The Anglo-Saxons and Old English

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Beowulf
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Beowulf

• It is the first great work of the English
  language.
• An epic is a quest story on a grand scale and
  sometimes called a Heroic Poem.
• Epic hero The central figure in a long narrative
  that reflects the values and heroic ideals of a
  particular society.

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Beowulf

• It is oral art handed down from one bard to
  another.
• It is a story that would have been familiar to
  the audience.
• It is relatively short, approximately 3,200
  lines.
• It was composed in Old English between the years
  700-750CE.
• Given the Christian elements this poet may have
  been a monk.

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Beowulf

• The epic hero has superior physical strength and
  is supremely ethical.
• He reflects the values and heroic ideals of a
  particular society.
• A Hero must have flaws.
• The Hero will follow a Heros Journey.
• Often times will have to battle with a monster.

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Beowulf

• Wergild is an Anglo-Saxon custom. According to
  this code an Anglo-Saxon who killed someone had
  to pay a price for his deed or accept the fact
  that the victims relatives would seek revenge.
• Society was built around the code of the
  comitatus in which a leader who rewarded his
  loyal followers with riches expected loyalty in
  return.

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BeowulfImportant Literary Devices

• AlliterationThe repetition of sounds in words
  close to one another.
• HyperboleA figure of speech that uses
  exaggeration to express strong emotion or create
  a comic effect.
• KenningA specialized metaphor made of compound
  words.
• CaesuraA rhythmical pause that divides a verse
  line in half.
• http//www.engl.virginia.edu/OE/Beowulf.Readings/G
  rendel.html