BEOWULF & ANGLO- SAXON NOTES. Literary Terms, Epic Poems, and Epic Heros

Transcription

1 BEOWULF & ANGLO- SAXON NOTES Literary Terms, Epic Poems, and Epic Heros

2 Literary Terms Alliteration- The repetition of the initial consonant sounds in neighboring words Examples: From a friendless foe, feeble, and wretched Up from the swampland, sliding silently

3 Which of the following are alliteration? A. He swept her off her feet like the ocean when the waves crash unexpectedly on you. B. Sara s seven sister s slept soundly in the sand. C. Her eyes were like bright shining stars. D.... A powerful monster, living down In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient As day after day the music rang Loud in the hall...

4 Literary Terms Allusion: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. Archetype: A perfect example, clear and exact. Caesura: A natural pause or break in the middle of a line of poetry (sometimes punctuated by a comma, period, or semicolon). Examples of Caesura s: Greetings to Hrothgar. I am Hygelac s kinsman, One of his hall-troop. When I was younger

5 Literary Terms Kennings: A two-word metaphorical name of something. Examples: Whale-Road= Sea Bone-House= Body Book-Worm= Someone who reads a lot CREATE TWO KENNINGS OF YOUR OWN!

6 MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE DEFINITIONS FOR ALLITERATION, ALLUSION, ARCHETYPE, CAESURA, AND KENNINGS WRITTEN DOWN!

7 Epic Poetry ELEMENTS OF EPIC POEMS: 1. A long narrative poem about a quest, told in formal, elevated language. 2. Includes elements of myth, legend, folk-tale, and history. 3. Epic-hero: a character with a trait that is valued by his society; in Anglo-Saxon society he seeks immortality through fame. 4. Quest- a journey through which the protagonist learns (and possibly earns) something. 5. Valorous Deeds- these brave deeds often follow long, formal speeches about the hero s previous super-human deeds. 6. Divine Intervention- The hand of God (or gods) that helps the hero, proving his value. 7. Great Events- The hero has a hand in something important in the history or mythology of a culture; often, the face of a nation rests on his shoulders.

8 The Epic Hero Archetype An epic hero is 1. Strong- excels in skill, strength, and courage. 2. Ethical- values honor and glory. They have a strong moral code that they follow. 3. Quest- Usually trying to achieve a goal (almost always achieves it). Meets many monsters and temptations along the way. Often accepts challenges and invites problems. 4. Glorified- Succeeds in war and adventures. Is known for their heroic deeds.

9 Anglo-Saxon History Notes Where did they come from? Anglo-Saxon settlers came from across the North sea. The Anglo-Saxon period was between the 5 th and 11 th century. (450 CE 1066 CE)

10 The Anglo-Saxon s They were a mixture of people from Germany, Denmark, and Northern Holland. The German-Dutch were Saxons, Franks, and Frisians. The Southern Danish were Angles. The Northern Danish were Jutes.

11 Who were the Anglo-Saxons? The Anglo-Saxon s were a Germanic warrior society that emphasized bravery, honor, and glory in battle. Additionally, they were a patriarchal society based on the concepts of kinship, comitatus, and fraternity.

12 Kinship 1.The relationship between an individual and other members of a tribe. 2.One s ancestry as traced through the patriarchs of the family (father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc).

13 Comitatus A Germanic power arrangement in which a king was obliged to rule in consultation with his thanes or knights. The arrangement required thanes to swear absolute fidelity to their king, who in exchange would bestow upon his thanes land, money, jewelry, war gear, special privileges, and other benefits. This bound the king to his thanes, the thanes to their king, and the thanes to their fellow thanes.

14 Fraternity Close social bonds among the men of the tribe. They lived, worked, and died together.

15 Anglo-Saxon warriors were motivated by 4 main things: Glory for one s king Glory for one s ancestors Glory for one s tribe Glory for one s self The pursuit of glory determined everything they said and did both on and off the battlefield.

16 Violence and Revenge Killing Violence was a part of everyday life. The bonds of the fraternity demanded that the death of any tribe member by an outsider be avenged. Wergild- a legally binding arrangement in Germanic societies where money was paid to the family of the victim of a murder or injury by the offender. The exact amount of the payment was usually tied to the victims station in the tribe of which he was part the more important victims received more money.

17 Mead-hall (mead is an alcoholic beverage made with honey) In early Germanic cultures the mead hall was a building with a large central room where the king and his thanes would feast, drink, play games, and socialize with women. The mead hall was a symbol of the kings power and because it was where he spent most of his time, it was considered the safest place in the kingdom.

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19 1066 CE the Norman Conquest The Anglo-Saxon period ended in 1066 CE when the Norman tribe expelled the Danes and Vikings and conquered the Anglos.

20 The Anglo-Saxon period lasted for over 600 years