The epic poem Beowulf reveals a lot about the culture of the Anglo-Saxons. For one thing, it reveals that they lived in great halls which served as their living and dining quarters. This is noted by their using the word mead-hall, which also serves to show that drinking mead is an important part of their society. It also shows the heroic code of the time. For example, Beowulf is the perfect hero of this society; he is strong, courageous, and has a wealth of heroic deeds of which he can boast about. Warriors also strive to become immortal in the sense that they are remembered through the words of the poets. Thus they do heroic deeds and boast about them.
The poem also reveals several themes. One of these is the importance of identity and immortality. Every male in the Anglo-Saxon world tries to establish his own identity by doing something to be remembered by, and thus becoming known as himself, not as the relative of some other man. It also shows the difference between a good warrior and a good king. As Beowulf progresses, Beowulf goes from being a warrior to being a king, and thus he has to change his values. A hero has nothing to lose in his own death, and thus they can be reckless, but a king has much to lose and thus he must act more cautiously.
No comments:
Post a Comment