FCarbonera - Beowulf

The extract refers to the text "Beowulf" an epic Anglo-Saxon poem . The poem was composed in Old English and is generally considered the earliest major work of English poetry. It was probably composed between 8^th and 11^th century but from the 11^th century it was written( the author is unknown). It describes a warrior society in which Beowulf ,the noble warrior, who becomes King of the Greats ,fights three battles with the monster Grendel ,Grendel's mother and a dragon to protect his own kingdom.

LAYOUT

This text is an epic poem ,so it is organized into verses. Anglo-Saxon poets typically used alliterative verse, a form of verse that uses alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a line. In Old English poetry it linked the two halves of a line. Kennings are also a significant technique in Beowulf. They are evocative poetic descriptions of everyday things, often created to fill the alliterative requirements of the metre.

DENOTAZIONE

The extract deals with the fight between Beowulf and the monster Grendel. It's a struggle between good and evil. Beowulf and his warriors fight with Grendel who is a monster that terrorizes Heorot.  His physical appearance is left to the reader's imagination. The intelligent reader can think he is a descendant of Cain, the first murderer of the Old Testament of the Bible. He is described as a being "of the night": whenever he moves he is surrounded by darkness. He is bloodthirsty and keeps the Danish kingdom of King Hhrothgar under siege for twelve years, killing both warriors and civilians.