Biblical allusions in Anglo-Saxon literature make up most of the story Beowulf. Which gives more meaning and background to the story allowing people to associate the bible with the story. The way the author relates the characters from the story to the characters from the bible but not directly, gives it a more sincere sensation. The author builds on allusion throughout the story when he introduces Grendel, describes Hrothgar’s men, and when he discusses the battles Beowulf fought in.
OVERARCHING THEMES Though The Odyssey and Paradise Lost are penned during completely separate time periods–with a span of roughly nine centuries between the writing of each–the two works still share many similar themes and subject matters. Some are more vital components for the genre in general, necessary for a piece of literature to be considered an epic; others remain less conspicuous, though with just as great an impact on the overall story. Heroism and the Hero’s Journey: One of the most defining elements of an epic work is the presence of the Hero’s Journey, also known as the monomyth. Introduced by Joseph Campbell, the Hero’s Journey describes the typical narrative pattern that accompanies many forms of storytelling, most commonly and most easily seen in classical literature.
The thing that stands out when reading the stories of Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and the Canterbury Tales is that the writers use Christianity to show conflicts in human nature. Also with these stories taking place in different times with writers who have different opinions about Christianity and how it has influences Society. For example, in Beowulf, the writer chooses to mash up the ideas of Christianity and paganism because during the time that the writer was transcribing the story there were missionaries trying to convert the Anglo-Saxons that lived in Britain, so the missionaries used Beowulf as a way to reach the pagans. This is also been done to other stories like in the Viking legend Thor god of thunder where at the end of the story the world
The journey of an epic hero is a literary story that is repeated time and time again in a variety versions. One of the oldest examples is the epic poem Beowulf and one of the latest examples is the movie The Hobbit. In both stories, the main characters, Beowulf and Thorin, go through trials and display certain qualities that qualify them as heroes. The three trials that Beowulf and Thorin go through in Beowulf and The Hobbit reveal the heroic characteristics that both of them possess or learn to possess. Both Beowulf and Thorin are willing to fight against wicked creatures when no one is able to in order to protect their people or others in need.
Critically assess the extent of Christian and Latinate influence on Beowulf. When first reading Beowulf it would appear that the Christian references within it superimpose onto the essentially pagan view that makes a huge body of the poem. Therefore, within this assignment, there will be investigations of inconsistencies. Sources clearly show that Beowulf was written by Germanic pagans that had been debauched by some leftist ecclesiastic wordsmith , to the insistence that the author designedly created the Christian allegory along the lines of Book 1 of The Faerie Queen. It is know that Germanic traditions and techniques were used by Anglo-Saxons to frame Christian literature, just as it was with the poet of Beowulf.
The heroes in the two epic poems The Epic of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are very similar in terms of their values. Beowulf in the poem Beowulf and Gilgamesh in the poem The Epic of Gilgamesh are the two main characters. The two men possess great physical strength unmatched by any man from the ancient or middle period.
Both of the characters have religious beliefs that they constantly pray to and rely on. Gilgamesh prays to his higher powered gods, like Anu, for guidance and protection. Beowulf only prays to one god the entire time, thus hinting the Christian aspect in the epic poem Beowulf. Both of them rely heavily on their respective Gods for help and guidance. Most people during the time Beowulf was written were part of the Christian faith, while the people during the time of Gilgamesh were all polytheistic.
Christopher Cain, professor and expert in Old English and Medieval Scandinavian literature and culture, published an essay analyzing the relationship between Beowulf and the Old Testament, as well as the presence of paganism in this poem. In the essay, it is noted that “the general tone of the poem and its ethical viewpoint are decidedly Christian;” the poet relied heavily upon the Bible, as can be evidenced by “allusions to Cain, the Creation, and the Deluge,” which are all Old Testament allusions (Cain). The characters themselves also serve to represent Christian ideologies, though references to Germanic culture appear frequently. For instance, this is embodied in the scene where Beowulf is fighting to rid Heorot of Grendel, and “Beowulf recognizes it to be God's will that determines the outcome of the fight—” not his own strength (Cain).
“But God’s dread loom was woven with defeat for the monster, good fortune| help against Grendel was with them| through the might of a single man they would win” (Raffel, 696-9). Beowulf is supported by the help of God and his comitatus to defeat Grendel. Beowulf also had faith in his comitatus that they would have his back. To the people Beowulf is the help against Grendel they are looking for and believed he could lead them away from darkness. Jesus is loyal to his disciples and is loyal to God.
The poem and movie of “Beowulf” are very different and they are also sort of similar. There are a lot more differences between the two than you would expect and while some of them are minor differences others are drastically different. Most movies are very different from the book they are made from. The biggest differences between the movie and poem were the three battles. The three battles have drastic differences.
One similarity in which really surprised me was that both Beowulf and Jesus have the same amount of men with them when they head to their last journey. Jesus had eleven disciples with him and was willingly seized with no help from his men. Beowulf had eleven lords with him and all but Wiglaf ran at the sight of the dragon leaving Beowulf to fend for himself. When it is just Beowulf and Wiglaf, He refers to Beowulf as “the Shepherd of our land”, saying “the shepherd of our land, a man unequalled in the quest for glory and a name for daring…” (pg. 179, ln 2644-60) and shepherd can be referred to what the disciples called Christ.
Beowulf and King Arthur are both portrayed as heroes and someone to look up to. Some similarities are both of them are very brave. They are also both very compelling leaders in their own respective ways. Even with their similarities they have differences in their heroic qualities such as Beowulf not really being a human in the sense that he can do superhuman things and King Arthur being a normal human being. It's also interesting to note that King Arthur was more of a hero for his character whereas Beowulf was more of a hero in the sense that he slays monsters and dragons.
The similarities of the movie and poem are only a few. However they are; the people in Denmark expected Beowulf’s help, when he was coming Beowulf came on ship with his Geats. After Beowulf killed, he went to look for his mother. When he battle with Grendel's mother, there were some similarities from the movie and in the epic poem. Beowulf found and fought in the mountains, in a dark, muggy craves.
The Anglo-Saxons mixed both Pagan and Christian traditions. Beowulf contains traces of both beliefs. In Beowulf, God is mentioned by two of the main characters, Beowulf and Hrothgar. In the poem, Grendel represents Lucifer and is described as a son, or descendant of Cain, a clear Biblical reference.
1. Paradise Lost was written by John Milton and first published in 1667, and has influenced poetry and literature in many ways since then. In fact many of the authors and works that we have read in this class were influenced by Paradise Lost. I think the biggest influence that I have seen was the use of opposition. I’m sure that this was not something the Milton started but he was a master at using the imagery of light and dark to compare good and evil, God and Satan, as well as Heaven and Hell.
