The Alliteration Of The Dragon In Beowulf

Throughout introducing of the dragon within the poem Beowulf, the author makes us see it as a malevolent yet godlike being, striking down all who oppose his hoard and thus, him, with fiery terror from the heavens. He implores this in the beginning and commits firmly to it throughout the rest by using strong, powerful alternatives to bland words(dominate over to be of) and describe him in exaggerated, metaphorical situations to show us that the character is likewise to be seen above other worldly forms. This works because we get our first impressions of a character not from his actions but from his description. This is because these words are the things we link to the character each time he is mentioned. In doing so, the author successfully gets us to view the dragon as a …show more content…
These include alliteration, hyperbole, imagery, irony, repetition, rhythm, symbolism, tone and plot-points(examples include 'to dominate the dark, a dragon on the prowl', 'leave nothing behind in his wake', 'threatening the night-sky', 'harrower of the dark', 'circling and circling', 'a gem-studded goblet', 'trouble flared' and 'the first to suffer were the people on the land').Things like alliteration, repetition ,irony and rhythm draw us in, making us focus on whatever parts of the text the author wants us to, and making sure our attention is fixed. Techniques like hyperbole, imagery, tone and plot points increase our views on a subject, for example, him taking out his anger on the innocent people or the personification of the night showing his threat even to a primordial being. Writing forms like symbolism are loosely known to many of us, and such, will help add in that extra subliminal hunch that this is all there is to this character. So yes, the author uses many other techniques to amplify how we view the dragon as the worst protagonist