The Rise of Beowulf

Early England was a time of knight, kings, and royalty. Little did we know that the king

and the knights would lead to the end of a cultural period that would spark the beginning of a

famous literature movement. The end of the Anglo-Saxon and the rise of a worthy King will lead

to the most famous elegiac poem ever written, Beowulf.

England was a land that based their society structure upon a hierarchy, meaning their

social status was a series of ranks; the king ranked the highest and the peasants being the lowest

rank. Living in present day and in our present culture, one might consider this type of society to

be unjust. However, in the time of early England people supported this type of society; they

believed leadership like this to be a necessary importance. The leadership and stability created by

this hierarchy gave the England’s people a since of prosperous busyness. Prosperous busyness

simply means that their country as a whole was successfully growing economically. As long as

the English people had some form of leadership established, they seemed to be confident in their

leader to provide them with the economy they needed in order for them to profit.

There were times in early England when things didn’t look so prosperous for the people.

Around 1066, fighting in England between the Anglo-Saxons and Immigrants was tearing the

country apart. These two groups continued to tug and pull at one another over obtaining property

of green prosperous land. Leadership played its role when William the Conqueror managed to

unify these nations after the Battle of Hastings was fought. However, during this time Alfred the

Great was considered to be England’s most notable ruler; all though, he was not entirely in

control of England. Therefore, after William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo-Saxons in 1066,
at the Battle of Hastings, he instantly gained power. During the end of this Anglo-Saxon period

someone wrote a poetic narrative called Beowulf.

Anglo-Saxon Literature did not begin with books; it began with spoken verses and

incantations. The celebration of a military victory was often a time for reciting poems. The early

verse of Anglo-Saxon poetry falls into two main categories, heroic and elegiac. Heroic verses

praise someone and elegiac verses normally honor someone that has died. The “Wonderer” and

“The Sea Farer” are two of the most famous elegiac poems we know today. Beowulf is still

today the most famous fictional elegiac poem. Beowulf was a manuscript, meant as a guide to

kingship and knightly behavior. It is also an epic. An epic is a long narrative poem about a hero

in pursuit of a goal of natural importance. Beowulf is considered the national epic of England

because Beowulf was such a great leader and England wants to picture their world in such a way

as Beowulf saw his. To this day Beowulf is still being read everywhere, however, we still don’t

know who originally wrote Beowulf. Also the versions of the poem Beowulf were recited long

before they were ever written down. There are references to bravery, loyalty, heroism, and

Christianity in Beowulf, which is a reason for its immense favoritism. Common values such as

“never give up” and “be a good leader” are also stressed in the poem. Beowulf will continue to

provide inspiration to anyone who reads it.

England’s early history and culture is what lead to collection of wonderful literature we

still know and love today. History and belief played a vast role in making Beowulf the success it

was then and for the fame and praise it still receives today. In this case it was the history that

produced such a wonderful outcome, the literature.