Ive just startd reading Seamus Heaneys translation and I must say its easy to follow so far! The legend of the dragon-slayer already existed in Norse sagas such as the tale of Sigurd and Fafnir, and the Beowulf poet incorporates motifs and themes common to dragon-lore in the poem. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. [24] Before he faces the dragon, Beowulf thinks of his past: his childhood and wars the Geats endured during that period, foreshadowing the future. [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. Latest answer posted August 24, 2018 at 7:08:52 AM, Latest answer posted October 27, 2017 at 8:44:42 AM. Reblogged this on Storey on a Story Blog and commented: When Wiglaf enters the dragon's tower, he sees piles of gold, precious gems, and priceless tableware strewn about. Beowulf has an almost divine strength, but also something primal and temporal, but just as valuable: the courage of a wolf. Beowulf gives his life defeating the dragon and gaining this impressive treasure for his people, but they won't benefit from it either. Grave Goods: An archeological and anthropological term, grave goods merely describe any objects buried with a body. WebThe dragon is the final test for Beowulf, a test of his wisdom as well as his courage. The dragon fight is foreshadowed with earlier events: Scyld Shefing's funeral and Sigmund's death by dragon, as recounted by a bard in Hrothgar's hall. 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. 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. 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!) 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. Whereas the earlier clash establishes Beowulfs reputation as a hero, we know this last clash must seal Beowulfs heroic reputation forever. Which of course is heavily dependent on the rule of 3 line A; repeat line A; variation/resolution. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# The poem then moves forward fifty years to Beowulfs last fight, his run-in with the dragon (which has been angered by the theft of some of its treasure shades of The Hobbit once more?). Just as the dead warriors cannot use the treasure, neither can the dragon. The dragon is the final test for Beowulf, a test of his wisdom as well as his courage. [22], Beowulf's eventual death from the dragon presages "warfare, death, and darkness" for his Geats. Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaneys translation in particular equates Beowulf with the dragon, another other figure, in a way that is not replicated by the other translators to emphasize Beowulfs role as a distinct hero. Were here to offer a brief overview of the plot ofBeowulf, along with some interpretations of the poem. As Beowulf fights Grendels mother, where are his companions, and what are they thinking? Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Reblogged this on F.T. But Beowulfs life has been a life well lived because he stood up to evil and was victorious. Lines 2200-2400 - CliffsNotes The film being referenced in the comment above by poetmcgonagall, is a film adaptation of Michael Crightons excellent Eaters of the Dead which gives a facinating take on the Beowulf/Grendel legend. [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". Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? The treasure is buried with the great warrior in his funeral barrow and, we are told, remains there still, a mighty horde of riches that is of absolutely no use to anybody. . Previous Instant PDF downloads. The scene includes extended flashbacks to the Geatish-Swedish wars, a detailed description of the dragon and the dragon-hoard, and ends with intricate funerary imagery. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. [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. In the previous section, the reader learns only that Beowulf came to the throne after Hygelacs death and ruled for fifty years. If you consider everything we are told about the treasure, the people who originally hid it, the curse put on it, the people who uncovered and used it and eventually buried it again, and about the barrow itself, and the dragon, which, for some reason, decided to guard it (although I know that there are many legends in which dragons guard treasures), there is enough material to inspire a very interesting story. So, what about the context for the poem? In addition, the "gold of the ancients was wrapped in a spell" when it was stored away, and it seems clear that it was not the man in lines 2247-2252 who cast the spell, nor his companions, who had all died, but rather some previous race. After his battles against Grendel's mother and Grendel, Beowulf returns home and becomes king of the Geats. The problem starts when a fugitive, apparently a runaway slave, stumbles across the dragon's treasure-trove. I have often wondered why the Beowulf story was lost for so long. WebThe dragon is the final test for Beowulf, a test of his wisdom as well as his courage. [43] Joan Acocella states in The New Yorker that "unlike Grendel and his mother, [the dragon] is less a monster than a symbol. What feats has Beowulf already accomplished [when he is introduced]? Beowulf is from a different kingdom the nearby Geatland, in modern-day Sweden so we have one of the classic tropes of adventure narratives, that of the hero leaving home to go and vanquish some foe in a foreign land. Grendel and his mother, then, are similarly outcasts, something that has been rejected by mainstream society and whose violence must be overcome. It was only rescued from obscurity in 1815, when an Icelandic-Danish scholar named Thorkelin printed an edition of the poem. Beowulf declined, however, not wanting to disturb the order of succession. He tells of the accidental killing of one of Hrethels sons by another and attempts to characterize the kings great grief. Pingback: What Happens in Beowulf? [27] The dragon's hoard is representative of a people lost and antique, which is juxtaposed against the Geatish people, whose history is new and fleeting. 