The Character of Beowulf
► He
fights for personal
honor, but is
committed to service
to his own people and
humanity.
► A superhuman who
remains recognizable
► Contrast old and
young Beowulf
► Beowulf as savior
Themes
► Good
vs. Evil
► Fate
► The
Importance of
Establishing Identity
► Tension between
Heroic Code and
Christianity
► Significance of
artifacts
► The past
Important Elements of the Poem
► Elegaic
tone
► Heroic poem
► Contrasts





Christian and pagan
Youth and old age
Rise and fall of nations
Joy and sorrow
Fate and God’s will
Violence
Irony
Sutton Hoo
► Burial
site discovered in 1939
► Important links to Anglo-Saxon world and Beowulf
► Remains of a boat were discovered and large
burial chamber containing numerous artifacts
► Artifacts suggest a distinctly Christian element
intermingled with pagan ritual.
► Episodes in Beowulf now have tangible
archaeological violence to add creditability to the
blend of customs in the text.
Sutton Hook Images
Suggested Further Reading
► Beowulf,
A Verse Translatioin. Trans.
Seamus Heaney. Ed. Daniel Donaghue.
Norton Critical Edition. 2002.
► Norton bibliography on Beowulf , p. 2902.
► Websites on Beowulf, Old English poetry,
and Sutton Hoo.