September 11, 2018 Mrs. Bean, Room 3203British Lit (Per 2, 3, 4)

Entry Task: Find your seat on the seating chart and get ready to take notes.

Learning Objectives: • Context notes

Turn-in: Nothing today (unless

you didn’t turn in your anticipation guide with paragraph yesterday)

Agenda:1. Beowulf Context Notes—Power Point

Homework:

• None today

The Anglo-Saxon Period &

Beowulf Lecture

Courtesy Holly Cornelison hopla

Britain before the Anglo-

Saxons

• The first inhabitants of england were the

Iberians (who came from Spain and Portugal)

and the Celts (who came from southern

Europe)

• Between 800 and 600 B.C., two groups of

celts invaded the British Isles: the Brythons

and the Gaels

Arrival of the Celts

• The Brythons (now spelled “Britons”) settled

on the mainland, which became England

• The Gaels settled on the island to the west,

which became Ireland

• The Celts lived in clans ruled by chieftains

and moderated by druids (early religious

leaders)

The Roman Conquest

• Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 B.C. but

was primarily conquered by the Roman

Emperor Claudius 100 years later (around 45

A.D.)

• The Romans brought many improvements to

Britons, such as roads, but neglected to leave

a centralized government, which made them

prone to invasions

The Anglo-Saxon Conquest

• Warriors from Denmark and Germany, known

as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, invaded

Britain in 449 A.D.

• The areas they conquered became known as

“Angles’ land,” which became “England,” and

their language became known as “Angle-ish,”which became “English”

Early Anglo-Saxon Life

• The Anglo-Saxons brought organized tribal

units to Britain, which was comprised of four

major classes under the king

• The king of any given tribe was appointed by a

witan, or council of elders

Anglo-Saxon Tribal Hierarchy

• Earls = ruling lords who owed

their position to the king

• Freemen/Thanes = allowed to

own land and engage in commerce

in exchange for military service

• Churls/Serfs = bonded servants

who worked land in exchange for

protection

• Thralls = slaves/military

prisoners

Britain and Religion

• The Anglo-Saxons brought their

pagan beliefs to Britain and

worshiped Germanic gods

• Pagans believed in fate and

stoicism

• Romans brought Christianity to

Britain but it did not become

widespread until St. Augustine

from Rome converted King

Ethelbert in 597 A.D.

Other Important People of the Period

• Venerable Bede (673-735 A.D.) was a monk

who wrote A History of the English Church

and People (written in Latin)

• Vikings (792 A.D.) were warriors from

Denmark and Norway who invaded and

plundered England

• King Alfred the Great (871 A.D.) established

peace with the Vikings and translated Bede’s

History… into Anglo-Saxon (Old English)

• Edward the Confessor (1042 A.D.) was a

British king who was very close with his

cousin, William of Normandy

• After Edward’s death in 1066, William

conquered England in the Battle of Hastings

Anglo-Saxon Runes

• Old English was first written with a version

of the Runic alphabet with between 26 and 33

letters.

• Anglo-Saxon runes were used probably from

the 5th century AD until about the 10th

century.

• They started to be replaced by the Latin

alphabet from the 7th century and Their use

ceased not long after the Norman conquest.

• Runic inscriptions are mostly found on

jewelry, weapons, stones and other objects,

and only about 200 such inscriptions have

survived.

Anglo-Saxon Runes

Old English Alphabet

Old English Pronunciation

Pronunciation Symbols

Anglo-Saxon Literature

• Literature of England began with

the Celtic druids who passed

down stories through the oral

tradition until they were written

down in Old English

• Heroic Poetry recounts the

achievements of warriors

involved in great battles

• Elegiac Poetry are sorrowful

laments that mourn the deaths of

loved ones and loss of the past

Beowulf Basics

• Language: Old English

• Length: More than 3,000 lines

long

• Protagonist: Beowulf, a Geatish

(Swedish) Prince from Geatland

(Sweden), who travels to Denmark

to save the Danes from Grendel

• Poem written in England, but set

in Scandinavia (A region of

northern Europe consisting of

Norway, Sweden,Denmark,

Finland, and Iceland)

Scandinavia

Important Dates

•Only surviving manuscript of Beowulf

dates circa 1000 AD (end of the 10th

century)

•The work itself was probably composed

sometime during the 8th century (701-800

AD), recounting exploits of 3rd-4th

Century (201-400 AD) Geats & Danes

FIRST PAGE OF BEOWULF

MANUSCRIPT

PAGAN Conventions in BEOWULF

•Hero is larger than life and

has superhuman strength

•Fate is known as “wyrd.” This

word has a connotation of a

stoical acceptance of what

fate holds in store for you,

no matter what.

BEOWULF VS. GRENDEL

BEOWULF VS. GRENDEL’S MOTHER

Beowulf VS. The Dragon

Christian Conventions in

Beowulf

•Grendel is described as a descendent of

Cain

•The dead await God’s judgment

•God is the creator of all things

•Other references from the Old

Testament

CAIN SLAYS ABEL

Warrior Culture

• Courage is the most important

characteristic of a hero

• In warrior society, most important

human relationship is that which exists

between the thane (warrior) and his

lord

• Relationship between kinsmen (fellow

warriors) is also important

• If a kinsmen is slain, a thane had the

special duty of either killing the slayer

or exacting from him the payment of

werigild, loosely translated, “man

price” for revenge

Warrior Culture (CONTINUED)

• “It is better for a man to avenge his friend than

much mourn.”

-Beowulf

• A warrior’s chief reward is immortality that is

primarily gained through his valiant works

while on earth

BEOWULF & WIGLAF

Literary Devices

• Epithets: A nickname/term used to

characterize a person or thing. Some

of King Hrothgar’s epithets include:

“protector of warriors,” “dispenser of

treasure,” “ring giver,” etc.

• Kennings: compound metaphors to

describe objects (ex: you would call

the sea something poetic, like a “whale

way” or a “swan road”).

• Caesuras: mid-line breaks/pauses

• Alliteration: the repetition of the same

consonant sounds in words that are

close together

Epic Characteristics

•

1) The hero, generally a male, is of noble birth or high position, and often of great historical

or legendary importance.

2)The hero’s character traits reflect important ideals of his society.

3) The hero performs courageous-sometimes even superhuman-deeds that reflect the

values of the era.

4) The actions of the hero often determine the fate of a nation or group of people.

5) The setting is often vast in scope, often involving more than one nation.

6) The poet uses formal diction and a serious tone.

7) Major characters often deliver long, formal speeches.

8) The plot is complicated by supernatural beings or events and may involve a long and

dangerous journey through foreign lands.

9) The poem reflects timeless values, such as courage and honor.

10) The poem addresses universal themes, such as good or evil or life and death.

Closing• Turn and talk to your elbow partner or table group. What are two things

you learned from today’s lecture?

• If you have any questions, you can talk with me after class or email me at: beank@Issaquah.wednet.edu (My website should be working now. www.issaquahbean.weebly.com)