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Beowulf, The Class Example of An Epic. The story Beowulf is a classic example
of an epic. An epic is a long narrative poem that relates ...
... An example of a kenning would be ??after nightfall ... Beowulf clearly contains the
elements needed to classify ... his character and a higher class language, but ...
... An example of a kenning would be ??after nightfall ... Beowulf clearly contains the
elements needed to classify ... his character and a higher class language, but ...
... Beowulf is not the typical stereotype of a hero ... that he will never be accepted into
this high-class society ... For example if a child is raised by The epic hero is ...
... Another example of his strength is when he fights Grendel?s ... not a characteristic
that is taught in a class room, it ... It is safe to say the Beowulf is a true ...
Submitted by Kiteri on November 15, 2006
Category: English
Words: 454 | Pages: 2
Views: 125
Popularity Rank: 63,665
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The story Beowulf is a classic example of an epic. An epic is a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society. The tone of an epic isserious and uses language that is magnificent. Many elements in Beowulf display the common characteristics of what makes a story an epic.
First of all, every story that is an epic has a hero who strongly identifies with a particular people or society. In Beowulf our hero Beowulf identifies with the Anglo-Saxons. One belief they have is bravery. Beowulf and his men exhibit this when they hear of Grendel's deadly attacks on Herot hall and henceforth prepare a ship to sail to Denmark. Another one of their beliefs is loyalty towards their family, clan, or kingdom. Their need of loyalty stems from a need to protect one another. Beowulf shows loyalty when he helps the kingdom that his father had served. Additionally, Beowulf displays his loyalty to his people when he states "my people have said / …that my duty was to go to the Danes' / Great king" (ll 149, 150, 151) while he is talking to King Hrothgar.
Furthermore, the hero in an epic performs great deeds in battle or undertakes an extraordinary journey. Sometimes gods or other fantastical creatures are part of the action, too. Beowulf performs many fantastic feats, including fighting Grendel and then Grendel's mom. When he remarks that he hears "…the monster's scorn of men / Is so great that he needs no weapons…" (ll 167, 168) Beowulf announces "Nor will I… / My hands / Alone shall fight for me" (ll 169, 172, 173). Although Grendel is extremely powerful and dulls all weapons useless, Beowulf is still able to defeat him.
In addition, epics use heightened language and their setting is either broad or sweeping. The language usage in Beowulf is incredibly sharp. A good example comes when the author refers to Grendel's terrorizing attacks as "Twelve winters of grief for...
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