Beowulf Lecture Notes PDF

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Beowulf Literary Analysis Notes Beowulf is a complex story that incorporates many themes into one tale. Whether you’re analyzing the theme of good v. evil or bravery there’s a lot of examples, hidden and clear as day, within the text. 

To correctly analyze the story of Beowulf it is critical to take into consideration the characters relations to one another, the objects that come into play, and finally the setting.

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To be able to further understand the story it’s essential to make these connections to understand why the author chose to make these decisions in the story, as well as the writing style used for the poem.

The relationships of the characters to one another are significant in the understanding of the poem. 

For example, if it wasn’t known that Beowulf’s father was taken in by Hrothgar, then the understanding behind Beowulf’s want to repay dues would not be clear. o lays the foundation for why Beowulf took it upon himself to travel across the sea and kill their biggest threat, Grendel.

Objects throughout the story are important to the development of the plot because they too have stories within them that contribute to the entire poem itself. One object in particular that has a very powerful meaning behind it was Beowulf’s sword, Hrunting. 

When Beowulf went off to battle Grendel’s mother shortly after killing her son, he quickly discovered that his best weapon had no use in fighting the monster. o It is noted in the text that this is the very first account of issuance

o The significance of Hrunting goes onto explain that just like Beowulf, Grendel’s mother too obtains supernatural like qualities; it is not possible to harm her in any way with human weapons. o Another important object that had a major role in the poem of Beowulf was the cup. 

The jeweled cup that was ultimately stolen from the dragon’s lair determined the fate of both Beowulf and the story. It is what lead Beowulf to take on a battle that he, in the end, couldn’t persevere through. o This cup signified Beowulf’s untimely death and the last time he would take part in a battle. When Beowulf is speaking his last word he also asks for more objects to be placed around him. o He specifically asked to be surrounded by some of the jewels and gold from the dragon’s lair. This shows that the materialistic things brought some kind of peace to Beowulf; despite the fact he was creating his own death bed, he knew he was going out as a hero with prized possessions around him to prove it. o One of his final requests was that a tower was built in his honor. This object was to keep his story and his name alive for years to come even though he wouldn’t be there to tell the story, his tower would. After all, to the people of this era there was no afterlife, and it was critical to make the most out of the life they had on earth because it was the only place where both them and their name would reign.

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The final significant aspect in analyzing the story of Beowulf is that of the setting. The setting tells the tale more visually than anything else could. The setting has the ability to

set both the mood and the tone of the story to create a more in depth understanding and imagination of the events in the reader’s head. o This carefully draws out the thrill and triumphant feeling Beowulf felt when he’d slain Grendel’s mother and was able to watch her lifeless body lay for him to rejoice in his victory. Summary All in all analyzing a story can be done in multiple ways. It is how one chooses to look further into the poem that really gives the understanding of it. Through looking at the major keys to the poem, connections will be made instantly and comprehension will come like a breeze....