Beowulf door Anonymous

Title: Beowulf
Author: Anonymous
Name of the publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Year of the first publication: This translation was first published in 1973
Kind of publication: Translated by Hazell Watson and Viney Ltd.
Number of pages: 169 pages
Some other titles: Unknown

Biography of the author: Author is anonymous, so there is no biography.

Place:

Denmark and Sweden

Time:

The story takes place in the fifth century

Description of the main characters:

Beowulf is the main character
Hrothgar is the Danish King
Wiglaf is the royal servant of Beowulf

The story:

The verse tells the story of the young prince Beowulf, who
visits the court of the Danish King Hrothgar. For twelve years
Hrothgar's kingdom has been ravaged by a monster called Gren-
del, and no Dane had been able to put an end to it. Having
heard all this, Beowulf is determined to seek new fame by
killing Grendel. One night, when all have gone to sleep, the
monster breaks into the royal hall. Beowulf, who is reputed to
have the strength of thirty men, takes it on single-handed and
in the fight that follows tears off its arm. The creature
flees, mortally wounded. After a night of feasting Grendel's
mother appears, eager to avenge her child, and seizes one of
the king's nobles. Beowulf follows her to her dwelling-place,
a dark and gloomy lake that burns at night. He is carried off
to a mysterious hall at the bottom, where another fight takes
place. This time Beowulf gets into serious trouble and it is
only with the help of a huge ancient sword that hangs on the
wall that he can save himself.

He cuts off the monster's head
and carries it back to the surface. On his return Beowulf is
honoured as a great hero, and after many festivities he
returns to Sweden.
In the second part Beowulf, now king himself, has ruled
over his people for fifty years. Then an ancient treasure is
stolen while the dragon that guards it is asleep. When the
monster awakes and finds part of its hoard gone, it is deter-
mined to be revenged. All of the man Beowulf took with him,
turned around and went back, except for one (Wiglaf). This one
fights side to side with Beowulf. In the battle, Beowulf gets
mortally wounded, but before he dies, he sends Wiglaf to show
his the jewellery they got from the dragon. Wiglaf ends the
story with telling what will go to happen with the men who ran
away and Beowulf get burried. Bron: www.samenvattingen.nl

The title:

Beowulf is the title of the book and Beowulf is also the main character. So that is why this book called Beowulf.

Theme:

Be loyal to your master.

Motives:

Good & bad
Honesty
Justice
Stand up for your master

The author’s aim:

I do not know what the author had in mind when he wrote this book.

The characters:

Beowulf, the nephew of King Hygelac of Geatland, is known as a great and brave man. He earned his reputation by swimming for seven days on the open sea and by using a sword to fight off sharks. When he hears about the attacks of the bloodthirsty Grendel, he sets sail for Danish shores in order to help Hrothgar master the monster. Beowulf plans to use his famous handgrip, which supposedly has the strength of thirty men, to conquer Grendel. Hrothgar has heard about Beowulf's feats and is well acquainted with his lineage. As the King of the Danes, Hrothgar had once protected Ecgtheow, Beowulf's father, in a time of exile.

Point of view:

Mixed point of view. You just read what the character has to say. So when Beowulf speaks you will read what he has to say.

Literary:

Horror, fable and a bit of tragedy

Story:

The story first take place in Denmark, in the castle of the Danish King Hrothgar. The when Beowulf has killed Grendel and the mother of Grendel he returns to Sweden.
Then an ancient treasure is stolen while the dragon that guards it is asleep. When the monster awakes and finds part of its hoard gone, it is determined to be revenged. All of the man Beowulf took with him, turned around and went back, except for one (Wiglaf). This one fights side to side with Beowulf. In the battle, Beowulf gets mortally wounded, but before he dies, he sends Wiglaf to show his the jewellery they got from the dragon.

The story is divided in two parts.

Characters:

In the first part of the story Beowulf is an prince. When the story goes to the second part Beowulf is an King. First he was loyal to his master and in the second part many people are loyal to him.

Language and style:

The story was written in old English instead of normal English. In first I had some trouble reading it, but when you further advance it gets easier to read. But even then I had to seek some words which I did not understood.

Historical setting:

The poet of Beowulf is obviously interested in history and has fitted his fairy tale figure of Beowulf into a precise historical context. The poem begins by identifying the actual lineage of the Danish royal house. The Danes, a Norse tribe, rescued a baby abandoned on a ship that was filled with immense treasure. He was named Scyld Sceafing and became an excellent and glorious king and the founder of the Danish royal house. In his old age, he finally had a son, whom he named Beow. Beow, in turn, had a son named Healfdene. He had a daughter and four sons, including Hrothgar. Although Hrothgar was not the eldest child of Healfdene, he became the King of the Danes due to his brave feats as a warrior. Hrothgar becomes one of the main characters of Beowulf.

In a like manner, Beowulf is supposedly descended from Geat royalty. His father, Ecgtheow, is married to King Hrethel's only daughter; therefore, Beowulf's mother is a royal Geat princess, and Beowulf is the King Hrethel's grandson. At the time of the poem, Hrethel's son, Hygelac, has ascended to the Geat throne; Beowulf is his nephew. Familiar to royal settings, Beowulf is perfectly at ease when he visits Hrothgar's court.

The poem begins in Geatland, Beowulf's home. It is a part of present-day Sweden and is located south of Lake Vattern. At the end of the poem, Beowulf will return to Geatland; but most of the action takes place in Denmark, on the principal island of Zealand where Hrothgar lives

Personal evaluation and appreciation:

Personally I liked the story: the story was simple to follow and to read although it was written in old English. The only thing that I found annoying was that the story was a bit predictable. Beowulf is a real hero in this story, he has al the symbols of a true hero. He is strong, honest and loyal. I liked this very much. I find also hard to believe that Beowulf dies in the end, but it was a nice twist in the story.