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Beowulf is the only epic poem of the Anglo-Saxon tradition. It was written in the XI century, but was probably older (7 century). It was handed over orally in the first centuries, therefore it is relies mainly on phonological devices: the most important ones are the use of repetitions, refrains, kennings and alliterations. They help memorizing because the poem is 3200 lines long.
The setting of the poem is Denmark, the land from which the Anglo-Saxons came from. The poem starts with a long description of the royal line of the Danish kings: the last one was Hrotghar, who built a Mead-hall, a place where warriors could meet. Overnight, a monster called Grendel attacked the Mead-hall and killed the warriors. Grendel carried out its attacks for twelve years. When the new arrived at the Geat kingdom, the nephew of the king, Beowulf, that was the "mightiest men on earth" decided to go and fight againist Grendel to save Danes. But in the end Beowulf died.
Beowulf is the main character, he sums up all the positive features of the Anglo-Saxon society. He is the hero and his characterization is not a physical one but refers to his reputation and skills. The narrator tells about Beowulf as he was the best men all over the world: he was high born and strong, his qualities provide the reader with information on the main values of Anglo-Saxon society. Right from the name the reader can recognize the contemporary word wolf: therefore Beowulf has the same features of a wolf to defend himself and the other people from the dangers of nature.

Analysis of the stanza one of the text.
The stanza is made up of sixteen lines. The text is divided into big blocks of text, in line with the features of epic poetry. The first part of the stanza has an introductory function to characterize the protagonist. Its characterization does not resort to physical appearences, but it is refers to Beowulf's reputation and skills:
"There was no one else like him alive";
"he was the mightiest men on earth";
"high-born and powerful".
After that the story develops with a faster rhythm: there are a lot of verbs, conveying the idea of an intensive work: Beowulf orders, announces, leads. Beowulf gives orders to the other people, and nobody denies, neither his older brother, that in a hierarchical society has the heighest power: Beowulf is considered the best. Only Beowulf family can ask for omens, and this feature gives the reader a piece of information about the scientific degree of development of the Anglo-Saxon society. Beowulf chooses 14 warriors, the best ones, of course, and leaves for Denmark.
On a deeper level of analysis the reader can notice kennings, which are devices that permit a fuller definition of an object. The most important ones are "that would ply the waves" referring to a boat that is so fast that seems to fly, and "to sail the swan's road" referring to the boat. There are also run on lines that speed up rhythm, and one simile (like the leader he was) to portray Beowulf. From reading this stanza the most important qualities provided about Beowulf are generosity (he helps people who he has never seen), bravery (he fights againists a monster), and loyalty to his family.