Thursday, September 4, 2014

What does the poem Beowulf teach us about Anglo saxon culture?

Anglo Saxon culture was going through changes in religion.  They had a mixture of both Pagan beliefs (which they began with) and of Christianity (which is new to them).  That is seen in many different sections of the story:



"Then God's bright beacon appeared in the east, the water lay still, and last I could could see the land, wind-swept cliff-walls at the edge of the coast.  Fate saves the living when they drive away death by themselves!" (lines 302-306)



There were references to both fate and the mention of God. 


Also there is the theme of loyalty. Wiglaf risks his life to help Beowulf fight and defeat the dragon.  This is very loyal especially with all of his men who run in fear.  He stuck it out, just as the culture praises those who are loyal.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is the main function of the fool in "King Lear"? What is the secondly function?

The fool as a character is confusing, but part of this is the difference between the 1600s and today, as well as the difference in place. If...