beowulf1

A detailed Summary of beowulf1

The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English by Christian

monks around 750 AD, is a wonderful adventure story about a warrior who

kills ferocious monsters. The use of description and imagery enlivens

the story, making it possible for a reader to really see in his or her

mind the characters and events. Metaphors, exaggeration, and

alliteration are three devices that together allow the reader to

experience this poem which is quite different than most other poetry.

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that

ordinarily means one thing is applied to another thing to suggest a

likeness between the two. Metaphors are used extensively throughout the

poem to paint a more colorful picture in the listener's mind. These

metaphors are used in phrases called "kennings". A kenning is a

descriptive, poetical expression used instead of a simple name for a

person or thing. Beowulf is hardly ever called by his actual name.

Instead there are many kennings referring to him, such as: "Prince of

the Weders", "The Son of Ecgtheow", "The Geatish hero", and "The Lord of

made concerning the size and weight of the monster's head. Again, it

exaggerations one can understand how this thirteen hundred-year-old epic

and promise", "Dragging the dead men home to his den", "Fitted and

storytellers in memorizing the tales. Examples of alliteration can be

In comparison to our modern fiction, Beowulf might seem wordy

written and has therefore stood the test of time for the reader or the

Approximate Word count = 757
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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