Beowulf (up to the defeat of Grendel) - Analysis

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Page numbers from Norton Anthology of English Literature, 4ed.
THEMES/MOTIFS

Money and treasure
                Many references.
                Page 48: Dead warriors are burned with their war gear on
At the fire it was easy to see many a blood-stained battle shirt, boar-images all golden
Page 50: Gifts given to Beowulf in thanks
Twisted gold courteously bestowed on him, two arm-ornaments, a mailshirt and rings, the largest of necklaces of those I have heard spoken of…

Good kings as associated with money and gifts
Page 29
[Scyld] prospered in honors… until every one… had to obey him, pay him tribute. That was a good king.

Loyalty associated with money 
Page 30
                By giving splendid gifts… later in life beloved companions will stand by him

Christian References
                Page 31: Creation
                the Almighty made earth… set up in triumpth the lights of the sun and the moon…
                Page 40: trust in God
                And the man of the Geats had sure trust in his great might, the favor of the Ruler
Page 41
Then from the moor under the mist-hills Grendel came, wearing God's anger


Pagan references
                Page 31: monsters
                The grim spirit held the moors, fen and fastness
                Page 43: Grendel enlists magic
They did not know when they entered the fight… [that] no war-sword would touch the evil-doer… for with a charm he had made victory-weapons useless

Fate
                Page 37: referring to the outcome of the fight with Grendel
With my grasp I shall grapple with the enemy, foe for foe… Fate always goes as it must.
Page 39: on surviving the stormy ocean in Beowulf's youth
Fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good

Revenge and blood money
                Page 37
                Afterwards I paid blood-money to end the feud

Sex
                Page 40
                The war-chief (Hrothgar) would seek the bed of Wealhtheow the queen.
                Page 45
                The king himself walked forth to the women's apartment

Women
                 Page 39: As servers of drink
Hrothgar's queen, mindful of customs… went about to each one of the retainers, young and old, offered them the costly cup
Page 45: as concubines
                The king himself walked forth to the women's apartment
Page 45: as childbearer
Whatever woman brought this son among mankind (Beowulf)… that the God of Old was kind to her in her childbearing


STYLE AND LITERARY DEVICES

Speaker speaks in the first person
                Page 42: during the fight with Grendel
                There started from the floor- as I have heard say- many a mead-bench…

Meta-literature: references to literature
A man skilled at telling adventures, songs stored in his memory, who could recall many of the stories of the old days, wrought a new tale in his well-joined words; this man undertook with his art to recite in turn Beowulf's exploit

Repeated terms
-Boast

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-43045874
Beowulf. Illustration source

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