Beowulf...Iliad...

Beowulf originated through the oral tradition, spreading folklore and great mythological tales through history. The funny thing is, the story is amazingly ludicrous to read. Or maybe that is too strong a statement…what I mean to say is, the story is exaggerated to the point of slapstick comedy. And I’m not big on that genre…actually, I’m not partial to sci-fi really at all…and I think that, being born in the 19th century, regardless of my personal and academic appreciation for literature and the arts, I distinctly tend over-embellished tales like Beowulf hard to take seriously.

Yes the literature is meant as a creative and eccentric tale to depict the idea of glory and heroism during the dark ages…and after my initial reaction I do take that into account, but I cannot help but cringe at the plot of the tale, regardless of its’ craftsmanship or eloquence.

Beowulf is an incredible account of heroism and mythology intertwined, a telling of enraged beasts disemboweling a kingdom and the man capable of ‘saving the day’, Beowulf himself. The tale is extreme. It is hard not notice the lack of ‘reality’ to the unfolding of events- such as Beowulf overtaking a beast of such vast proportion, especially his dismembering the beast. It was overly fantastic…

I am criticizing the plot and the events of the story which might be unfair as the genre of the tale indeed provides the expected forecast…

The literature was interesting in its elegant horror, its majestic imagination, and the underlying element of the fantastic. Exaggerated details or events such as his apparent swim from Sweden to Finland, or having the strength of thirty men and conquering the beasts. Alliteration and metaphor are used at length to communicate the themes in Beowulf which are very humane (aside from the abundance of violence) also somewhat revolutionary. Ideas included: That it is fulfilling to “help thy neighbour” and those in need, that one’s actions speak louder than one’s word, that good outlasts evil, and so on.

An elegancy rests in the way the tale takes the audience from Beowulf as a strapping and daring young man to the still courageous but aged, older version of himself, still attempting battle, still seeking heroism.

From...

“So becomes it a youth to quit him wellwith his father's friends, by fee and gift,that to aid him, aged, in after days,come warriors willing, should war draw nigh,liegemen loyal: by lauded deedsshall an earl have honor in every clan.”

To…

“Beowulf spake, and a battle-vow madehis last of all: "I have lived through manywars in my youth; now once again,old folk-defender, feud will I seek,do doughty deeds, if the dark destroyerforth from his cavern come to fight me!"”

As we are discussing Homer’s, The Iliad, this epic too shares common themes with that of Beowulf, an obvious thematic consistency being war, savagery and violence. Aside from the darkness the two share, the idea that glory and persistence pay off is evident, that you should seize the day and take advantage of your circumstances, and that glory and honour are everything. The idea and role of the hero and heroism play a leading role throughout both which reflect the morals of the time and give the audience a look into a dramatized version and description of human history as it were told through ideals and images of supernaturalism, mythology and human power… It will be interesting to pursue the Iliad further…