98-100. [21] The people's fate depend on the outcome of the fight between the hero and the dragon, and, as a hero, Beowulf must knowingly face death. We read a snippet of Beowulf in Jr. High School (the dragon part) and Ive always found the story fascinating. [34], In 1918, William Witherle Lawrence argued in his article "The Dragon and His Lair in Beowulf" that the fight between Beowulf and the dragon tends to receive less critical attention than other portions of the poem, commenting that "Grendel and his dam have, as it were, become more beloved of the commentators". Beowulf only succeeds in vanquishing the monster when he grabs a magic sword from the pile of treasure lying in the monsters lair, and is able to behead the monster with the weapon. He The poet recounts the death of King Hygelac in combat in Friesland. Free trial is available to new customers only. There are more than 85 translations of Beowulf, and each one is slightly biased in its interpretation. In 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Pingback: Happy Tolkien Reading Day! In proclaiming of Beowulf that He was a good king, the poet echoes his praise of the venerable Shield Sheafson and of Hrothgar (2390). By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Struggling with distance learning? The poet has no reservations about giving away his ending. Many critics and teachers believe that Beowulf contains themes that are relevant to modern life. Only one survivor, who is called the "keeper of the rings" (2244), lived to hide the treasures in the barrow. The hall is a home for the warriors who sleep there and functions as a seat of government. It has been asserted by several commentators that the fact that the treasure was buried, rather than being burned in the funeral fire, is going to result in even more trouble for the Geats, but I cannot see any specific evidence for this in my reading of the story. At this point, we only know that the king and his heir have been killed in separate conflicts. 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. Critical Essays Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Please wait while we process your payment. 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). 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 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. The gables are shaped like horns of the hart. The lengthy passages of recapitulation and reminiscence fill in the details of Beowulfs political biography. He also put up quite a fight when Hygelac died in Frisia; Beowulf escaped by defeating many of the enemy in close combat, carrying off the war gear of 30 men. Log in here. Ohthere and Onela Ongentheow's sons, Swedes. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. The dragon fight, near the end of the poem, is foreshadowed in earlier scenes. Lines 2200-2400. There will be no more songs from the scop. The contrast drawn between Hrothgar, who earlier calls on the young Beowulf to eradicate Grendel, and the now old Beowulf, who enlists no such help against the dragon, accentuates Beowulfs valor and instills in us a confidence that Beowulf is still mighty enough to eradicate a menacing foe. In Beowulf, some of the most important symbols are Hrothgar's mead-hall, Grendel's cave, Grendel's arm and head, and the dragon's treasure-trove. It is only as a means of creating bonds in society that treasure has value. 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. The treasure also brings about Beowulfs death. Possibly the poems Christian narrator sees greed for treasure as a kind of spiritual death, suffered by pagans who value treasure over Heaven. The dragon hoards his treasure in a barrow, that is, a grave. Discount, Discount Code 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. Purchasing [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. Is there a work of literature, similar to Beowulf, where the hero fights a monster to save his kingdom? The building is like a palace. The survivor seems to realize that the treasure is meaningless without a community in which to circulate. Sometimes it can end up there. Beowulfs call for the dragon to face him on open ground has the same primal feel to it as his youthful decision to fight Grendel unarmed. Refine any search. In addition, the poem Havamal also speaks of how everyone must die, except a mans reputation. What this tells us, I think, is how deep-rooted is the human need for the idea of the stranger who rides (all right, comes by boat) into town, deals with the monster/fear/rich landowner/evil bandit who is terrorising the townfolk and rides out again. As a monster that represents the opposite of a generous king and therefore is a destroyer rather than creator of society, it should come as no surprise that the dragon would burn Beowulf's mead-hall. Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk. Under Beowulfs reign, the feuding with Sweden eventually ceased when Beowulf avenged Hygelacs death. Instant PDF downloads. It is possible, however, that I do not understand enough about the subtleties of the Anglo-Saxon writing, or the roles of the messenger, or the grieving woman, and so I have missed something which would indicate that these commentators are correct. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the throne after her husband (Hygelac) died, thinking that her young son (Heardred) was unable to protect the kingdom; Beowulf refused but served the young king faithfully. But then trouble strikes, changing his situation when he's an old man. McKinstry and commented: The poets explicit comparison between Hygelac, who died, and Beowulf, who lived, in the combat in Friesland similarly builds our expectations that Beowulf will succeed in his quest. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Soon, Beowulf'sown throne-hall becomes the target of the dragons fiery breath, and it is burned to the ground. Why did the Danes bury the treasure that Beowulf and Wiglaf recovered from the dragon? [2] Beowulf is the earliest surviving piece of Anglo-Saxon literature to feature a dragon, and it is possible that the poet had access to similar stories from Germanic legend. SparkNotes PLUS In the following post, we offer a short summary ofBeowulf, and an introduction to its main themes. He thus stands in contrast to the power-hungry usurper Hrothulf. Hetware technically, the Chattuarii; here indistinguishable from Frisians; joined with Franks against Hygelac. When Beowulf sees the treasure, he thanks God for it and proclaims that he has sold his life well for the treasure. 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. So, the warriors end up building Beowulf his funeral pyre and burying the dragon's hoard with his ashes. The poem ends with his subsequent death and burial at sea. Since translation is a form of interpretation, I believe Heaneys translation is particularly biased in thinking about Beowulf in the ancient Ango-Saxon tale and makes Beowulf a more complex character than the original tale describes, torn by his glorious role as epic hero and his duty to his people within a carefully constructed social structure. So he does what lesser men would fear to do: he wrestles the monster with his bare hands, eventually tearing off one of its arms. He believes that he has somehow offended God. creating and saving your own notes as you read. The dragon's treasure-trove poignantly represents the vanity of human wishes as well as the mutability of time. Although he has been given a strong sword (named Hrunting) by Unferth (a man who had previously doubted Beowulf the sword is given as a token of friendship), Beowulf finds this sword useless against Grendels mother. The hall is also symbolic in that it is the setting of Beowulf's first great battle, the defeat of Grendel. The dragons hoard is buried with Beowulfs ashes. 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. What does a hero's death mean to Beowulf's people? [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. Eadgils and Eanmund Ohthere's sons, Swedes. The poem gives no place of origin for the dragon, only an explanation of why it guards the hoard of gold. When was Beowulfwritten? Did not Hrothgar warn him of this in the sermon? Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. 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.". Grendel flees, eventually dying of his wound. Meanwhile, his kinsman Wiglaf scolds the other members of the troop for not going in to help, before coming to Beowulf's aid. Beowulf is the first piece of English literature to present a dragonslayer. Want 100 or more? Beowulf is a classic overcoming the monster story. When the dragon wounds Beowulf fatally, Wiglaf attacks it with his sword, and Beowulf kills it with his dagger. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. Ive read Beowulf many times over the years (was introduced to the Old-English version back in High School) and youve provided an excellent summary. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. Latest answer posted July 16, 2021 at 9:40:02 PM. This plot, as our brief summary of Beowulf above suggests,shares many of the typical elements of heroic narratives. The treasure hoard, without a people to use and "polish" it, is useless. Years pass. After the dragon is killed, Beowulf tells Wiglaf to look for the dragon's treasure and to bring it to him. This section moves us into the third part of the poem, which centers around the aged Beowulfs fight with the dragon. (including. GROUP BEOWULF PASSAGE - Pace University New York My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. [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. these shall the fire eat,/the blaze enfold--nor shall an earl wear these|rings as reminders, nor a fair maiden/wrap her throat/in a ring adornment, . Beowulf Lines 22112515 Summary & Analysis Upon returning home, Beowulf was offered the throne by the widowed Hygd, who knew that her own son was too young and inexperienced to be an effective ruler. The unknown ancestor who buries the treasure, for example, behaves as mournfully as if he were actually burying his deceased kinsmenor, indeed, himself. Why was the treasure buried with Beowulf instead? I guess the rule of three is viscerally satisfying! He tells them that they will not have the treasure, because they have disgraced themselves. 