon his is quite sloppy and when he fights Grendal he is very smooth in terms of his battle.
I agree with the author when he/she described how age may have been a factor in the death of Beowulf by the Dragon. Beowulf was portrayed as young and strong when he defeated Grendel, but it seems that his age got the better of him against the Dragon.
I agree with the author, Beowulf ruled over 50 years. Not facing any challenges and the dragon coming. I could have very well been a factor of Beowulf's death since he was out of the game so long.
I agree that Beowulf's battles with Grendel and the dragon are very different. When Beowulf fought Grendel,he is described ans young and strong, while his battle with the dragon is sloppy and ends in his death.
The battles between Beowulf and Grendel and Beowulf and the dragon are very different. Beowulf is thought of as a hero of sorts and very strong after killing Grendel. But the dragon led to his death
I would have to agree with Ben Reid on this article. When Beowulf fought grendel he had the strength of a young man that lead to him killing Grendel. But when he fought the dragon i believe he had no strength nd his fight was sloppy which led to his death. He died fighting for his town
There is some truth to the two parts of Beowulf's life which include an impressive building of his reputation and rise to power and also includes an incredible demise.
I agree that the battles between Beowulf and Grendel and Beowulf and the dragon have their differences. Beowulf shows his youth when fighting Grendel, however when he fights the dragon he also loses his life. He dies a hero, though.
I agree with Brandon - when Beowulf defeats Grendel, he is percieved as this young, heroic man, but when he fights the dragon, Beowulf seems as if he has aged and is a tired fighter, which perhaps was one of the factors that resulted in his death.
I agree, the battle Beowulf had with Grendel and the dragon were very different. The battle with Grendel hold's as the start of the story, where Beowulf is percieved as young and courageous. The battle with the dragon gives an end to Beowulf as well as the story.
I agree that age was a key factor in the battles against Grendel and the Dragon. Beowulf was much yonger and stonger when he fought Grendel. His sloppiness against the Dragon really showed his age. I agree with Scott, he truly died a hero.
I agree with the author, Beowulf holds two major moments, the rising of the hero and the fall. Beowulf started a hero from the first fight (grendel) and died a hero against the dragon.
I agree that the two battles had their differences and that age played a pretty big factor in both. In the battle with grendal, Beowulf is much stronger do to his youth. And in the battle with the dragon he seems less swift which leads to his downfall.
I do agree that Beowulf's battles with both Grendel and the dragon were very different from eachother. While in a struggle with Grendel, Beowulf depicted his strength, his youth, and his ability to kill a monster. On contrary, when battling with the dragon, it was sloppy, and later lead to Beowulf's death.
I do not know much about the history of this era to judge the accuracy of the author's guess but it seems that they have sufficient evidence to back it up. I agree with Kevin that besides the first paragraph, the response seems more to be a summary of the story line than a critique of it.
This acticle responds to the structure and historical aspect of the poem. I found the comparison between Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Beowulf. Its interesting to see who was influenced by the poem.
The essay is very interesting. It goes into the historical background of Beowulf and when it may have been writen. I am not familiar with the historical time when Beowulf could have been writen. The author of the article explains the important events in Beowulf, and Beowulf's success. I agree with the author that critics vary on their opinions about Beowulf.
It is interesting to note that the dragon and Grendel represent two stages in the life of Beowulf. It is also interesting that Tolkein would later include the same theme in The Lord of the Rings.
The two different battles of Beowulf show that age may have been a factor of the battles. The battle between Grendel and Beowulf showed him as a brave and valiant warrior who defeated a evil monster. Fifty years later Beowulf fights a dragon and they are a even match and both end up dying.
Geoffrey Chaucer began writing The Canterbury Tales sometime around 1387 A.D.; the uncompleted manuscript was published in 1400, the year he died. Having recently passed the six hundredth anniversary of its publication, the book is still of interest to modern students for several reasons. For one thing, The Canterbury Tales is recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language. Before Chaucer’s time, even poets who lived in England wrote in Italian or Latin, which meant that poetry was only understandable to people of the wealthy, educated class. English was considered low class and vulgar. To a great degree, The Canterbury Tales helped make it a legitimate language to work in. Because of this work, all of the great writers who followed, from Shakespeare to Dryden to Keats to Eliot, owe him a debt of gratitude. It is because Chaucer wrote in English that there is a written record of the roots from which the modern language grew. Contemporary readers might find his words nearly as difficult to follow as a foreign language, but scholars are thankful for the chance to compare Middle English to the language as it is spoken now, to examine its growth.
