Textuality » 3A Interacting
GPaparot - Connotative Analysis of First Stanza
by - (2009-03-01)
Up to Beowulf . Epic Poetry
In the first stanza the poet introduces us the situation and who the protagonist is.
These 16 lines tell us that Beowulf was Hygelac's thane, that there was no else like him, that he was the mightiest man on earth and that he was high-born and a very powerful man. That characterization reaches the climax.
The categories used by the poet to create the characterization are hierarchy, hometown, reputation, solidarity and generosity (which are typical value of Anglo-Saxon culture), strategic mentality and authoritative.
In this first paragraph we find a kenning: "swan road". It is like a metaphor and it indicates the sea. There is also a simile: "like the leader he was". It is useful to describe and provide the reader with a mental picture of what is been described.