Beowulf

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews one of the longest and most famous Anglo-Saxon heroic poems, Beowulf. According to the paper, Beowulf dates back to the late 10th century and the manuscript is perhaps the oldest considerable poem in any modern language.

From the Paper:

"The moment Beowulf eventually overcomes them can be interpreted as the proof of his superiority over the human mortal side of the universe. Therefore, his character is stronger than any dangers and challenges the worldly universe may produce, thus an incompatibility arises which leads him in a state of solitude. At the same time, the poem has elements of pagan beliefs. One example is the burial celebrations which cannot be seen in any Christian rituals. "Geatish lord, and bear the bountiful breaker-of-rings to the funeral pyre. No fragments merely shall burn with the warrior. Wealth of jewels, gold untold and gained in terror, treasure at last with his life obtained, all of that booty the brands shall take, fire shall eat it (...) The fiery dragon, fearful fiend, with flame was scorched (...) Then fashioned for him the folk of Geats firm on the earth a funeral-pile, and hung it with helmets and harness of war and breastplates right, as the boon he asked; and they laid amid it the mighty chieftain, heroes mourning their master dear." (Beowulf, 2006). The pyre and the final services point out the universal union of Beowulf's spirit with that of the beast that brought his death. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Beowulf". 2006. 19 February 2006. <http://www.enotes.com/beowulf-text/80257>
• "Beowulf." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 17 Feb 2006. 19 Feb 2006<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beowulf&oldid=39971504>.
• "The Middle Ages: Topics. The Linguistic and Literary Contexts of Beowulf". The Norton Anthology of English, Norton Topics Online. 2006. 19 Feb.2006. <http://www.wwnorton.com/nael/middleages/topic_4/welcome.htm>

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