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Literary Analysis: A Literary Analysis Of Beowulf

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This is a literary analysis for Beowulf. In this analysis, I will be writing about the historical context, world view, and psychological context within the story. Beowulf is an old English poem written by an Anglo-Saxon poet. The story consists of a hero of the Geats, who comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, who’s mead hall has been attacked by a monster by the name of Grendel. Once Beowulf defeats Grendel, Grendel’s mother comes to the mead hall for revenge, and Beowulf comes to defeat her as well. In his victory, Beowulf returns home and is crowned king of the Geats for his courageous acts. Fifty years passed, Beowulf slays a dragon and is killed in battle. Overall, this poem combines elements of the Anglo-Saxon culture with …show more content…
There are three events that have historical context in this epic. The first event is when Beowulf is called to help Hrothgar and the Danes. Beowulf travels to Daneland to help Hrothgar and his men kill Grendel. This event concludes that young norse warriors frequently traveled outside their homelands in search of wealth and adventure. Norse warriors valued courage, loyalty to one’s king and comrades, and honor for those who fight and die bravely. Norse warriors are known for their courage, strength and skill during battle. The second event is when Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother. After celebrating the success of killing Grendel, Hrothgar and his men were sleeping peacefully in Heorot and were awoken by Grendel’s angry mother. This could be a symbol of conquest of old mother goddess religion by Christianity. Christians regard that …show more content…
World view is how people choose to see it. There are two different kinds of world view; sociological and cosmic. Sociological is the relationship from human to human. For the sociological view, there are many hierarchical aspects. During this time there were many kings. Hierarchy also ruled family structures. For example, when Beowulf and his crew arrived in Denmark, they were told to give their names and their fathers names. Otherwise, they would not be allowed to go any further because they would be considered as “undeclared spies in the Danish land.” Also, the forms and customs that control interactions between warriors and kings are based on respect. Once ancestry and hierarchy of a stranger is known, he is accepted into his proper place in

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