But the anecdote of the Last Survivor, which tells how the gold came to be buried in the barrow, demonstrates a different ethos. They had a feud with their uncle, Onela, and were temporarily sheltered by Heardred. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. This section moves us into the third part of the poem, which centers around the aged Beowulfs fight with the dragon. As useless to mortals as in foregoing eras. Hidden beneath a treacherous mere in the middle of a dark, forbidding swamp, the cave allows them a degree of safety and privacy in a world that they view as hostile. Grendel and his mother, then, are similarly outcasts, something that has been rejected by mainstream society and whose violence must be overcome. At line 2999, he says that these past battles are the reason why he is expecting trouble to rain down on the Geats, and so, at line 3010, he says that the treasure should be burned in its entirety in Beowulf's funeral pyre. You'll also receive an email with the link. Years pass. A great post on one of my favorite works. [39], In his 1936 lecture Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, J. R. R. Tolkien noted that the dragon and Grendel are "constantly referred to in language which is meant to recall the powers of darkness which Christian men felt themselves to be encompassed. Beowulf gives his life defeating the dragon and gaining this impressive treasure for his people, but they won't benefit from it either. It is worth noting, though, that in many of the translations I have read (particularly the ones from the 19th century) the translators refer to the treasure as having been owned by only a single people: the people who died out and left the man who put it into the cave which eventually was guarded by the dragon. Thus, the poem gives us the feeling that this clash can end only in total destruction. In the previous section, the reader learns only that Beowulf came to the throne after Hygelacs death and ruled for fifty years. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. The poet recounts the death of King Hygelac in combat in Friesland. | After Beowulf dies, his followers show up. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. There are more than 85 translations of Beowulf, and each one is slightly biased in its interpretation. He describes the wars between the Geats and the Swedes after Hrethels death, recalling his proud days as a warrior in the service of Hygelac. Discount, Discount Code May 1, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Refine any search. Hygelac fell while Beowulf survived thanks to his great strength and swimming ability. As translator Seamus Heaney points out in his introduction, the idea of gold in the Sigemund episode is associated almost entirely with goodness and honor, while here it is also associated with greed, theft, evil, and death. The Seamus Heaney translation is what we recommend, unless youre up for tackling the poem in the original Old English (and if so, good luck!). [38] W. P. Ker criticized the inclusion of Beowulf's fight with the dragon and his subsequent death in the poem, writing "It is as if to the end of the Odyssey there had been added some later books telling in full of the old age of Odysseus, far from the sea, and his death at the hands of Telegonus". $24.99 But hand-to-hand combat which was deployed successfully in the vanquishing of Grendel is also of no use now. Yet Beowulfs premonition of his own death attests to his strong sense of fate, an important component of these characters self-conceptions. Also, Beowulf is most commonly described as an epic poem; the label makes its main character, Beowulf, an epic-hero. Soon, Beowulf'sown throne-hall becomes the target of the dragons fiery breath, and it is burned to the ground. Frisia Hygelac was killed in an apparently ill-conceived battle with the western Frisians (allies of the Franks), not by King Finn's people of the Finnsburh episode. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! ", Peter Gainsford noted in the article "The Deaths of Beowulf and Odysseus: Narrative Time and Mythological Tale Types" that "In the twenty-first century Beowulf does not lack for commentators to defend the literary merit of the dragon episode". [36] In his 1935 work Beowulf and the Seventh Century, Ritchie Girvan writes that Beowulf should be seen as having some degree of historical accuracy despite the presence of a dragon in it; he argues that "Tales of dragons as well as a belief in dragons survived till recent times, and the popular mind is apt to accept with credulity stories of water-monsters. WebWhat happens with the dragon's treasure at the end of the story, and what could this symbolize? After Beowulf, with Wiglaf's aid, destroys the dragon, Beowulf is mortally wounded, but as he looks around at the treasure hoard, he says. Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and rules well for 50 years. WebIn Beowulf, gold, treasure, and gifts are less important for their economic value than their social value. