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Learn about Beowulf, an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poem that depicts the heroic deeds of a Geatish warrior. Find summaries, themes, quotes, and more in this comprehensive study guide.
- Plot Summary
A short summary of Anonymous's Beowulf. This free synopsis...
- Genre
Beowulf is a heroic epic, a long poem which recounts the...
- Grendel
Beowulf has killed Grendel’s mother, found Grendel’s corpse,...
- Tone
The tone of Beowulf is melancholy. Although the poem...
- Unferth
Unferth’s challenge to Beowulf’s honor differentiates him...
- Wiglaf
Wiglaf, one of Beowulf’s kinsmen and thanes, is the only...
- Beowulf
Beowulf exemplifies the traits of the perfect hero. The poem...
- Antagonist
Beowulf’s antagonists are the three monsters: he literally...
- Plot Summary
A short summary of Anonymous's Beowulf. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Beowulf.
- Rumi, Björn Collinder, Harold Bloom, Gerald J. Davis, John D. Niles, Burton Raffel, Seamus Heaney, K...
- 1815
Learn how Beowulf exemplifies the traits of the perfect hero in two phases of his life and three conflicts. Explore his transition from warrior to king and his moral status in the poem.
- The Importance of Establishing Identity
- Tensions Between The Heroic Code and Other Value Systems
- The Difference Between A Good Warrior and A Good King
- Evil
- Treasure
- Mortality
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
As Beowulf is essentially a record of heroic deeds, the concept of identity—of which the two principal components are ancestral heritage and individual reputation—is clearly central to the poem. The opening passages introduce the reader to a world in which every male figure is known as his father’s son. Characters in the poem are unable to talk abo...
Much of Beowulf is devoted to articulating and illustrating the Germanic heroic code, which values strength, courage, and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, and political skill in kings; ceremoniousness in women; and good reputation in all people. Traditional and much respected, this code is vital to warrior societies as a means of under...
Over the course of the poem, Beowulf matures from a valiant combatant into a wise leader. His transition demonstrates that a differing set of values accompanies each of his two roles. The difference between these two sets of values manifests itself early on in the outlooks of Beowulf and King Hrothgar. Whereas the youthful Beowulf, having nothing t...
Many readers have seen Beowulf’s monsters as embodiments of evil, representing the idea that evil is a mysterious, inhuman force. All three monsters emerge from darkness, inflicting fear and suffering on the poem’s human characters. Grendel, in particular, is closely allied with the forces of evil. He is a “fiend out of hell” (l.100) and a descenda...
Although “glory” (l.1388), is what motivates Beowulf and the other heroic warriors of the poem, they measure their glory in treasure. The gloriousness of Beowulf’s achievement in killing Grendel is measured by the amount of treasure Hrothgar gives him as a reward. At the same time, Hrothgar’s gloriousness as a king can be measured by his generosity...
On one level, Beowulf is from beginning to end a poem about confronting death. It begins with a funeral, and proceeds to the story of a murderous monster. Beowulf enters the story as a hero who has chosen to risk death in order to achieve fame. As Beowulf fights Grendel’s mother at the bottom of the mere, even his close friends believe he has died....
Explore the central ideas of identity, heroism, kingship, and evil in Beowulf, an epic poem of Germanic legend. Learn how the poem balances the pagan and Christian values, and how the monsters embody both human and inhuman qualities.
LitCharts offers a comprehensive guide to Beowulf, the epic poem by Anonymous. Find summaries, analysis, themes, quotes, characters, symbols, and more.
A list of important facts about Anonymous's Beowulf, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists.
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Learn how the poem's ending challenges the ancient warrior code and Beowulf's heroism. Find out how Beowulf's death affects his people and his legacy.
