Connotative analysis: Beowulf 

In the first part of the text it’s narrated Grendal’s arrival. The alliterative sound “g” gives the reader the feeling of a strong creature, moreover, Grendal is presented as mysterious: he’s surrounded by an ambiguous atmosphere. In addition o this, the narrator keeps alive suspense by giving the more important information at the end of the line.

In the second section instead, Grendal is described as a predator, an aggressive and greed creature. The narrator gives the reader the impression that the action (the murder) happened in a very short time and also uses an alliteration to convey Grendal’s voracity. He also uses the verb “gorged” to do that but he uses it also to recall the monster’s name.

Then the poet narrates Grendal’s attack to Beowulf, creating a lot of suspense by posing the verb at the end of the line, giving the impression of a slowly action, which gave the hero time to lunch his attack, which is instead described by using words made up by short sounds that give the reader the impression of a quick action.

The narrator uses the same technic to maintain suspense in the third sequence: he always gives the most important information at the end and uses a big number of commas to increase the wait for the conclusion.

In the last sequence it is told about Beowulf’s victory and two alliterations help the poet to make the scene more realistic to the reader.