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1. Nahdiyyah (A73219065)
2. Nila Agustine (A73219067)
3. Andini Anugrah Fitria (A93219080)
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BEOWULF
and the explanation about epic poem

1. Beowulf
A. Historical Background
Beowulf is an old English epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines. It was
written in England some time between the 8th and the early 11th Century. The author
was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, referred to by scholars as the “Beowulf Poet”.
The poem is set in Scandinavian. It is possibly the oldest surviving long poem in Old
English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English
literature.
Little is known about this famous epic poem’s origins, unfortunately. Many believe
that “Beowulf” may have been composed as an elegy for a king who died in the 7th
Century, but little evidence indicates who that king may have been.
The poem may have been composed as early as around 700 common era. And
evolved through many retellings before it was finally written down. Beowulf contains
many pagan and folkloric elements, but there are undeniable Christian themes as well.
Others have seen it as symbolic of the transition from paganism to Christianity in
early medieval Britain.
Beowulf was eventually referred to by the name of its Scandinavian hero, whose
adventures are its primary focus. While some historical elements run through the
poem, the hero and the story are both fictional.
B. Summary
In the poem, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, battles three antagonists: Grendel, who has
been attacking the mead hall in Denmark called Heorot and its inhabitants; Grendel’s
mother and, later in life after returning to Geatland (modern southern Sweden) and
becoming a king, he fights an unnamed dragon. Beowulf is fatally wounded in the
final battle, and after his death he is buried in a barrow in Geatland by his retainers.
C. Characters
 Beowulf
A hero who is brave in fighting his enemies, handsome, and loyal. A man with
dignity.
 King Hrothgar
A figure who always wanders with his army, after winning the war. Is actually a
good king, but a little arrogant.
 Queen
A character who is not very active, the wife of the king, obedient.
 Grendel
A terrible monster who is disturbed by the loud noise of celebrations held by
King Hrothgar, until one day Grendel attacks and kills the soldiers, but finally, he
is killed by Beowulf.
 Grendel’s Mother
A terrible monster who is evil, hard, and very fond of her son (Grendel). In the
film adaptation, this character was transformed into a beautiful kind of monster
that even Beowulf himself was attracted to her.
 Wiglaf
A loyal friend of Beowulf. He is always at Beowulf’s side in fighting, as he does
when Beowulf fights the Dragon.
 Dragon
A human incarnation monster, which attacks Beowulf’s kingdom. Beowulf’s
battle against the Dragon got both of them killed.
 More about Beowulf….
 There is only one surviving Beowulf manuscript.
 The original manuscript of Beowulf was damaged in a fire.
 Beowulf has been adapted a number of times in cinema, on the stage, and in books. In
2003, the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies published Marijane
Osborn's annotated list of over 300 translations and adaptations.
 J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy fell in love
with the poem during his school years.
 The language used in Beowulf is a mash-up of dialects from four different areas of
medieval Britain: Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex. The result shows just how
developed and complex a language Old English was at the time the poem was written.
For example, the poem uses a total of 36 different words for "hero." "Hæle" and
"eorl" are just two of the Old English words that can be translated to "hero" in
Modern English.
D. Beowulf Film Adaptation
Beowulf has been adapted into a lot of works, such as films and even games. The one
that we are going to talk is the 2007 film of Beowulf with the title “Beowulf”. This is
a 3D computer-animated fantasy action film directed and co-produced by Robert
Zemeckis, written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. This film is starred by Ray
Winstone as Beowulf, Angelina Jolie as Grendel’s Mother, Robin Wright as King
Hrothgar, and many others.
The filmmakers have made some changes in the plot of the actual story to their own
interpretation of the poem that is considered more suitable for the film. Some of the
changes made by the film as noted by scholars include:
 The portrayal of Beowulf as a flawed man;
 The portrayal of Hrothgar as a womanizing alcoholic;
 The portrayal of Unferth as a Christian;
 The portrayal of Grendel as a sickly-looking childlike creature (somewhat similar
to Tolkien's Gollum character), rather than savage demon monster;
 Beowulf's funeral;
 The portrayal of Grendel's mother as a beautiful seductress, more of a succubus
rather, who bears Grendel as Hrothgar's child and the dragon as Beowulf's child
(this is also the case in the plot of the 1999 film Beowulf, with the exception that
the dragon is entirely absent there);
 The fact that Beowulf becomes ruler of Denmark instead of his native Geatland.

2. Epic Poem
A. What Is Epic Poem?
Epic poem is a long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic acts and events
which is related to the culture of the poet. Epic poems were particularly common in
ancient era because they were ideal to be expressed orally. Some of the most famous
literary masterpieces in the world were written in the form of epic poem.
Many ancient authors used poem to tell the tales of intense adventure of the heroes.
The transition of a young hero into a wise ruler is a common theme in epic poem.
Another common theme in many epic poems is the tale of a flood. Many ancient
cultures in the Middle East had a flood story. Historians believe that there may have
been a real flood in the area that inspired flood stories in Babylonian mythology,
Sumerian mythology, and the Bible.
B. Examples of Epic Poem
 The Epic of Gilgamesh (Ancient Mesopotamian epic poem)
This is an epic poem from Ancient Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known
works of literary fiction. The essential story revolves around the relationship
between Gilgamesh, a king who has become distracted and disheartened by his
rule, and a friend, Enkidu, who is half-wild and who undertakes dangerous quests
with Gilgamesh.
 The Iliad (Ancient Greek epic poem)
The poem is commonly dated to the late 9th or to the 8th century BC and many
believe that it is the oldest extant work of literature in the ancient Greek language,
making it the first work of European literature. The poem concerns events during
the tenth and final year in the siege of the city of Ilion or Troy, by the Greeks.
 Beowulf (Old English epic poem)
This is an Old English language heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship, dating
as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between the 8th to the 11th
century. Commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon
Literature, Beowulf has been the subject of much scholarly study, theory,
speculation, discourse and, at more than 3000 lines, it has been noted for its length.
 Mahabharata (Indian epic poem)
With more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and about 1.8 million words in
total, the Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world. It is of
immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent and is a major text of
Hinduism.