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. But because the specific details of the story are not widely known, numerous misconceptions about the poemabound. Once the dragon found out that a piece of his treasure was missing, he left his shelter where his treasures were and flew out over the land, burning things as he rested. In Beowulf's two earlier battles, Grendel and Grendel's mother are characterized as descendants of Cain: "[Grendel] had long lived in the land of monsters / since the creator cast them out / as the kindred of Cain"[15] and seem to be humanoid: in the poet's rendition they can be seen as giants, trolls, or monsters. Onela killed Geat King Heardred. Central Idea Essay: Honor Codes & Heroism. In northern literature there are only two that are significant we have but the dragon of the Vlsungs, Ffnir, and Beowulf's bane. What does a hero's death mean to Beowulf's people? What feats has Beowulf already accomplished [when he is introduced]? WebThe fight with the dragon symbolizes Beowulf's stand against evil and destruction, and, as the hero, he knows that failure will bring destruction to his people after many years of Meanwhile, his kinsman Wiglaf scolds the other members of the troop for not going in to help, before coming to Beowulf's aid. Can he still save the day, when everything he tries seems to be of no avail? Dickerson and O'Hara further elaborated that through its dragon, Beowulf turned the "notion of having a monstrous evil (and not mere human foes) as the enemy" into "a hallmark of modern fantasy" present in C. S. Lewis' Narnia books, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books, and the Thomas Covenant series by Stephen Donaldson. This is, of course, because Anglo-Saxon (i.e. (including. Think of Bilbo Baggins leaving the Shire, or Frodo for that matter, inThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Rings (and, indeed, well return to Tolkien shortly). LitCharts Teacher Editions. He begins to plot his revenge. Whereas the earlier clash establishes Beowulfs reputation as a hero, we know this last clash must seal Beowulfs heroic reputation forever. As descendants of Cain, they are associated with sorcery, black magic, demons, ancient runes, and hell itself. What qualities characterize Beowulf as a hero? [7], Beowulf scholar J. R. R. Tolkien considered the dragon in Beowulf to be one of only two real dragons in northern European literature, writing of it, "dragons, real dragons, essential both to the machinery and the ideas of a poem or tale, are actually rare. The parallel in the story lies with the similarity to Beowulf's hero Sigemund and his companion: Wiglaf is a younger companion to Beowulf and, in his courage, shows himself to be Beowulf's successor. To everyone's alarm, however, a terrifying dragon begins to stalk the countryside at night, destroying homes including Beowulf's great hall with his fiery breath. The dragon chanced upon the hoard and has been guarding it for the past three hundred years. Rather than directly drawing on the work of Homer and Virgil, the Beowulf poet simply seems to have hit upon the idea of using similar plot devices and character types. In a parallel that cannot be missed, the dragon does the same, in a slightly different way, to Beowulf. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. He tells us that the stewards sleep who once burnished battle-masks. But this much constitutes a reasonably complete summary of the plot ofBeowulf. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Interestingly, Beowulf's initial reaction is a feeling of guilt. We read a snippet of Beowulf in Jr. High School (the dragon part) and Ive always found the story fascinating. Latest answer posted July 16, 2021 at 9:40:02 PM. [24] Before he faces the dragon, Beowulf thinks of his past: his childhood and wars the Geats endured during that period, foreshadowing the future. creating and saving your own notes as you read. [29], Wiglaf remains loyal to his king and stays to confront the dragon. For 300 years, the dragon has peacefully guarded a treasure-trove, originally the riches of a now-defunct tribe but long hidden in a "high barrow-hall, / towering stone-mound" (2212-13). Whose funerals are they? Beowulf and a troop of men leave to find the dragon's lair. The narrator explains that this particular barrow was the, Without a generous king to give the treasure and loyal warriors to earn it, the treasure is "useless.". The hall is also symbolic in that it is the setting of Beowulf's first great battle, the defeat of Grendel. The poet relates that many centuries earlier, the last survivor of an ancient race buried the treasure in the barrow when he realized that the treasure would be of no use to him because he, like his ancestors, was destined to die. Raiding at night, the dragon reminds the reader of Grendel, the monster who haunted Hrothgar in his old age and changed the Scylding king's fortunes. Talking of Tolkien, it was his influential 1936 essay, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, which was really responsible for a shift in the way that people read Beowulf. . The poem continues to enjoy popularity, thanks to a bestselling translation by Seamus Heaney and a translation by J. R. R. Tolkien, which was only published in 2014. (If youre looking for the Heaney translation, it can be found here: Beowulf: A New Translation; the Tolkien translation is Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell.) Under the heroic code, grief is something to be purged through vengeance, but vengeance here would mean the death of another sonan excruciating and unsatisfying prospect. 