ESSAY CEMETERY

Beowulf is the oldest long poem written in English. It was composed in England in the early 8th century, and put into manuscript form, in Old English, in the late 10th. A fire damaged the only copy of the poem in 1731 and so some of its content is missing. Beowulf deals with events that took place two centuries before the poem was composed. It tells of the Germanic forebears of the Englishmen of that period, particularly two south Scandinavian tribes, the Danes and the Geats (to whom Beowulf belonged), who invaded England in 449. The audience probably considered themselves descendants of the Geats. This, along with the tradition of ancient epic poems which were probably well known in that era, indicates that Beowulf was an important heroic poem and served to glorify and immortalize the origin of the audience of the poem. It is thought that the writer of the manuscript was a Christian, as there are many references to God and Old Testament. However there are no references to the New Test...

The 2001 film A Knight's Tale , written and directed by Brian Helgeland, is set in medieval Europe. The film contains era-appropriate themes such as courtly love, nobility, and chivalry. However, the depiction of events and actions frequently deviates from the ideals and conventions held in medieval times. These deviations can be seen to appeal to different kinds of audiences, to create interest and comedic effect on different levels. Three kinds of audiences can be identified, each possessive of a different degree of familiarity with the film's subject matter. First is the lay modern audience that is unfamiliar with the medieval era. For this audience, the deviations from medieval conventions serve to make the movie more accessible. The film incorporates physical love scenes and contemporary comedy for this type of audience, whose interest would not have easily been maintained by chaste, moralistic courtly love. Second is the audience that has a general knowledge of the co...

Beowulf is an epic poem that relates the adventures of an Anglo-Saxon hero, composed to be recited in England in the early 8 th century. It was put into manuscript form, in Old English, in the late 10 th century, and the only surviving manuscript was partially destroyed by fire in 1731. Though the text as it was originally related is not available to us today, the many hands through which it passed and the numerous reincarnations thereof make this poem an invaluable tool. Through inferences about the changes made to the text as it changed hands, we may gain insight into the cultural values and religious beliefs prevalent in early Medieval Britain. The poem relates events that took place two centuries prior to its composition. It centers around two south Scandinavian tribes, the Danes and the Geats. The original audience of Beowulf, that of its oral incarnation, probably considered themselves descendents of the Geats (of whom Beowulf derived). Thus, much in the manner that the Aen...