Summary
Summary English literature, Beowulf
- Course
- Level
A summary of the story Beowulf for English literature. Explained with context. Written in English, for VWO.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
vga11
Reviews received
Content preview
Beowulf is the oldest European text written in a vernacular (i.e. common people’s) language. It is believed to haveoriginated somewhere in the 6th century, but was only written down in the 10 th century. It is unknown who wrote (i.e.
came up with) Beowulf, but it was written down by a Christian monk in a manuscript (Beowulf manuscript or Nowell
Codex). Before having been written down it was recited by poets from memory.
A summary of Beowulf:
The Danish king Hrothgar is enjoying his prosperous reign over Denmark and in order to celebrate it builds
a great mead-hall in which his warriors can come together to enjoy themselves. This happiness unfortunately
angers a horrible demon named Grendel, who then subsequently terrorizes the Danes every night, murdering
and defeating them again and again. The people suffer years at the hands of Grendel. That is, until a young
warrior named Beowulf hears of these misfortunes and decides to travel to Denmark, determined to defeat
this monster.
Beowulf arrives with a small company of men, and a great feast is held. It is then, well into the night, that
the blood-thirsty Grendel arrives. Beowulf slays the monster with absolute ease, making it cower in fear
beforehand, and tearing Grendel’s arm off when it attempted to escape. This severed arm is afterwards placed
highly in the mead-hall as a symbol of victory.
Celebrations continue until another threat arrives; Grendel’s mother. Overcome with anger due to her son’s
death she sets out to avenge him, in the process murdering one of Beowulf’s greatest advisors. After having
committed the murder, she slinks off to her swamp again, only to be fought by Beowulf who murders her,
with this having ridden the Danish land of all its monsters. Everybody is overjoyed and Beowulf is loved by
all in the kingdom.
Beowulf returns to Geatland and, some years later, becomes king of it himself. All is well for a long time,
until a dragon disturbs the peace. Beowulf goes off to fight it, and manages to kill it, but dies himself of the
wounds inflicted upon him. He is then cremated on an enormous pyre, which marks the end of the story.
The Anglo-Saxon oral tradition is also evident in the story. Like other oral art, it was handed down, with changes and
embellishments, from one story teller to another. To aid the retelling of the story, several poetic devices are
incorporated into this epic poem: it is written in alliterative verse.
The characteristics of alliterative verse are the following:
• Alliteration, i.e. repetition of initial sounds of words (occurs in every line)
• Generally four feet/beats per line
• A caesura, or pause, between beats two and four
• No (end) rhyme
Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in words close to one another in lines of poetry. Instead of
rhyme unifying a poem, the Anglo-Saxon poet used alliteration to connect the narrative structure of the epic.
e.g. “… A powerful monster, living down In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
As day after day the music rang Loud in the hall …”
e.g. “So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall”
4
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller vga11. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $3.82. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
81033 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now