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. Only one survivor, who is called the "keeper of the rings" (2244), lived to hide the treasures in the barrow. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. I certainly realize that it is not perfectly clear whether the treasure was owned by one people or two. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. [35] Conversely, Kemp Malone writes in "The Kenning in Beowulf" that Beowulf's fight with the dragon receives much critical attention, but that commentators fail to note that "the dragon was no fighter. He speaks of the mutability of time and the loss of the good men, heroes, and princes, who no longer have any use for the treasure. WebAnalysis. In lines 3156-3168, it is reported that the treasure was buried (not burned, as the messenger had recommended) in Beowulf's funeral mound, along with his ashes (after he was burned), and that the treasure that was buried included the things that Wiglaf and the others had taken from the dragon's cave after Beowulf's death. Some interesting thoughts here on a classic, with references to J.R.R. The fight with the dragon symbolizes Beowulf's stand against evil and destruction, and, as the hero, he knows that failure will bring destruction to his people after many years of peace. The building is like a palace. When Beowulf hears of the dragon's night raids, the king initially wonders if he could have angered God in some way, bringing this trouble to his people. He devotes his life to guarding a treasure that he frankly has no use for. This plot, as our brief summary of Beowulf above suggests,shares many of the typical elements of heroic narratives. ), he was pretty much the perfect herointregrity, strong, clever, self-sacrificing. Ive had the Heaney translation on my shelves for years, but your post has piqued my interest. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. What happens to the treasure in Beowulf? The lengthy passages of recapitulation and reminiscence fill in the details of Beowulfs political biography. Although it is celebrated nowadays as an important work of Anglo-Saxon indeed, English literature, Beowulf was virtually unknown and forgotten about, amazingly, for nearly a thousand years. For example, in line 2311, he tells us, in the understatement of litotes, that the termination of the dragon raids will be "hard for their [the Geats'] ring-giving lord." The other is dark and dank and full of evil, beneath a mere in the middle of a fen and the symbolic home of resentful outcasts. The dragon, like Grendel, only I have a copy of Beowolf which I confess to my shame Ive never read despite it being on my shelf for more than 30 years. [2] Within the plot structure, however, the dragon functions differently in Beowulf than in Tolkien's fiction. This is a great commentary on the story of Beowulf. There, the Danish princess Hildeburh was distressed by the fact that her son and her brother were at war, fighting on opposite sides, and that ultimately both were killed. Before he dies, Beowulf gives Wiglaf his golden necklace, rings, mail shirt, and gold-covered helmet. If he dies, his people will be lost. Many critics and teachers believe that Beowulf contains themes that are relevant to modern life. If, in my first year at Reading University in 1964/65, we had studied Beowulf instead of extracts from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (so dull!) They are 'inmates of hell', 'adversaries of God', 'offspring of Cain', 'enemies of mankind'.And so Beowulf, for all that he moves in the world of the primitive Heroic Age of the Germans, nevertheless is almost a Christian knight". Eadgils and Eanmund Ohthere's sons, Swedes. Reblogged this on Blogging Beowulf and commented: In the 2007 film version, the dragon is Grendel's younger half-brother as he's the son of the latter's mother and Beowulf whom he ironically ends up killing in the end of the movie. Hrethels grief at the accident is great, but because of the peculiar circumstances surrounding his sons death, Hrethel is locked in inaction. 