Republic of the Philippines

Leyte Normal University

College of Arts and Sciences
LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE UNIT
Tacloban, City

The Anglo-Saxon
Period and Beowulf

Submitted by:
ALVERO, RACHEL C.
BSED English SE2-1

Submitted to:
GERARDO P. NICOL, Ph.D.
 ANGLO-SAXON (OLD ENGLISH) PERIOD
449-1066
ANGLO-SAXONS
 The Anglo-Saxons were good warriors, most of the time they won the battle they fight,
they controlled most of England.
 A term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded the south and
east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century A.D.
 The term is also used for the language now called Old English, spoken and written by
the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in much of what is now England and some of
south-eastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.
 In their own lands, most Anglo-Saxons were farmers. They lived in family groups in
villages, not cities. Since they lived close to the sea and big rivers, many of them were
sailors too. They built wooden ships with oars and sails, for trade and to settle in new
lands.
 Their culture valued human contact, family, virtue, and a good story. They feared
humiliation and loneliness in their lives. They desired richness, power, and appreciated
heroic actions of warriors.

THE ANGLO-SAXON ERA: TIMELINE

43CE • Romans invade Britain.

420CE • Romans leave.

• Jutes from Denmark, and the Angles and Saxons fromNorthern Germany
450CE
invade England.

597CE • Anglo-Saxons become Christian.

787CE • Viking raids begin.

871-
899CE • King Alfred the Great becomes King of England.

1066CE • Norman Conquest by William the Conqueror

HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

 English literature, literature produced in England, from the introduction of Old
English by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century to the present. The works of those Irish
and Scottish authors who are closely identified with English life and letters are also
considered part of English literature.
 The Germanic tribes from Europe who overran England in the 5th century, after the
Roman withdrawal, brought with them the Old English. They brought also a specific
poetic tradition, the formal character of which remained surprisingly constant until the
termination of their rule by the Norman-French invaders six centuries later.
ANGLO-SAXONS LITERATURE
 Anglo-Saxon literature began as an oral tradition. Stories, poems, and songs were all
told aloud and passed from generation to generation orally through minstrels or scops.

LITERARY ELEMENTS:
1. Alliteration – the repetition of initial sounds of words
2. Kenning – a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place,
thing, or event indirectly. It enhances the literal meaning of words.
A. POETRY
o Much of Old English poetry was intended to be chanted, with harp
accompaniment, by the Anglo-Saxon scop, or bard.
o Almost all this poetry is composed without rhyme, in a characteristic line, or
verse of four stressed syllables alternating with an indeterminate number of
unstressed ones.
o Another unfamiliar but equally striking feature in the formal character of Old
English poetry is structural alliteration.
B. PROSE
o Prose in Old English is represented by a large number of religious works. The
imposing scholarship of monasteries in Northern England in the late 7th century
reached its peak in the Latin work Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum
(Ecclesiastical History of the English People, 731) by Bede.
o This was significant work of largely Platonic philosophy easily adaptable to
Christian thought, and it has had great influence on English literature.
AUTHORS AND THEIR FAMOUS WORKS

1. Caxton, William
A merchant and later a writer who set up the first printing press in England in 1476. He
is also famous for the prefaces which he wrote to his editions and which are revealing
documents of literary attitudes in late 15th century in England.
2. Gower, John
An English poet of courtly love who is remembered as the author of the Confessio
Amantis, a collection of exemplary tales (from both classical and medieval sources)
about courtly and Christian love.
 3. King Alfred
Alfred was King of the West Saxons, and conqueror of the Vikings. He brought scholars
and writers to his court in Winchester, which became the center of a renaissance in
English letters. Alfred is thought to have translated the first 50 psalms as well as three
prose works. He or his circle translated Bede’s Historia, including Caedmon’s Hymn.
4. Caedmon
Caedmon was the first poet to produce vivid Christian verses in the Anglo-Saxon
tongue. Unfortunately, only few of his lines survive. He died around 680. The people
of England remembered him as saint. His feast is celebrated every February 11. In the
7th century he was the author of several Anglo-Saxon poems based upon biblical
narratives.
5. Bede
Saint Bede was a monk of the twin monasteries of Wearmouth and Jarrow in north-
eastern England. He was famous in his lifetime as one of the most brilliant writers of
Europe. He was made a doctor of the church in the 19th century. He translated the Bible
into English and wrote poems in Old English.