25 comments:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0026-8232%28198611%2984%3A2%3C117%3A%22THAKO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I&size=SMALL
Critic on Grendel in BeoWulf. :)
Surviving in a single, charred manuscript, the date of Beowulf is not completely certain, it must be later than the poems of Cædmon, who, as Bede records, was the first to write heroic Christian "poetry in his own English tongue," and long enough after the conversion of the English for the Christian style and diction of the poem to be appreciated by its audience. This argues for a date sometime in the eighth century. Certainly, it would not have been later than that, as theViking raids which began with the sack of Lindisfarne in AD 793 make it unlikely that the poet would praise the Danes as he did. A date in the early or middle eighth century also is consistent with the cultural development of Northumbria (or possibly Mercia) at the time.
The poem tells the story of Beowulf, nephew of Hygelac, king of the Geats, a people in southeastern Sweden. He hears of the depredations of a monster called Grendel, who has been attacking Heorot, the dwelling of the Danish king Hrothgar. Beowulf journeys over the sea, where he is received by the king. When Grendel comes again to the hall, he is slain, his arm wrenched from his body by Beowulf, who is praised by the king for the deed. The next night, however, Grendel's mother returns to the hall to avenge her son, devouring Hrothgar's favorite counselor. Beowulf is entreated to rid the kingdom of this monster and follows her back to her lair beneath the water. There, his strength failing him, he slays his foe and returns to Heorot with the head of the monster. Beowulf is rewarded with land and titles, and returns home to his uncle's court.
In time, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and has ruled for fifty years when a dragon, its hoard robbed of ancient treasure, devastates the countryside in revenge. Beowulf resolves to fight the monster but his sword fails him. His retainers, too, flee except for Wiglaf, who reproaches them for their cowardice and strikes the dragon a fatal blow. Beowulf then cuts it in two but sustains a fatal wound. A great funeral pyre and a barrow, filled with the dragon's hoard, is built over the body. Thus ends the story of Beowulf, "most eager for fame."
Critics have varied in their opinion of almost every aspect of Beowulf. For Tolkien, one of the most astute, Grendel and the Dragon both are fundamental to the meaning of the poem, one a suitable beginning for the hero's exploits, the other a fitting end. Together, he regards them as framing the poem's structure and providing a contrasting description of two moments in the life of the hero: its rising and setting, youth and age, first triumph over the nearly human and final defeat by an older and more elemental force. Such monstrous foes are powerful creations of the imagination and elevate the story above history and place to one of fate and the effort of human life. It is not surprising, therefore, that Tolkien later expresses these same themes in the Lord of the Rings.
I'm assuming that the first paragraph is the critic trying ballpark the general date of the poems composition, concluding that is was probably before the Viking raids. The author ends by refering to how Tolkein see's Beowulf's story as a represenative of the life of a hero, begining with triumph over a demon, ending with man perishing after destroying a extraordinary elemental force showing, "...one a suitable suitable beginning for the hero's exploits, the other a fitting end." I will agree with Tolkeins opinion that Beowulf's life shows one of most heroes, a suitable rise, and a great end.
I agree that Beowulf's battles with Grendel and the dragon depict two different stages of the heros life. In the battle with Grendel, Beowulf's youth is represented through his swiftness and decisive victory, while his battle with the dragon is almost sloppy and ends in the death of both.
this seems like a book report of Beowulf along with a short little reader response, however the author does make comparisons to the structure of Beowulf as (s)he compares the rise and fall of Beowulf to the structure that J.R.R. Tolkein employs in Lord of the Rings.
There is sort of a two sided part to Beowulf and his figthing. When he fights the dragon his is quite sloppy and when he fights Grendal he is very smooth in terms of his battle.
I agree with the author when he/she described how age may have been a factor in the death of Beowulf by the Dragon. Beowulf was portrayed as young and strong when he defeated Grendel, but it seems that his age got the better of him against the Dragon.
I agree with the author, Beowulf ruled over 50 years. Not facing any challenges and the dragon coming. I could have very well been a factor of Beowulf's death since he was out of the game so long.
I agree that Beowulf's battles with Grendel and the dragon are very different. When Beowulf fought Grendel,he is described ans young and strong, while his battle with the dragon is sloppy and ends in his death.
