Beowulf: Context Review Composed in England by an unknown
Anglo-Saxon poet (c. 750) Set in Scandinavia just before
Anglo-Saxon migration (c. 520) Celts reside in England during 1st
century BC; pegan Romans (from Italy) invade in the 55 BC;
Christian Angles & Saxons (from Germany) invade in the 5th
century; pagan Vikings (from Scandinavia) invade in the 8th
century; pagan Normans (from France) invade in the 11th century;
Christian
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ChristianityPaganism Poly/Mono-theisticMonotheisticPolytheistic
Cosmos: Linear/Cyclicallinearcyclical Religious TextBiblenone
MoralityGood v. Evil Right v. Wrong No concept of sin Role of
NatureGods creation which has been corrupted, it must be corrected
Personification of gods; connection to nature WorldviewFree Will
& God planFatalistic Whats the difference?
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Tensions Between Value Systems Heroic Code, Paganism, and
Christianity Anglo-Saxon invaders experienced a large-scale
conversion to Christianity Though a pagan story, Beowulf would be
told by a Christian poet (poet attempts to attribute Christian
thoughts/motives to characters, who frequently behave in
un-Christian ways, leading to inconsistencies) Heroic code
maintains that honor is gained during life through deeds, while
Christianity asserts that glory lies in the afterlife. Warrior
culture dictates that it is always better to retaliate than to
mourn, while Christianity advocates peace and forgiveness.
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Review: What is the definition/purpose of epic poetry? Epic
poetry is used to portray significant cultural information about
the people who created them (religion, gender roles, VALUES,
morals, fears, etc.) What is the definition/purpose of HEROs
JOURNEY (monomyth)? The heroic journey is that which occurs in ALL
mythical stories, where the hero learns the truth about his world
and himself through a journey symbolizing the search for individual
identity and the cultures concept of the idealized member of
society.
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Comitatus: Oath of Camaraderie ~ Loyalty, Generosity,
Friendship Wergild: Revenge & Kinship ~ Justice, Revenge,
Family Fame and Reputation ~ The Nine Noble Virtues Beowulf as an
Epic Hero: Anglo-Saxon Values
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Comitatus Oath Comitatus: relationship between a ruler and his
warriors requiring that the thane vow to defend a lord to the
death, while in return, the lord provides protection and a share of
his wealth. * * Chieftain of the comitatus (small war band) is
surrounded by warriors, his comites (companions), whove sworn to
defend him with their lives. May seem like a typical warrior
defending master relationship, but with each providing services to
the other, there is a great deal of camaraderie The chieftain (or
gold-giver) showed symbolic measure of a man's worth by the amount
of gold he offered.
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Wergild: Revenge & Kinship Wergild: monetary compensation
for somebody slain, the value placed on every human being and every
piece of property in Anglo-Saxon times. * * A man's kin were his
strongest support in everyday affairsIf killed, it was the duty of
his kinsmen to avenge him (eye for an eye) Alternative Wergild
(man-payment) could be accepted by the kindred of the slain man
without loss of face because each man's life had a set money value
according to his rank and standing in society
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Value of Fame Fame or Praise was the final goal of the heroic
life The Anglo-Saxons had an incomparable sense of the transience
and pointlessness of mortal life, only a man's name lived on
Elements that make up the heroic ideal can be seen in the
patronymics and cataloging of the Danish kings in the first few
paragraphs of Beowulf.
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Fame and Pride The warriors of Beowulf seek fame through feats
of bravery in the face of danger, an utter disdain for death; this
is emphasized by boasting The quest for fame can easily succumb to
pride. Fame involves becoming great in order to bring
strength/power to ones people through generosity and community
Pride involves greed, selfishness, and a desire to be great at any
cost.
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Loyalty Hard Working How might the search for fame conflict
with these values?
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Slide 13
Seamus Heaney Irish poet Considered the most important poet in
Ireland since Yeats Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995
for his translation of Beowulf