Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Notes for Beowulf
Transcript
Notes for Beowulf History of the text Between 700 and 900 A.D. Between 500 and 700 A.D. About 1000 A.D. 1563 Between 1585 and 1631 1700 After 1700 1731 1753 1753 to present Anonymous author composes Beowulf Time period when the fictional events of Beowulf take place Scribes write down the anonymous author’s story Englishman Laurence Nowell acquires the manuscript written down by the scribes (Probably from a Catholic monastery demolished by Henry VIII Sir Robert Cotton acquires the manuscript for his library Cotton’s grandson donates library to the British government Library is moved to Essex House, then later to Ashburnham House in London area Ashburnham House burns. Manuscript is saved after water damages it and fire chars the edges British Museum is established; manuscript becomes a part of its collection Manuscript is preserved, translated, and published Language of Beowulf Beowulf was composed in Old English, in the West Saxon dialect of 1000 A.D. Old English was used in England between 600 and 1100 A.D. Beowulf is believed to be the first important literary work of medieval Europe to be in the language of the common man, rather than the loft elegance of Latin. Vocabulary & literary terms epic epic hero archetype kenning caesura resolute vehemently infallible furled lavish assail extolled Characters Beowulf (bay-o-wolf) Hrothgar (roth-gar) Wealtheow (weal-thee-ow) Grendel (gren-dell) Wiglaf (wig-loff) Hygelac (hig-lak) Ecgtheow (eg-thee-ow) Unferth (un-fir-th) Breca (breh-ka) Herot (hair-ote) A quest story on a grand scale; a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero The central character in an epic who reflects the values and heroic ideals of his society A perfect example of an epic hero In Anglo-Saxon poetry, a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing or event indirectly (examples: whale-road, sea-path) A pause or break within a line of poetry (examples-see lines 19, 23, 34 of Beowulf) Determined Violently Unable to fail or be wrong Rolled up Extravagant Attack praised Brave and noble warrior from the land of the Geats (Sweden) King of the Danes (Denmark) Hrothgar’s wife and queen Monster terrorizing the land of the Danes Another brave warrior; loyal to Beowulf King of the Geats in Sweden; Beowulf’s uncle Beowulf’s father A Danish warrior who is envious of Beowulf Childhood friend of Beowulf Hrothgar’s mead hall, gathering place for his men to relax
