Nome ………………………………..………………………………….....…..FILA B Classe ……………..… Data ………………

Text analysis

Beowulf leaves his homeland

Anonymous, Lines 194-216

Beowulf hears about the monster Grendel and decides to travel from Geatland, his home (southern Sweden), to Heorot (in northeast Denmark) to help the people in need.

Then tales of the terrible deeds of Grendel run-on-line

Reached Hygelac’s thane in his home with the Gaets;

Inversion Of living strong men he was the strongest, run-on-line

Fearless and gallant and great of heart.

5 He gave command for a goodly vessel run-on-line

Inversion Fitted and furnished; he fain would sail

Over the swan-road to seek the king run-on-line

Who suffered so sorely1 for need of men. run-on-line

And his bold retainers found little to blame run-on-line

Inversion10 In his daring venture, dear though he was,

They viewed the omen2, and urged him on.

Inversion Brave was the band he had gathered about him, run-on-line

Inversion Fourteen staltwarts3 seasoned4 and bold, run-on-line

Seeking the shore where the ship lay waiting,

15 A sea-skilled mariner sighting the landmarks.

Inversion Came the hour of boarding5; the boat was riding run-on-line

The waves of the harbour under the hill.

The eager mariners mounted the prow;

Billows6 were breaking, sea against sand.

Inversion 20 In the ship’s hold snugly they stowed their trappings7, run-on-line

Gleaming armour and battle-gear;

Launched the vessel, the well-braced bark8 run-on-line

Seaward bound on a joyous journey.

Comprehension

1. Match the following sentences with the relevant lines.

1. Beowulf and his mariners carry all their armours on board of the ship. / Lines 20/21
2. A group of fourteen brave mariners joins Beowulf. / Lines 12/13
3. Beowulf decides to leave his country to help King Hrothgar. / Lines 6/8
4. The ancient leaders of his people encourage him. / Lines 9/11
5. When the day of the departure comes, the sea is rough. / Lines 16/17-19
6. He wants a strong ship for his journey to Denmark. / Lines 5/6
7. The strong ship leaves the harbour and Beowulf’s adventure starts. / Lines 22/23
8. Beowulf is told tales about the monster Grendel. / Lines 1/2

P.10

Nome ………………………………..………………………………….....…..FILA B Classe ……………..… Data ………………

Structure and Style

2. Focus on lines 12 to 23.

1. Find as many examples of alliteration as you can. Are there many? Yes, there are examples of alliteration in almost every line.

2. What is their function? To reinforce/ make the sound aspect more powerful/ and increase the musicality of the poem, finally, to help the scop memorize the poem;

3. Find four examples of run-on-line. What do they underline? Lines 1/2; 6/7/8; 9/10; 16/17. They emphasize the difficulty of the task. P. 10

3. Find four examples of inversion in these lines. What is their purpose? Examples of inversion can be found in different lines in this excerpt. They help the readers/listeners focus their attention on some important features of the warriors and the events narrated. For example, in lines 3 and 12 the warriors' strength and courage are highlighted, while in lines 16 and 20, the urgency of the action and the warlike quality of the events are underlined. P.10

4. Identify words and phrases referring to the idea of courage and loyalty. Words or phrases referring to the idea of courage and loyalty are in line 4 where Beowulf is described as "Fearless and gallant and great of heart" and in lines 12-13 where Beowulf's warriors are said to be " Brave, stalwarts and bold." P. 10

5. Find two examples of personification linked to the ship. "the ship lay waiting" (line 14) and "the boat was riding" (line 16) are the two examples of personification present in the excerpt. (humans wait and ride, objects don't) P. 10

6. What does the expression “the boat was riding the waves” (lines 16-17) imply? It shows the strength of the ship which is able to face a very rough sea. P. 10

7. Why do you think that the journey is said to be “joyous” in the last line of this passage? Because the hero and his crew are willing to do their duty and happy to help a friend in need. P. 10

8. What figure of the speech is “the swan-road” (line 7)? What does it refer to? It is a kenning, i.e. a compound metaphor, and it refers to the sea. P. 10

Contextualization

9. Identify in about 150 words the features of the epic poem in this passage concerning content and rhetoric/linguistic devices.

1.  It is a narrative poem in the epic mode which celebrates the great past of the Anglo-Saxon ancestors;

2.  In particular, it tells of the heroic deeds of a national hero (Beowulf) who has often to face supernatural events like fighting against monsters and dragons;

3.  Initially, it was an oral form written down only a few centuries after its composition;

4.  the hero is endowed with the most extraordinary qualities: he is brave, strong, fearless, loyal and generous towards his people;

5.  The story takes place between southern Sweden (the land of the Geats) and the castle of Heorot, in northern Denmark, infested by the monster Grendel.

6.  It is in old English but England and Englishmen are never mentioned.

7.  Its main sound and meaning devices are: kennings and alliteration used to reinforce the meaning and musicality of the poem. (143 words) P. 20