"Beowulf" perhaps our most widely translated window into our Anglo- Saxon past, has become somewhat clouded over the years. ... The intent of the following content is to provide criticism relating two separate translations of "Beowulf". ... Seamus Heaney's "Beowulf" was derived by the Irish scholar after he was recognized and granted status as Nobel laureate. ... Heaney does a fine job bringing "Beowulf" and its themes to the less experienced reader, and his words have feel, but it truly lacks the flair of the lost language. ... Most likely the original tale was far more pagan in o...

• Word Count: 740
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Long after the splendor of Greek culture, the earliest heroic tradition in English literature evolved from the pagan tradition. The pagan tradition "stressed the necessity of endurance in the face of adversity and the importance of the deeds of courage performed by individual warriors in the world ruled by inexorable "Wyrd"" (Mazur and Bela 1997:2). ... One of the earliest heroic epics in English Literature is Beowulf. ... "Beowulf possesses the qualities of valor, military prowess, loyalty, generosity, and honor. ... Heroism for Beowulf seems to be more physical in nature, where heroism ...

• Word Count: 2885
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate