The epic poem “Beowulf” remains to be full of mysteries. In fact, the original author is unknown so as its publication date. But according to most scholars, it was written within the 8th to 11th Century CE. Yet, such time is still a mere speculation.
According to some scholars, the real author of the poem was not credit because he wasn’t the one who wrote it on the old manuscript. They theorized that the original author composed his story without having it written. The author was also probably a travelling entertainer who deliver his story orally. As a result, every listeners who got entertained also shared it to others until a king requested it to be written down on a manuscript.
To tell you more about the author, the scholars believe that there are two of them. The first author was the one who wrote the first section of the poem about Beowulf’s adventures that took place in Denmark. While, the other section that portrayed Beowulf’s homeland was composed by a different person.
The original Beowulf poem was written in an “Old English” manner. For those who are in the field of literature, they refer it as the “Anglo-Saxon”. This was the common dialect used by the ancient people before the invasion of the Roman Empires and introduction to Christianity.
If the old dialect is to be spoken today, many people won’t surely be able to understand it because it is heavily accented. So if you are going to read Beowulf’s poem, you will notice its recognizable “alliteration and rhythm”.
Reading modern poems today, they ends with rhymes but not for the Old English poetry. What literally gives the art and beauty of these ancient poems is that, they have perfect “music and rhythm” due to their alliterative qualities.
Further studies by the scholars revealed that the poet used an artistic method of identifying a person or object which is called “kenning”. Aside from this style of writing, he also used “litotes” which gives negative remarks or sarcastic descriptions.
The poet delivered the story in a way where the characters interact with one another through direct speeches. Although, the story moves at a fast pace leaping directly from the major events which makes it very interesting. The author also did a great job at interweaving events from the past and the present. Details from the background are also well emphasized such as the reaction of a soldier watching Beowulf in complete amazement.
Beowulf is actually a story about the characteristics of brave men in the ancient period of time. It really doesn’t tell much about the hero’s life starting from his childhood to a fully grown strong and matured individual. It basically started right away where Beowulf was a fully accomplished adventurer.
But what really makes most scholars interested about studying the poem is that, it was written with a historical form of technique. This means that the author had cleverly blended the events from the past, present and the future. The intention of the poet isn’t just to feature a brave adventurer who was skilled at slaying demonic creatures or monsters. The author’s vision is far more than that which is actually to show to the audience the entire human history at that period of time.
Moreover, current studies about the Beowulf manuscript by the scholars still left us with no definitive answers.
According to some scholars, the real author of the poem was not credit because he wasn’t the one who wrote it on the old manuscript. They theorized that the original author composed his story without having it written. The author was also probably a travelling entertainer who deliver his story orally. As a result, every listeners who got entertained also shared it to others until a king requested it to be written down on a manuscript.
To tell you more about the author, the scholars believe that there are two of them. The first author was the one who wrote the first section of the poem about Beowulf’s adventures that took place in Denmark. While, the other section that portrayed Beowulf’s homeland was composed by a different person.
An Old English Form of Poetry
The original Beowulf poem was written in an “Old English” manner. For those who are in the field of literature, they refer it as the “Anglo-Saxon”. This was the common dialect used by the ancient people before the invasion of the Roman Empires and introduction to Christianity.
If the old dialect is to be spoken today, many people won’t surely be able to understand it because it is heavily accented. So if you are going to read Beowulf’s poem, you will notice its recognizable “alliteration and rhythm”.
Reading modern poems today, they ends with rhymes but not for the Old English poetry. What literally gives the art and beauty of these ancient poems is that, they have perfect “music and rhythm” due to their alliterative qualities.
Further studies by the scholars revealed that the poet used an artistic method of identifying a person or object which is called “kenning”. Aside from this style of writing, he also used “litotes” which gives negative remarks or sarcastic descriptions.
Delivery of the Story
The poet delivered the story in a way where the characters interact with one another through direct speeches. Although, the story moves at a fast pace leaping directly from the major events which makes it very interesting. The author also did a great job at interweaving events from the past and the present. Details from the background are also well emphasized such as the reaction of a soldier watching Beowulf in complete amazement.
Beowulf is actually a story about the characteristics of brave men in the ancient period of time. It really doesn’t tell much about the hero’s life starting from his childhood to a fully grown strong and matured individual. It basically started right away where Beowulf was a fully accomplished adventurer.
But what really makes most scholars interested about studying the poem is that, it was written with a historical form of technique. This means that the author had cleverly blended the events from the past, present and the future. The intention of the poet isn’t just to feature a brave adventurer who was skilled at slaying demonic creatures or monsters. The author’s vision is far more than that which is actually to show to the audience the entire human history at that period of time.
Moreover, current studies about the Beowulf manuscript by the scholars still left us with no definitive answers.
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