The battles between Beowulf and Grendel and Beowulf and the dragon are very different. Beowulf is thought of as a hero of sorts and very strong after killing Grendel. But the dragon led to his death
I would have to agree with Ben Reid on this article. When Beowulf fought grendel he had the strength of a young man that lead to him killing Grendel. But when he fought the dragon i believe he had no strength nd his fight was sloppy which led to his death. He died fighting for his town
There is some truth to the two parts of Beowulf's life which include an impressive building of his reputation and rise to power and also includes an incredible demise.
I agree that the battles between Beowulf and Grendel and Beowulf and the dragon have their differences. Beowulf shows his youth when fighting Grendel, however when he fights the dragon he also loses his life. He dies a hero, though.
I agree with Brandon - when Beowulf defeats Grendel, he is percieved as this young, heroic man, but when he fights the dragon, Beowulf seems as if he has aged and is a tired fighter, which perhaps was one of the factors that resulted in his death.
I agree, the battle Beowulf had with Grendel and the dragon were very different. The battle with Grendel hold's as the start of the story, where Beowulf is percieved as young and courageous. The battle with the dragon gives an end to Beowulf as well as the story.
I agree that age was a key factor in the battles against Grendel and the Dragon. Beowulf was much yonger and stonger when he fought Grendel. His sloppiness against the Dragon really showed his age. I agree with Scott, he truly died a hero.
I agree with the author, Beowulf holds two major moments, the rising of the hero and the fall. Beowulf started a hero from the first fight (grendel) and died a hero against the dragon.
I agree that the two battles had their differences and that age played a pretty big factor in both. In the battle with grendal, Beowulf is much stronger do to his youth. And in the battle with the dragon he seems less swift which leads to his downfall.
I do agree that Beowulf's battles with both Grendel and the dragon were very different from eachother. While in a struggle with Grendel, Beowulf depicted his strength, his youth, and his ability to kill a monster. On contrary, when battling with the dragon, it was sloppy, and later lead to Beowulf's death.
I do not know much about the history of this era to judge the accuracy of the author's guess but it seems that they have sufficient evidence to back it up. I agree with Kevin that besides the first paragraph, the response seems more to be a summary of the story line than a critique of it.
This acticle responds to the structure and historical aspect of the poem. I found the comparison between Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Beowulf. Its interesting to see who was influenced by the poem.
The essay is very interesting. It goes into the historical background of Beowulf and when it may have been writen. I am not familiar with the historical time when Beowulf could have been writen. The author of the article explains the important events in Beowulf, and Beowulf's success. I agree with the author that critics vary on their opinions about Beowulf.
It is interesting to note that the dragon and Grendel represent two stages in the life of Beowulf. It is also interesting that Tolkein would later include the same theme in The Lord of the Rings.
The two different battles of Beowulf show that age may have been a factor of the battles. The battle between Grendel and Beowulf showed him as a brave and valiant warrior who defeated a evil monster. Fifty years later Beowulf fights a dragon and they are a even match and both end up dying.
Geoffrey Chaucer began writing The Canterbury Tales sometime around 1387 A.D.; the uncompleted manuscript was published in 1400, the year he died. Having recently passed the six hundredth anniversary of its publication, the book is still of interest to modern students for several reasons. For one thing, The Canterbury Tales is recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language. Before Chaucer’s time, even poets who lived in England wrote in Italian or Latin, which meant that poetry was only understandable to people of the wealthy, educated class. English was considered low class and vulgar. To a great degree, The Canterbury Tales helped make it a legitimate language to work in. Because of this work, all of the great writers who followed, from Shakespeare to Dryden to Keats to Eliot, owe him a debt of gratitude. It is because Chaucer wrote in English that there is a written record of the roots from which the modern language grew. Contemporary readers might find his words nearly as difficult to follow as a foreign language, but scholars are thankful for the chance to compare Middle English to the language as it is spoken now, to examine its growth.
In the same way that The Canterbury Tales gives modern readers a sense of the language at the time, the book also gives a rich, intricate tapestry of medieval social life, combining elements of all classes, from nobles to workers, from priests and nuns to drunkards and thieves. The General Prologue alone provides a panoramic view of society that is not like any found elsewhere in all of literature. Students who are not particularly interested in medieval England can appreciate the author’s technique in capturing the variations of human temperament and behavior. Collections of stories were common in Chaucer’s time, and some still exist today, but the genius of The Canterbury Tales is that the individual stories are presented in a continuing narrative, showing how all of the various pieces of life connect to one another. ©eNotes. This entry does not cover all the tales, only some of the most studied.
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