361-62.) Removing #book# By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. So, to begin, a brief synopsis. The creature attacks the neighboring towns in revenge. The poet has aligned Beowulf with the force of good throughout the story, and the dragons direct attack on Beowulfs hall renders this imminent encounter an inevitable clash between good and evil. Everyone is dead. In lines 3151-3155, a woman sings a grief song, in which she says that she fears that the Geats will soon experience invasion, death, slavery, shame, and terror. Beowulf is indeed a fascinating work and I always look forward to introducing my students to this foundation of hero motifs. Beowulf now is clearly an old man. In his death-speech, Beowulf nominates Wiglaf as his heir and asks for a monument to be built for him on the shoreline. Grendel's mother also sees it as a symbol, representing her personal loss and mankind's macabre sense of what might be an appropriate trophy. [45], J. R. R. Tolkien used the dragon story of Beowulf as a template for Smaug of The Hobbit; in each case, the dragon awakens upon the hoard being disturbed by one stealing a chalice and goes into a wrathful rampage until slain by another person. The ancient treasures in the hoard once belonged to a regional tribe of warriors; almost the entire tribe was killed in battle some 300 years previously. Instant PDF downloads. It is set in Denmark, has a Swedish hero, and when read in the original Anglo-Saxon seems almost more German than English. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Here, the tension is similar but even more frustrating. I think it is because people could relate to, and thus embrace, the faults of Arthur over the heroism in Beowulf. Accessed 2 May 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. He even burns the house of Beowulf, which houses the throne. The tribe's fortunes have turned. The emphasis on the treasure itself in this section rehashes the moral ambiguity of materialism caused by the overlaying of a Christian value system on a pagan story. He believes that he has somehow offended God. Before long, however, the aging warrior focuses on his responsibility as protector and prepares to face the monster in battle. Beowulf tells his men to stay outside, that this fight is his alone, but the dragon proves strong and mortally wounds Beowulf. SparkNotes PLUS No? Yet one responsibility of a king is a stable succession. Always aware of his battle gear, he orders a new shield to replace his old linden-wood protector; this one is to be covered with the strongest iron. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. A lone Geat fugitive, apparently a servant or slave escaping a cruel master, has stolen a single flagon from the hoard, outraging the dragon and inciting him to vengeance. Three funerals are described in Beowulf. I never thought of Jabberwocky like that but now that its pointed out I can definitely see it, Pingback: 10 Short Medieval Poems Everyone Should Read | Interesting Literature. Tolkiens take on it. The Beowulf dragon was adapted for Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937), one of the forerunners of modern high fantasy. [30][31] The presence of a companion is seen as a motif in other dragon stories, but the Beowulf poet breaks hagiographic tradition with the hero's suffering (hacking, burning, stabbing) and subsequent death. Beowulfs reminiscences about his glory days and the narrators mention of Beowulfs old age reinforce the reality that every lifeeven that of a legendary warriormust come to an end. This is available in the Norton Critical Edition of. In an ancient time a prince's thane hid it, as he was the last of Not finding the offender, the dragon goes on a rampage, breathing fire and incinerating homes and villages. Beowulf is a classic overcoming the monster story. | Interesting Literature, Five Fascinating Facts about Jabberwocky | Interesting Literature, Five Fascinating Facts about Geoffrey Chaucer | Interesting Literature, 10 Short Medieval Poems Everyone Should Read | Interesting Literature, What Happens in Beowulf? In Heorot, Hrothgar celebrates his victories and rewards his thanes (warriors) with various treasures. Sometimes it can end up there. He could approach with a full army but supposedly bases his decision on former triumphs over Grendel and the mother. The treasure is to be buried rather than shared by [3] Secular Germanic literature and the literature of Christian hagiography featured dragons and dragon fights. The poem ends with Beowulfs burial at sea, which is described in much detail why this might be is discussed below. [2] Nonetheless, comparative contemporary narratives did not have the complexity and distinctive elements written into Beowulf's dragon scene. Perhaps someone will (or has) written a history of the treasure and the barrow - it could make a very adventurous tale, in which Beowulf's battle with the dragon, and the reinternment of the treasure in his funeral mound (the gold having gone back into the earth for the third time) might be merely one short chapter.
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