Literary Commentary on Beowulf

Ellen Light

Ms. Peifer

10 IB English Period 3

16 December 2011

Commentary on Beowulf

[T]he ignominious marks of his flight/ where he’d skulked away, exhausted in spirit/ and beaten in battle bloodying the path,/ hauling his doom to the demons’ mere./ The bloodshot water wallowed and surged,/ there were loathsome upthrows and overturnings/ of waves and gore and wound-slurry./ With his death upon him, he had dived deep/ into his marsh-den, drowned out his life/ and his heathen soul: hell claimed him there./ Then away they rode, the old retainers/ with many a young man following after,/ a troop on horseback, in high spirits/ on their bay steeds. Beowulf’s doings/ were praised over and over again./ Nowhere, they said, north or south/ between the two seas or under the tall sky/ on the broad earth was there anyone better/ to raise a shield or to rule a kingdom./ Yet there was no laying of blame on their lord,/ the noble Hrothgar; he was a good king. (Beowulf 842-862)

In Beowulf lines 842-862, the dominant impression is the glory and greatness of Beowulf. This impression is achieved by dramatic diction, extensive alliteration, a central hyperbole, gory imagery of Grendel’s death, and a concluding comparison with Hrothgar. This passage is a fitting end to the story of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel because good truly triumphs over evil, with Beowulf as the hero.

The imagery of Grendel’s death is dark and sensational. It shows a great monster fleeing, wounded to his death, highlighting “[t]he ignominious marks of his flight/ where he’d skulked away, exhausted in spirit/ and beaten in battle, bloodying the path,/ hauling his doom to the demons’ mere” (842-845). This monster is so large he upsets the water as he dives in to drown: “The bloodshot water wallowed and surged,/ there were loathsome upthrows and overturnings/ of waves and gore and wound-slurry” (846-848). Throughout the description of Grendel’s death, Grendel is called a “demon” (845), a “heathen” (851) and “claimed by hell” (851). Grendel is so evil he is not even loved by God. The extensive imagery of Grendel’s death and the description of Grendel as cast out by God makes Grendel seem both powerful and vile. Beowulf, as the conqueror of such a beast, seems all the more heroic, brave, and dominant.

There is much alliteration in this passage, especially in the description of Grendel’s flight. Grendel “skulked away, exhausted in spirit/ and beaten in battle, bloodying the path,/ hauling his doom to the demons’ mere/...With his death upon him, he had dived deep...” (843-849). The cadence of the lines helps emphasize words with alliteration. Alliteration adds to the drama of Grendel’s defeat and ultimately to the glory of Beowulf.

The diction in these lines is grand and dramatic. In the description of Grendel’s death the diction creates the dark mood of the “ignominious” (862) Grendel “hauling his doom to the demons’ mere” (845). However, once Grendel is dead, the diction creates a bright, shining mood of the triumphant Beowulf and “a troop on horseback, in high spirits/ on their bay steeds” (854-855) riding home. The diction stays dramatic but the mood shifts and this dramatic change in mood shows Beowulf’s glory and greatness. Before Beowulf defeated Grendel, the world was without hope but after Grendel is dead the world is filled with light. “Beowulf’s doings/ were praised over and over again” (855-856). The dramatic diction throughout the passage shows that Grendel’s defeat is impressive and therefore that Beowulf, as Grendel’s conqueror, is great and glorified.

Towards the end of the passage Beowulf is described in a hyperbole that captures the central message of the entire story: “Nowhere, they said, north or south/ between the two seas or under the tall sky/ on the broad earth was there anyone better [than Beowulf]/ to raise a shield or to rule a kingdom” (857-860). Beowulf is the best warrior, king, and hero in the world; no one outshines him.

At the end of this passage the storyteller explains that although Beowulf is the best person to “rule a kingdom” (860), the people do not blame their actual king, Hrothgar. “Yet there was no laying of blame on their lord,/ the noble Hrothgar; he was a good king” (861-862). The people recognize that Hrothgar did the best he could against Grendel, but he could not defeat him because Beowulf was the only person who could. Beowulf is “the chosen one,” the only one strong, brave, and confident enough to win against Grendel.

Beowulf is described in this passage as the epitome of good while Grendel is the definition of evil. Beowulf conquered Grendel and therefore good defeated evil. This “happy ending” is precisely why this story is so satisfying. When the audiences – then and now – hear this story they must be comforted by the notion that Beowulf’s strength and goodness was really their strength and goodness too.

In the play Antigone, is Ismene innocent or guilty?

In Antigone, Ismene is innocent of treason and should not be punished by Creon. Ismene did not wrongly withhold information about a crime because Antigone herself committed no crime.  
Ismene knew that Antigone planned to bury her brother, against Creon’s decree. She told Antigone: “[N]o one must hear of this, you must tell no one! I will keep it a secret, I promise!” (Sophocles Prologue.73-75). However, when Creon asked Ismene if she knew about Antigone’s plans, she responded: “Yes, if [Antigone] will let me say so” (Sophocles 1.2.147). Creon still accused Ismene of treason because she did not actively notify him.

However, Ismene was not guilty of treason because Antigone was not committing a true crime. Antigone claimed “There is no guilt in reverence for the dead” (Sophocles 1.2.121) and Haimon agreed with her: “[Creon,] you are not in a position to know everything that people say or do, or what they feel: Your temper terrifies them…I have heard them muttering and whispering in the dark about this girl. They say…‘She covered her brother’s body. Is this indecent? She kept him from dogs and vultures. Is this a crime?’” (Sophocles 1.3.60-70). Even though Antigone disobeyed Creon, what she did was correct according to the higher spiritual laws. If Creon could not properly make it a crime for Antigone to bury her brother, then he could not make it a crime not to notify him about the burial.

Creon admitted in the end that Ismene was not guilty and that ultimately Antigone was not either. Creon said: “Then [Antigone] is not a criminal?” (Sophocles 1.3.104) and Haimon responded: “The City would deny it to a man” (Sophocles 1.3.105). The play ends with Choragos deciding: “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; no wisdom but in submission to the gods” (Sophocles Exodus.147-148). The spiritual laws made by the gods are ultimately higher than any laws made by humans. Antigone broke Creon's laws but followed the spiritual ones. Thus, Ismene was not obligated to report Antigone to Creon.

My First Post!!!!!

Hi everyone!
          My name is Ellen and I'm in high school creating my first blog! I live with my mom, dad, little sister and our two warring cats. We moved a lot and I have lived in Minnesota, Iowa and Boston, and two cities in Germany. I suppose this is both good and bad. One good thing is I am mostly fluent in German and can read German books. Twice as many books to read! My family likes to go on car trips, eat pie, and do nerdy stuff like read math books together.
          My sister and I like playing music and playing hockey together. I play the bass and she plays the violin. I also like to read. I have many favorites, but two that I can think of are The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. My favorite German book is Liverpool Street by Anne Voorhoeve. This year I am taking Geography, English, German 4, Calculus 1, Chemistry and Orchestra. I really like all of them. I like watching movies too, especially the ones by the Coen Brothers.
          Alright, more later.

Ellen