Comparing Beowulf And Richard Wilbur

Richard Wilbur’s poem “Beowulf” is his translation of the Old English poem also called “Beowulf”. The time frame the original “Beowulf” was written is between the mid seventh century and the late tenth century. The poem tells a story of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves a kingdom from a monster named Grendal, who attacks the castle each night. In Richard Wilbur’s translation he describes Beowulf of the old English poem from a mid-twentieth century point of view. Although both authors tell the same story they do it in their own way which gives both similarity and differences in their structure and literary devices used throughout the two works.
Wilbur opens his poem up describing the scene, he describes it from the hero’s point of view.