Beowulf Commentary

Natalie Mironov
Ms. Peifer
10 IB, Hr 4
15 December 2008

Beowulf Commentary

"A light appeared and the place brightened

the way the sky does when heaven's candle

is shining clearly. He inspected the vault:

with sword held high, its hilt raised

to guard and threaten, Hygelac's thane

scouted by the wall in Grendel's wake.

Now the weapon was to prove its worth.

The warrior determined to take revenge

for every gross act Grendel had committed--

and not only for that one occasion

when he'd come to slaughter the sleeping troops,

fifteen of Hrothgar's house-guards

surprised on their benches and ruthlessly devoured,

and as many again carried away,

a brutal plunder. Beowulf in his fury

now settled that score: he saw the monster

in his resting place, war-weary and wrecked,

a lifeless corpse, a casualty

of the battle in Heorot. The body gaped

at the stroke dealt to it after death:

Beowulf cut the corpse's head off."

(Heaney 1570-1590).

The story of Beowulf is full of heroic acts and fights. This passage is about Beowulf defeating Grendel's mother and symbolizes the themes of revenge and heroism present throughout the story. Beowulf's goal was to "take revenge for every gross act Grendel had committed" (Heaney 1577-1578). Beowulf wasn't going to just sit there, he needed to be part of the action, he needed to avenge Grendel and his mother and not let all these lives be lost in vain. Another idea portrayed in this section is how evil Grendel is. "He'd come to slaughter the sleeping troops, fifteen of Hrothgar's house-guards surprised on their benches and ruthlessly devoured, and as many again carried away" (Heaney 1580-1583). Grendel murdered all these people and the fact that Beowulf is seeking revenge for all his awful deeds just proves his greatness as well as his strength and bravery. All of these portrayals are shown through the use of alliteration, imagery, and connotation.

The use of alliteration in this passage emphasizes the character of Beowulf. The line, "With sword held high, its hilt raised" (Heaney 1573) is descriptive of Beowulf. The "h" sound is gentle, yet powerful at the same time. It shows Beowulf's true character as a strong leader, but one who does it to benefit others and not just himself. Another example of alliteration is talking about Grendel's mother as "war-weary and wrecked" (Heaney 1586). The "w" sounds tired and helpless. She was fighting Beowulf as revenge for what he did to Grendel and the fact that Beowulf defeats her continues to prove his strength and how honorable he is to take on these evil beings.

Imagery plays a big part in Beowulf because with all the battles that take place it helps the reader see what is happening and understand the characters. "He saw the monster in his resting place, war-weary and wrecked, a lifeless corpse... The body gaped at the stroke dealt to it after death: Beowulf cut the corpse's head off" (Heaney 1585-1590). This is an example of imagery being used to heighten Beowulf's glory and make him seem even more incredible. Nobody would dare oppose a warrior as powerful as Beowulf. He is able to compete with even the most deadly of creatures and through this point has always been victorious.

Connotation is important in the way Grendel is portrayed. When describing Grnadel's actions the story says he "ruthlessly devoured" (Heaney 1582) men and he is "brutal" (Heaney 1584) as well as saying he came "to slaughter the sleeping troops" (Heaney 1580). These words are very harsh and full of negative connotation. Through this choice in words it doesn't give the reader a chance to question Grendel's motives it just immediately leads them to thinking how evil Grendel is and what a hero Beowulf is for avenging his awful deeds.

This passage is made up of many little things that are present throughout all of Beowulf. The themes and literary devices used provide insight into what can be expected throughout the rest of the story and really give a good understanding of the characters. In this way, the reader understands the roles of Beowulf and Grendel and how important their parts are to the story. This section is very interesting to read because of all the details provided, it weaves an interesting story even without all the background knowledge.

Works Cited

Beowulf. Trans. Seamus Heaney. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008.