Beowulf Anaylsis

Justin Ernst

Ms. Peifer

10IB hour 5

12/18/11

“Beowulf spoke:/ “Greetings to Hrothgar. I am Hygelac’s kinsman,/ one of his hall-troop. When I was younger,/ I had great triumphs. Then news of Grendel,/ hard to ignore, reached me at home:/ sailors brought stories of the plight you suffer/ in this legendary hall, how it lies deserted,/ empty and useless once the evening light/ hides itself under heaven’s dome./ So every elder and experienced councilman/ among my people supported my resolve/ to come here to you, King Hrothgar,/ because all knew of my awesome strength./ They had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies/ when I battled and bound five beasts,/ raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea/ slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes/ and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it/ upon themselves, I devastated them).” (Beowulf 408-424).

            In lines 408-424 in Beowulf different literary devices are used to emphasize the fact that Beowulf has the supernatural strength to defeat Grendel. Alliteration and imagery are two examples of literary devices that are used in the story to show how Beowulf has used his gift previously and can use them to help the kingdom in need.

            The dominant impression of the quote is to portray how he is the chosen hero for the task of defeating Grendel. It is important to notice that Beowulf is the one talking, boasting about himself instead of someone else talking about him. “So every elder and experienced councilman among my people supported my resolve to come here to you.” (415-416) Beowulf clearly states that he is the chosen hero, no questions asked.

One literary device that is used is alliterations. Alliterations are used in lines to connect the words together and portray an emotion without the reader realizing it. “They had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts,” (419-420). This quote shows alliterations used in the form of words starting with “b” and most of the same words ending in “d”. The author's use of alliteration makes the meaning of the line stand out to support the idea that he has already conquered equal foes and is ready for Grendel.

            Another literary device used is imagery. “in this legendary hall, how it lies deserted, empty and useless once the evening light hides itself under heaven’s dome.” (412-414). This description gives the reader a good picture of the grandeur of the hall but also the loneliness the hall experiences every night because of the terror of Grendel. The phrase “the evening light hides itself under heaven’s dome” also ties to the primal human fear of the dark and night because even the sun hides from Grendel at night. Grendel, in some ways, represents that very fear.

            The passage chosen uses alliterations and imagery to reinforce the dominant impression that Beowulf is the chosen hero to defeat the evil Grendel. The dominant impression shows that Beowulf knows and boasts about the fact that he is the only hero that will defeat Grendel. Beowulf stands against Grendel, who represents the darkness at night and Beowulf arriving as a beacon of hope in the darkness.