Poetic Devices In Beowulf

]Poetic Devices Found in Beowulf The epic poem “Beowulf has been one of the greatest of all times, although the author is unknown “Beowulf” was able to be passed on from generation to generations. This Anglo-Saxon poem contains many literary devices like allusion, alliteration and kenning. Furthermore the essay will demonstrate these poetic devices. In this heroic saga, allusion is being depicted by using a biblical reference describing Grendel as a brutal and horrific individual, for example “Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king of the Danes, sorrow he heaped at his door By hell- forged hands”(ln 62-64). Grendel is being represented as something that was created from the underworld. More over Grendel is also being represented as son of Cain

The repetition on the letter “b” resembles the sound of an imaginary beat before the battle between Beowulf and Grendel. The day of Beowulf’s death alliteration was being used while the men were weeping over their grand loss “So should all men Rise up words for their lords warm with love, when their shield and protector leaves” (ln 889-891). The repetition in the letter “w” is used to emphasize how much Beowulf’s men worshipped him for being such an authentic ruler. Another example of alliteration is right before the fight between Beowulf and Grendel the author states “Up from his swamp land, sliding gently toward that gold-shining hall” (ln238-239). The use of the “s” gives the feeling of Grendel being sneaky and devious while heading to Herot this also foreshadows that something will happen once Grendel arrives. As it has been mentioned before, this poetic device gives the reader an understanding of the situation in which the characters