A Power Point Support

The poem “Beowulf” is the most important expression of epic poetry. The title takes its name from the main character of the poem (Beowulf). The poem tells about Denmark that had been in peace for centuries and centuries. One night, during Hrothgar’s kingdom, Grendel, a very dangerous demon, arrived in Geatland and that marked the end of the peace period. The Danes had not the power to defeat Grendel by themselves, therefore Hrothgar called the others tribes for help. When he heard about Grendel’s actions, Beowulf, Geatish king Hygelac’s nephew, decided to go to help Geats to defeat trhem. In that time Beowulf was the greatest warrior in the world. He ordered a boat and voyaged across the sea with fourteen of the strongest Geatish warriors. When he arrived in Denmark, he started to fight Grendel. The battle was very long and bloody: Grendel was defeated but Beowulf died and from that moment he became a hero. Hearing about his nephew’s death, Hygelac wanted the boat to return home within Beowulf’s body. In this poem the figure of the hero is underlined by the narrator. Beowulf was very strong, courageous and he was an important figure in his tribe because his actions were very important for the Geats's survival. The narrator used to describe Beowulf wiyth two types of characterization: he used adjectives, similes and metaphors to describe him directly; he used people's opinions, in particular his relatives', to describe him indirectly. In the end of the poem Beowulf dies because to become a hero a man had to die: until he was alive he could have been reputed a god warrior, but not a hero.