While containing the characteristics of an epic, Beowulf also has the elements of an elegiac and heroic poem. I believe this epic can be considered as a "heroic-elegiac poem-. An epic is defined as a "long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society."" Although this is found in Beowulf, the elements of an epic hero poem and an elegiac poem combined, more completely describe this piece of Anglo-Saxon literature. ... Combining the elements of an epic hero poem and a elegiac poem, it is seen how Beowulf is considered an ...

• Word Count: 343
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the poem Beowulf, there is one character who possesses all and a greater amount of these expressed characteristics, the hero Beowulf. All through the poem Beowulf embodies the perfect's characteristics and archetypal hero, such as loyalty to his men and his kingdom, and Beowulf's bravery and strength throughout the epic. ... The poem focused on how its legend, Beowulf, was a man who possessed almost God-like strength, and like him there was no equivalent for, "There was no one else like him alive. ... The narrating component involved in the poem fitted into the oral society o...

• Word Count: 1028
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

From the notable to the obscure the variety of translation gives us an unusual opportunity, one to criticize and secondly to develop our own ideas on the original intent of the epic. ... The feel of the poem, the originality is somehow lost when the said epic is translated to plain English. ... To be frank, the Seamus Heaney translation leaves some readers looking for more, those who know of the epic's origin would be left unsatisfied. ...

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

While the classic battle between good and evil forces is a major theme of the medieval epic "Beowulf," one may question whether these good and evil forces are as black and white as they appear. ... This ultimately evokes traces of sympathy in the reader for the plight of these "monster" figures, and blurs the fine line between good and evil within the poem The first opponent Beowulf must face in the land of the Danes is Grendel, textually described as "a fiend out of hell a grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens" (Beowulf, line 1...

• Word Count: 1275
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate