首页
登录
职称英语
"Beowulf" Historical Background The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old Engl
"Beowulf" Historical Background The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old Engl
游客
2024-01-03
59
管理
问题
"Beowulf"
Historical Background
The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English, is the earliest existing Germanic epic and one of four surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. Although Beowulf was written by an anonymous Englishman in Old English, the tale takes place in that part of Scandinavia from which Germanic tribes emigrated to England. Beowulf comes from Geatland, the southeastern part of what is now Sweden. Hrothgar, king of the Danes, lives near what is now Leire, on Zealand, Denmark’s largest island. The Beowulf epic contains three major tales about Beowulf and several minor tales that reflect a rich Germanic oral tradition of myths, legends, and folklore.
The Beowulf warriors have a foot in both the Bronze and Iron Ages. Their mead-halls reflect the wealthy living of the Bronze Age Northmen, and their wooden shields, wood-shafted spears, and bronze-hilted swords are those of the Bronze Age warrior. However, they carry iron-tipped spears, and their best swords have iron or iron-edged blades. Beowulf also orders an iron shield for his fight with a dragon. Iron replaced bronze because it produced a blade with a cutting edge that was stronger and sharper. The Northmen learned how to forge iron in about 500 b.c. Although they had been superior to the European Celts in bronze work, it was the Celts who taught them how to make and design iron work. Iron was accessible everywhere in Scandinavia, usually in the form of "bog-iron" found in the layers of peat in peat bogs.
The Beowulf epic also reveals interesting aspects of the lives of the Anglo-Saxons who lived in England at the time of the anonymous Beowulf poet. The Germanic tribes, including the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, invaded England from about a.d. 450 to 600. By the time of the Beowulf poet, Anglo-Saxon society in Engiand was neither primitive nor uncultured. A
Although the Beowulf manuscript was written in about a.d. 1000, it was not discovered until the seventeenth century. B Scholars do not know whether Beowulf is the sole surviving epic from a flourishing Anglo-Saxon literary period that produced other great epics or whether it was unique even in its own time. C Many scholars think that the epic was probably written sometime between the late seventh century and the early ninth century. If they are correct, the original manuscript was probably lost during the ninth-century Viking invasions of Anglia, in which the Danes destroyed the Anglo-Saxon monasteries and their great libraries. However, other scholars think that the poet’s favorable attitude toward the Danes must place the epic’s composition after the Viking invasions and at the start of the eleventh century, when this Beowulf manuscript was written.
The identity of the Beowulf poey is also uncertain. D He apparently was a Christian who loved the pagan heroic tradition of his ancestors and blended the values of the pagan hero with the Christian values of his own country and time. Because he wrote in the Anglian dialect, he probably was either a monk in a monastery or a poet in an Anglo-Saxon court located north of the Thames River.
Appeal and Value
Beowulf interests contemporary readers for many reasons. First, it is an outstanding adventure story. Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon are marvelous characters, and each fight is unique, action-packed, and exciting. Second, Beowulf is a very appealing hero. He is the perfect warrior, combining extraordinary strength, skill, courage, and loyalty. Like Hercules, he devotes his life to making the world a safer place. He chooses to risk death in order to help other people, and he faces his inevitable death with heroism and dignity. Third, the Beowulf poet is interested in the psychological aspects of human behavior. For example, the Danish hero’s welcoming speech illustrates his jealousy of Beowulf. The behavior of Beowulf’s warriors in the dragon fight reveals their cowardice. Beowulf’s attitudes toward heroism reflect his maturity and experience, while King Hrothgar’s attitudes toward life show the experiences of an aged nobleman.
Finally, the Beowulf poet exhibits a mature appreciation of the transitory nature of human life and achievement. In Beowulf, as in the major epics of other cultures, the hero must create a meaningful life in a world that is often dangerous and uncaring. He must accept the inevitability of death. He chooses to reject despair; instead, he takes pride in himself and in his accomplishments, and he values human relationships. [br] The author compared the Beowulf character to Hercules because
选项
A、they are both examples of the ideal hero
B、their adventures with a dragon are very similar
C、the speeches that they make are inspiring
D、they lived at about the same time
答案
A
解析
"... Beowulf is a very appealing hero . . . Like Hercules." Choice B is not correct because a fight with a dragon is mentioned in reference to Beowulf but not to Hercules. Choice C is not correct because the Danish hero’s welcome is the only reference to a speech, and it was jealous, not inspiring. Choice D is not correct because the time period for the life of Hercules is not mentioned.
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3329528.html
相关试题推荐
"Beowulf"HistoricalBackgroundTheepicpoemBeowulf,writteninOldEngl
"Beowulf"HistoricalBackgroundTheepicpoemBeowulf,writteninOldEngl
"Beowulf"HistoricalBackgroundTheepicpoemBeowulf,writteninOldEngl
"Beowulf"HistoricalBackgroundTheepicpoemBeowulf,writteninOldEngl
"Beowulf"HistoricalBackgroundTheepicpoemBeowulf,writteninOldEngl
"Beowulf"HistoricalBackgroundTheepicpoemBeowulf,writteninOldEngl
"Beowulf"HistoricalBackgroundTheepicpoemBeowulf,writteninOldEngl
Apromisingnoteisawrittenagreementtopayacertainsumofmoneyatsometi
TheAncientOlympicGames古代奥林匹克运动会Accordingtohistoricalreco
TheAncientOlympicGames古代奥林匹克运动会Accordingtohistoricalreco
随机试题
()信息和技术()要闻[br]()天气报告()焦点O/A
Itmightbesupposedthatefficiencyshouldbeachievedonlyifseveralpeop
[originaltext]W:Dr.Smith,thankyouforcomingtoourprogram.M:Mypleasure
OnVolunteering1.越来越多的人从事志愿工作2.志愿工作对需要帮助的人和社会都有利,对志愿者本身也有好处3.我认为…
[originaltext]M:I’msorryI’mlate,Cindy.W:That’sallright,Joe.Myhouse
患者,男,70岁。急性心肌梗死,突发昏厥,心电图电活动无可辨认的QRS波群、ST
A.蛋白质、脂类等B.胆汁色素、胆汁酸类C.脑素D.毒性蛋白E.强心苷类化合物蟾
A.斑蝥B.防己C.马钱子D.王不留行E.川乌性热有毒,破血逐瘀,散结消癥,攻毒
2008年,全国民政事业基本建设完成投资总额为66.6亿元,施工项目为3906个
燃气管道功能性试验说法正确的是()。A.每次吹扫管道的长度不宜超过500m;当管
最新回复
(
0
)