2. Background
► Composed around 700 A.D.
► The story had been in circulation as an oral narrative for
many years before it was written.
► The action of the poem takes place around 500 AD
► Poet is reviving the heroic language, style and values and
pagan values of ancient Germanic oral poetry
► The poem deals with ancient Germanic forebears, the
Danes and the Geats
► Only a single manuscript of the poem survived the Anglo-
Saxon era. In the 1700’s it was nearly destroyed in a fire
► It was not until 1936 when the Oxford scholar J.R.R>
Tolkien published a paper on the poem that is became
popular.
3. The Beowulf Poet
► The poet is Christian
► The poem reflects established
Christian tradition
► Allusions to the Old Testament
► Beowulf is a Redeemer who is
sent by God to save man from
sin
► The price of salvation is life
itself
► Correspondences between
Beowulf’s death and the death
of Christ
4. Heroic Values in Beowulf
► Relationship between
king and his warriors
► The king rewards his
warriors with gifts
► If a kinsman is slain,
obligation to kill the
slayer or obtain
payment (wergeld) in
compensation
5. Conflict Christian Values and Heroic
Values
► This tension is at the
heart of the poem
► Pagan history and
myth are made to point
to a Christian moral
► Beowulf is poised
between two value
systems
6. The Character of Beowulf
► He fights for personal
honor, but is
committed to service
to his own people and
humanity.
► A superhuman who
remains recognizable
► Contrast old and
young Beowulf
► Beowulf as savior
7. Themes
► Good vs. Evil
► Fate
► The Importance of
Establishing Identity
► Tension between
Heroic Code and
Christianity
► Significance of
artifacts
► The past
8. Important Elements of the Poem
► Elegaic tone
► Heroic poem
► Contrasts
Christian and pagan
Youth and old age
Rise and fall of nations
Joy and sorrow
Fate and God’s will
Violence
Irony
9. Sutton Hoo
► Burial site discovered in 1939
► Important links to Anglo-Saxon world and Beowulf
► Remains of a boat were discovered and large
burial chamber containing numerous artifacts
► Artifacts suggest a distinctly Christian element
intermingled with pagan ritual.
► Episodes in Beowulf now have tangible
archaeological violence to add creditability to the
blend of customs in the text.
11. Suggested Further Reading
► Beowulf, A Verse Translatioin. Trans.
Seamus Heaney. Ed. Daniel Donaghue.
Norton Critical Edition. 2002.
► Norton bibliography on Beowulf , p. 2902.
► Websites on Beowulf, Old English poetry,
and Sutton Hoo.
