Beowulf,Introducing the Epic Literary Focus: The Epic Hero The Poetry of Beowulf: Caesuras, Alliteration, and Kennings,Feature Menu,Beowulf,the first great work of English national literature.,the epic story of the hero Beowulf, who fights the demonic monster Grendel.,Beowulf is,BeowulfIntroducing the Epic,BeowulfIntroducing the Epic,Beowulf: nephew of Higlac, king of the Geats.,Hrothgar: king of the Danes.,Wiglaf: a Geat warrior, one of Beowulfs select band and the only one to help him in his final fight with the dragon.,People,BeowulfIntroducing the Epic,Grendel: man-eating monster who lives at the bottom of a foul mere, or mountain lake.,Monsters,Grendels mother: water-witch who seeks revenge.,Dragon: giant fire-breathing serpent whom Beowulf fights in Part Two of the epic.,Beowulf takes place in Scandinavia.,Places,Scholars think Herot might have been built on the coast of Zealand, in Denmark.,Scandinavia,Britain,BeowulfIntroducing the Epic,Places,Herot: the golden guest hall built by King Hrothgar where warriors gathered to celebrate.,End of Section,BeowulfIntroducing the Epic,The epic hero is the central figure in a long narrative that reflects the values and heroic ideals of a particular society. An epic is a quest story on a grand scale.,BeowulfLiterary Focus: The Epic Hero,BeowulfLiterary Focus: The Epic Hero,Beowulf is one of ancient Englands heroes.,King Arthur,Joan of Arc,Other times and other cultures have had other heroes.,In modern America, the hero may be a real person or a fictional character.,BeowulfLiterary Focus: The Epic Hero,End of Section,Beowulf was composed in Old English, which uses a caesura, or rhythmic pause, to create unity.,a com of more under misthleoum Grendel gongan, godes yrre br; mynte se manscaa manna cynnes sumne besyrwan in sele am hean.,Line divided into two parts by a caesura.,Locate the caesura in these lines:,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,Here are the same lines in modern English from Burton Raffels translation:,Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty Hills and bogs, bearing Gods hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.,Punctuation reproduces pause effect of the caesura.,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,The Anglo-Saxon oral poet also used the poetic device of alliteration.,Grendel gongan, godes yrre br; mynte se manscaa manna cynnes,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds in words close together.,The emphasis on the w sound in this line from Shakespeares Sonnet 30 creates a melancholy tone.,And with old woes new wail my dear times waste.,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,Find examples of alliteration in Burton Raffels translation of lines 1-5:,Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty Hills and bogs, bearing Gods hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,Find examples of alliteration in Burton Raffels translation of lines 1-5:,Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty Hills and bogs, bearing Gods hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,The kenning is another poetic device that was used by the oral poet.,Examples of kennings from Beowulf:,gold-shining hall= Herot guardian of crime = Grendel strong-hearted wakeful sleeper = Beowulf cave-guard and sky-borne foe = dragon,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,swan-road, whale-path都是sea的意思，都是kenning metonymy 转喻，借代 如drink the warm south是喝酒的意思，英国南方气候湿润，盛产葡萄，所以warm south代指酒，酒的特点和南方的特点之间的联系体会一下 再一个，lobsters代指美国士兵，因为美国士兵的脸是红色的,Kenning: a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly. A kenning enhances the literal meaning of the words. A kenning gives the listener an idea of how the words connect to an idea or concept that is richer and more emotionally complex.,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,Create modern-day kennings for things you see around you.,giver of words word-wand,?,?,?,?,End of Section,BeowulfThe Poetry of Beowulf,Beowulf is an oral epic passed from bard to bard.,Harpist-bards told the familiar story for audiences in the communal halls at night.,Reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village in West Stow, England, with communal hall on the left.,Written down between 700 and 750.,BeowulfBackground,Who wrote it down?,scenery described resembles Northumbria (northeastern England),Theory:,The poet who wrote Beowulf down may have been a Northumbrian monk.,Evidence:,Christian elements in epic,End of Section,BeowulfBackground,Quickwrite,Make the Connection,Write about a contemporary hero, real or fictional, and the challenges he or she faces. Describe your hero, and then briefly analyze him or her using these questions: What sort of evil or oppression does your hero confront? Why does he or she confront evil? Whats the motivation? For whom does your hero confront evil? What virtues does your hero represent?,End of Section,BeowulfQuickwrite,Voca