PowerPoint Presentation BeowulfPowerPoint演示文稿贝奥武夫.pptVIP

Anglo-SaxonandBeowulfBackground Background Information 30,000 lines of Anglo-Saxon poetry survive today 3, 182 (10%) of the lines are from Beowulf Setting - Denmark and Sweden Author - Unknown, probably a monk Composed in the 7th or 8th century Oldest surviving English poem Anglo-Saxon Culture Belief in fate (Wyrd) Accumulated treasures amount to success Fame and fortune zealously sought after Loyalty to one’s leader crucial Importance of pagan, Germanic, and Christian ideals to people whose lives were often hard and uncertain Anglo-Saxon Culture Fierce, hardy life of warrior and seamen Strength, courage, leadership abilities appreciated Boisterous yet elaborately ritualized customs of the mead-hall Expected the hero to boast Anglo-Saxon Ideals Codes of Conduct Good defeats evil Wergild--restitution for murder or expect revenge from victim’s relatives Boasts must be backed with actions. Fate is in control Fair fights are the only honorable fights Epic Poem Long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a hero. Elevated language Does not sermonize Invokes a muse Begins in media res Mysterious origin, super powers, vulnerability, rite of passage The Epic Hero Actions consist of responses to catastrophic situations in which the supernatural often intervenes. Code of conduct forces him to challenge any threat to society Destiny discovered through a series of episodes punctuated by violent incidents interspersed with idyllic descriptions. Elements of Anglo-Saxon Poetry Chant-like effect of the four-beat line Alliteration (“Then the grim man in green gathers his strength”) Caesura-pause or break in a line of poetry (“Oft to the wanderer weary of exile”) Kenning-metaphorical phrase used instead of a name (“battle-blade” and “ring-giver”) Epithet-description name to characterize something (“keen-edge sword”) Hyperbole-exaggeration Title of Epic Poem Anglo-Saxon word Beo means “bright” or “noble” Anglo-Saxon word wulf means “wolf” Beowulf means bright or n