P2 - early Middle Ages + Beowulf

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

English Literature

This period: The Middle Ages 

• Beowulf
• Canterbury Tales (read next week)

Today's objective

• You are familiar with the historical context of the early Middle Ages in Great Britain.

What do BC and AD stand for? 

BC 

''Before Christ''

AD

Anno Domini 

''in the year of our Lord''

BCE 

'Before Common Era''

CE 

''Common Era''

Timeline (450-1066)

• 55 BC - 450 AD: Great Britain under Roman rule

• After 450 AD: Celts attack, Romans withdraw --> Migration of the people --> Anglo-Saxon settlers

• 7th century turn to Christianity --> increase Latin & Old English literature --> 793 Vikings attack --> Viking settlers

•  8th-11th century Wars for the crown --> 1066 end of Anglo-Saxon era and beginning of Norman period

English Literature

PTA exam in VWO 6
This year: The Middle Ages 

• Beowulf
• 
  
• Canterbury Tales

Beowulf

Seven kingdoms

• In the Anglo Saxon period, society was dominated by lords and retainers, as depicted in Beowulf.
• Poets provided entertainment by reciting well-known poems from memory.

Beowulf

• Heroic epic poem (3,182 lines).
• Oldest European text in vernacular language (Old English).
• Dates from the 6th century(?)
• Oldest copy is a manuscript from the late 10th century (British Museum) by an anonymous monk.
• Lines aren't linked by rhyme, but alliteration.
• Setting is Scandinavia.

Hwæt! Wé Gárdena in géatdagum,

þéodcyninga þrym gefrúnon·

hú ðá æþelingas ellen fremedon.

Listen! We –of the Spear-Danes in the days of yore,

of those clan-kings– heard of their glory.

how those nobles performed courageous deeds.

1

 The poem is set in a period where Christianity had yet to become established all across Western Europe. Nevertheless, there are many references to God in the poem.

Can you suggest why this might be?

2

At the start of the first quoted passage, Grendel is introduced as a bloodthirsty monster. Give a number of examples from which his nature is appararent.

 Examples Showing Grendel’s Monstrous and Bloodthirsty Nature

“God-cursed Grendel came greedily loping”

The phrase “God-cursed” marks Grendel as inherently evil and unnatural, already set apart from humanity.

“Greedily loping” suggests a ravenous, almost animalistic approach—he’s not just walking; he’s eager to hunt.

“The bane of the race of men roamed forth”

“Bane” means a cause of great distress or death. This line defines Grendel as a mortal enemy to all humankind.

driven by the desire to spill blood.

“His rage boiled over”

Grendel is described as emotionally volatile, ruled by fury. This further dehumanizes him and emphasizes his destructive nature.

“He ripped open / the mouth of the building”

The violent, almost visceral description of him tearing open the hall shows his brute strength and total disregard for human sanctuaries.

“His loathsome tread”

“Loathsome” reinforces his repulsiveness and inhumanity—his very movement inspires disgust and fear.

“A baleful light, / flame more than light, flared from his eyes”

His eyes emit a supernatural, dangerous light. This portrays him as demonic—almost hellish.

“His glee was demonic”

He feels joy at the prospect of murdering sleeping men. That his “glee” is described as “demonic” confirms he is beyond redemption.

“Rip life from limb and devour them, / feed on their flesh”

This gruesome imagery leaves no doubt: Grendel isn’t just killing—he’s cannibalistic, reveling in the most primal violence.

These lines together build Grendel’s image as a terrifying force of chaos and evil, completely opposed to the peace, kinship, and order of Hrothgar’s hall.

“Maddening for blood”

This is a direct expression of bloodlust. He isn’t just attacking for survival—he’s enraged and driven by the desire to spill blood.

“His rage boiled over”

Grendel is described as emotionally volatile, ruled by fury. This further dehumanizes him and emphasizes his destructive nature.

“He ripped open / the mouth of the building”

The violent, almost visceral description of him tearing open the hall shows his brute strength and total disregard for human sanctuaries.

“His loathsome tread”

“Loathsome” reinforces his repulsiveness and inhumanity—his very movement inspires disgust and fear.

“A baleful light, / flame more than light, flared from his eyes”

His eyes emit a supernatural, dangerous light. This portrays him as demonic—almost hellish.

“His glee was demonic”

He feels joy at the prospect of murdering sleeping men. That his “glee” is described as “demonic” confirms he is beyond redemption.

“Rip life from limb and devour them, / feed on their flesh”

This gruesome imagery leaves no doubt: Grendel isn’t just killing—he’s cannibalistic, reveling in the most primal violence.

These lines together build Grendel’s image as a terrifying force of chaos and evil, completely opposed to the peace, kinship, and order of Hrothgar’s hall.

Why do you suppose Heaney translated Beowulf in verse form? What are the pros and cons of such an approach?

Why do you suppose Heaney translated Beowulf in verse form? What are the pros and cons of such an approach?

Why Heaney chose verse:

Seamus Heaney, a poet himself, wanted to preserve the poetic spirit and rhythm of the original Old English text, which was composed in verse. The original Beowulf uses alliterative verse, which gives it a musical and formal quality. Heaney aimed to capture this in a modern English style that still felt poetic and dignified.

✅ Pros of the verse form:

Reflects the original structure of the epic, maintaining rhythm and flow.

Enhances the emotional and dramatic impact through poetic language.

Creates a sense of grandeur and timelessness, fitting for a heroic epic.

❌ Cons of the verse form:

Meaning may be sacrificed for poetic sound or rhythm.

Some readers may find the language difficult or archaic.

Poetic form may lead to interpretative choices that stray from literal meaning.

Pros of the verse form:

Reflects the original structure of the epic, maintaining rhythm and flow.

Enhances the emotional and dramatic impact through poetic language.

Creates a sense of grandeur and timelessness, fitting for a heroic epic.

Cons of the verse form:

Meaning may be sacrificed for poetic sound or rhythm.

Some readers may find the language difficult or archaic.

Poetic form may lead to interpretative choices that stray from literal meaning.

Write three things that you have learned.

What poetic device is this?

"Tyger Tyger, burning bright,"
- William Blake, Tyger (1794).

"I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king"
- That's life, Frank Sinatra (1966).

1. assonance
2. caesura
3. enjambent
4. alliteration

Alliteration

Alliteration: the repetition of a sound or letter at the beginning of multiple words in a series.

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…” 

Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven (1845)

Write two things that you would like to know more about.

Verse and alliteration

The entire body of Old English poetry was written in the alliterative metre; that is, each verse is divided into two parts by a strong caesura (stop) in the middle and each of these parts carries two stresses or accents and at least there must be three alliterative syllables in a verse.

Write down one question that you stilll have.