BEOWULF
(Beowulf is only one full-length folk epic that has survived in English literature. The poem
was published 1815. It is the best example of warrior literature. Its author is unknown.)
Plot Diagram

Beowulf kills Grendel’s

mother.

Climax

Grendel’s mother arrives to

avenge his death

As the King, Beowulf

Beowulf kills the monster. fights and kills the
dragon.

Beowulf arrives to fight the

monster, and free the Danes.

Beowulf dies, and he

Grendel terrorizes Heorot for receives signal honors from
12 years. his men.

Denouement
Introduction
 A Summary
The story begins with Hrothgar, king of Danes, a descendant of Scyld. Hrothgar, in his old age,
built a splendid hall where his thanes (noble followers) gathered nightly to feast and listen to
the songs of the gleemen (minstrels). This hall was called Heorot.
One night, as all were sleeping, a frightful monster, Grendel, broke into the hall, killing and
carrying away with him thirty of the sleeping warriors to devour them in hislair in the sea.
Nightly, the visit was repeated and fear and death came over Heorot. The warriors tried to fight
the monster but no weapon could harm it.
At last the rumor about Grendel reached a young hero named Beowulf, whose uncle, King
Hygelac, ruled over the Geats. Beowulf was a man of immense strength and couyrage. With
loyalty and heroism in mind, Beowulf comes to the rescue of the Danes and King Hrothgar.
They have suffered at the hands of an evil monster, Grendel, who has pillaged their kingdom
for more than 12 years and killed many men.
Beowulf, nephew to the king of the Geats, sails across the seas to try to defeat the beast. Once
he has convinced Hrothgar and Unferth of his many feats, they allow Beowulf to defend the
hall from the monster. Because of his code of honor, Beowulf lays down his armor and sword
so that he is Grendel's equal and has no unfair advantage. Upon Grendel's arrival a great battle
ensues, and Beowulf—with his mighty strength—tears Grendel's arm from his body.
Mortally injured, Grendel retreats home to die. Prepared to avenge her son's death, Grendel's
mother arrives the next day and kills one of Hrothgar's elders. Beowulf follows her down into
her swampy home and attempts to fight her, but his sword doesn't make a scratch on the horrible
beast. He grabs a magical sword hanging on her wall and wields a deadly blow.
Then, he spots Grendel's corpse and severs his head. Grendel's poisonous blood melts and
destroys the sword down to its hilt. Beowulf comes to the surface and presents Grendel's head
and the hilt to Hrothgar. A grand celebration in Beowulf's honor ensues.
Beowulf then returns to the Geats, where he is proclaimed a hero. Eventually, Beowulf
becomes a great king of the Geats. But, as with Hrothgar, all good things must come to an end.
Fifty years into his reign, a great dragon is disturbed. A man happens upon the beast's lair and
steals some of the treasure the dragon has been hoarding for years. The dragon seeks his
revenge and wreaks havoc in Beowulf's kingdom. Beowulf knows that it will be difficult to
defeat the beast, but he has the best armor and swords. With his loyal warriors, he sets out to
defeat the dragon. Beowulf orders his men to stay back while he battles the dragon alone. The
warriors agree and, upon seeing the dragon, all of his warriors run from his side—except a
young thane called Wiglaf. Although Beowulf fights heroically, he is fatally wounded. Before
Beowulf dies, Wiglaf presents him with some of the riches from the dragon's hoard.
The story ends much like it starts: with a death and an elaborate burial. Beowulf is laid to rest
with a mountain of treasure to mark his heroic life. Sadly, at his death Beowulf finally shows
some fallibility and dies without naming an heir—a kingdom without an heir is at great risk of
pillaging, death, and enslavement.
Link References:
 www.cs.mcgil.ca
 www.britannica.com/Art/Anglo-Saxon-literature/
 https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Beowulf/plot-summary
 https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Beowulf/character-map/
 https://www.history.org.uk/primary/resource/3865/anglo-saxons--brief-history/