Textuality » 3A Interacting
The extract is taken from the epic poem Beowulf. It consist of a single section which deals about Beowulf's voyage to help his neighbor Heorot. It is a narrative text organized into couplets and mainly focuses on the hero's departure and communicates all the actions done and needed to go to see.
It goes without saying that it tells about Beowulf, the protagonist, providing his characterization as well as the idea of the setting, so that intelligent reader can make up a mental picture of what he is reading.
One cannot forget that the language of the extract is not the original version, but is rather a contemporary rendering of an epic poem written in Old English. Old English was a German dialect and could not be understood today.
The text opens with immediate reference to Grendel, so that the reader understands who the monster is and who the protagonist Beowulf is going to fight again. The danger represented by the monster is suggested by the verb "heard" which comes right at the beginning of the line in an alliterative use of the language. This is done on purpose to convey its terrible reputation. Immediately after, the reader is provided with information, details about the setting, so that he can better understand where events take place. "Geatland" is the focus of the setting. Immediately the intelligent reader understands the narrative strategy of the composer. The narrator wants to highlight the unique qualities of the hero that may become such just because he is ready to risk his life for a good cause: showing generosity and solidarity with they who are in danger. Beowulf is created as sort of a single personality, not as an ordinary man. "No one else" and "like him" make that clear right from the start. In addiction expressions like "alive" and "on earth" underline his peculiar strength and courage, suggesting that people different from him could not remain alive. Besides reinforcing his highly-positive reputation, the narrator underlines his feasibility in doing any sort of duty. He was "the mightiest man". Again the use of alliteration of the sound "m" anticipates other features of this character protagonist who is from a prestigious family ("high-born") and who has got a power that nobody wants to put into discussion. He was a smart man, able to make the right choice at the right time. He managed to choose the most suitable boat for the voyage, one "that would ply the waves".
Afterwards, Beowulf announced his plain: he wanted to go to that king who needed defenders. The function of alliteration of the "a" sound is to underline the keyword "plan" that refers to the voyage: the TOPIC. The intelligent reader immediately understands Beowulf was the strongest man in country that is why "nobody tried to keep him from going" and "they inspected omens and spurred his ambition to go".These lines highlight the leader's reputation He was self-confident and strong-minded in what he would be ready to do.Besides he enlisted men who were the best he could find to underline the importance and difficult of the mission. What is more, the warriors were fourteen that is why the task required skills difficult to find in warriors.
The relationship between Beowulf and his warriors is founded on respect towards the thane.
From 17th line to 30th narrator refers to the voyage on a wood ship.In these lines verbs try to underline the the difficulty in carrying out the voyage. Alliterations of "s" "w" and "l" highlight the semantic field of the natural elements like "sand" ,"surf","waves", "wind","sunlit","sheer", "looming headlands" and "landfall". Alliteration of "s" sound is to give the idea of the sound of the sea. This semantic field culminates in the sentence "she flew like a bird".
The last part of the text (from line 31 up to 35) tells about Beowulf's arrival in Heorot. The setting in this sequence is a seaside, underlined by the repetition in line 32: "over the side ,out in the sand". When they arrived there, they firstly thanked God. The narrator wants to underline their strong religious bond.