Old English Poetry

LITERATURE I
MAG.PROF. MARÍA JOSÉ LUCAS
Before Old English
The Celts
Three cycles

The Ulster Cycle : The hero is Cuchulainn /kʊ´kʌlən/

The Ossianic Cycle: The adventures of Ossian

The Arthurian Cycle: The legends of the mystic King Arthur

History vs legend
Old English Poets and Historians
The Exeter Book – compilation of anonymous poems
maily from the oral tradition.
Caedmon /ˈkædmən/ 7th century poet who
based his production on the Old Testament.
His life is told by Bede. Caedmon was in illiterate
countryman ;his beloved´s pledge makes him move
from secular to monastical life after being blessed with
the gift of writing poetry.
Bede /biːd/ the Venerable´s “The Eclessiatical History
of England” 8th century.
Poets and Historians
Cynewulf /ˈkɪn ɪ wʊlf/ -ə- 9th century poet. He based
his writing on the Bible as well as the history of
evangelist missions on the Islands.

His life is mainly unknown. He is supposed to have been

a bishop or priest. First in using Northumbrian dialect.

King Alfred´s religious writings 9th century

The Wanderer: Literary Devices
Elegy: usually mourns or laments the death of
someone or the loss of something important. There are
questions made by the poet which refer to this loss.

Kennings; metaphores, figurative language made by

joining more than one noun to describe another one.
frost-cold foam
The Wanderer:Literary devices

Alliteration: repetition of initial consonants in neighboring words, used in order to create a

sound/musical effect.
follows the frost-cold foam

Ubi-sunt
 Sense of loss typical of Old English elegies.Questions risen by the poet usually begining
with the Word “Where”
Essay Writing
Thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. No need to include any
kind of introduction concerning setting, historical context, etc.

Introductory paragraph introducing the ideas to be explored in the

following paragraphs.

One paragraph per idea to be analysed, each one introduced by a topic

sentence.
Essay Writing
One or two quotations from the text to support your analysis in each
paragraph.

Conclusion: closure paragraph to round up the ideas previously

explored.No new ideas should be included in the conclusion.

Use appropriate language according to the requirements for literary c

essay writing.(e.g.:literary criticism language)
Beowulf / ˈbeɪ əʊ wʊlf/ ǁ -ə-
Epic poem

Hero? Epic hero?

Socrates-Socratic hero-sacrifice for a cause/martyr of/for a cause

Aristotle-Epic hero /struggle/fight to defend a cause—Achilles,

Odysseus (Homeric epic poems),Aeneas
(Virgil),Beowulf(Scandinavian,anonymous)
Feudalism in Beowulf
Comitatus-Commitment of a warrior to a feudal lord/King

Wergild /werˈgɪld/-a man-payment to a family/King for a debt whish usually includes the death
of someone important.
Elegy vs Epic
Different in TONE
Elegy= sadness/sorrow/loss

Epic=greatness/heroic/glory
Grendel
Grendel is introduced.

Christian references to his ancestors and condition

Christian elements included in the translation.

Grendel´s sadness and unhappiness vs glory and joy, celebratory events, in the hall.
Slaughter
The night after Grendel´slaughter/ now unhapinnes and horror are equal

Repeated actions/bloodthirsty

Words connecting Grendel with his demoniac side

The Battle with Grendel
Beowulf waits, allowing Grendel to kill one of the Geats, before he
attacks Grendel

The battle between Beowulf and Grendel is a one to one event

The other warriors cannot come to Beowulf ’s aid

Beowulf wounds Grendel and finally defeats it.

The Batlle with Grendel
Comparison between Beowulf and Siegmund //Beowulf and Hermod

Beowulf responds to Hrothgar’s praise and reward

Hrothgar’s generosity in connection to his character

The story of Finn

Welthow appears
The Battle with Grendel´s Mother
Beowulf challenged by the Monter´s Mother

This battle is different from the first one, a Mother in search of revenge

A different kind of power to be defeated: witchery and seduction

Beowulf succeeds
The Last Battle
The dragon is Beowulf´s last enemy to fight

The hero chooses his fate: to die fighting a more powerful enemy as the hero he was once, or
die in his bed, of natural cause. This is not the honorable death he deserves.

The road to heaven can be chosen.He does and dies as a hero.