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. Wiglaf decides that the treasure hoard, because it is tainted by the cowardice of the men who should have supported Beowulf, should become part of Beowulf's funeral pyre and barrow: . Sometimes God and wyrd are virtually interchangeable in the poem, possibly the result of Christian substitution. 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. Unfortunately, the distinguishing feature of Beowulf's death is that his loyal retainers, with the exception of Wiglaf, failed to come to his aid when Beowulf could have used their help. In lines 2912-2998, he reminds them of past battles between the Geats and other groups, referred to variously as Franks, Frisians, Merovingian, Swedes and Battle-Scylfings. Thus the characters role is split and this binary role is portrayed in different ways depending on the translation of Beowulf. [12], The third act of the poem differs from the first two. and any corresponding bookmarks? The defeat of his people had left the treasures to deteriorate. On Beowulf What happens to the dragon and its treasure? What happens to the dragon and its treasure? It seems logical that the "noble" race who originally mined the gold and created the treasure could not be the race which wasted away and left only this man. Beowulf: Beowulf and Wiglaf (Lines 27112845) Where does the dragon come from in Beowulf? - eNotes.com Filled with grief and rage, she retrieves the arm from Heorot and kills another Scylding in the process. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. BeowulfTranslations.net: The Dragon's Treasure - paddle trips xxiii-xxxvii. swift roan Horses played an important role among the royalty, but most of the fighting was executed on foot. His son Heardred rules after Hygelac, but he is also soon killed in battle. At line 3028, it is written that the messenger's predictions eventually came true. more important to honor Beowulf than to be concerned w/ worldly treasures; buried w/ Beowulf Created by: jjordan93 Before he dies, Beowulf gives Wiglaf his golden necklace, rings, mail shirt, and gold-covered helmet. The foe he faces is no ordinary foe, and conventional weapons are powerless against it. The poem then ends with Beowulf, now in his twilight years, slaying a third monster (this time, a dragon), although this encounter proves his undoing, as he is fatally wounded in the battle. [4] Although the dragons of hagiography were less fierce than the dragon in Beowulf, similarities exist in the stories such as presenting the journey to the dragon's lair, cowering spectators, and the sending of messages relaying the outcome of the fight. 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. Complete your free account to request a guide. The poem actually begins with Scyld Sheffings funeral, and it ends with Beowulfs. maybe I should have stuck with reading English instead of switching to Philosophy and obtained a better class of degree than the Gentlemans I ended up woth (a pass, just like T S Eliot). In this anecdote, the Beowulf poet seems to have given the pagan ethos a fairly sympathetic and even-handed treatment. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. False pride? [5], The dragon with his hoard is a common motif in early Germanic literature with the story existing to varying extents in the Norse sagas, but it is most notable in the Vlsunga saga and in Beowulf. Everyone is dead. 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. Three funerals are described in Beowulf. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. He repeatedly tells us that Beowulf is about to meet his death. I cannot however find any strong evidence to support Frederick Rebsamen's assertion that "the old curse will probably punish the Geats since they left much of the treasure undestroyed in the burial mound.". Beowulf: The Dragon (Lines 22002323) Summary 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. And although it is seen as the starting-point of great English literature at many universities, it is still the earliest literary text studied as part of the literary canon it is very different from other medieval poetry, such as that by Chaucer or Langland, who were writing many centuries later. 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. The dragon (Beowulf) - Wikipedia Now an old king, Beowulf grieves and wonders what he might have done to deserve such punishment from God. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. 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. Reblogged this on Willow's Corner and commented: Renews May 8, 2023 But the anecdote of the Last Survivor, which tells how the gold came to be buried in the barrow, demonstrates a different ethos. I cant quite read the Old English, but I love to read the different translations. 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. Here are all of the passages which tell us about the treasure, the barrow, and the two peoples who held the treasure over the past 1,000 years (which could be an indeterminate, "poetical" sort of 1,000 years), before it was discovered by the slave in the Beowulf story (the translation is from Chickering): The following notes on the dragon's treasure are from Frederick Rebsamen, page 70: Now, however, I think that the evidence for two peoples is clearly indicated in lines 2247-2252 and 3047-3057.
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