Epic of Beowulf Essay - Depiction of Anglo-Saxon Society in Beowulf

The Depiction of Anglo-Saxon lodge in Beowulf         The Old- face or Anglo-Saxon era extends from about 450 to 1066.  The Germanic tribes from the unmingled who overran England in the fifth century, after the Roman withdrawal, brought with them a language that is the buttocks of modern English, a specific poetic tradition, and a comparatively go on society.  All of these qualities and spirit are exemplified in the eighth-century epic poem Beowulf.         To initiate with, much of the Old English poetry was probably intended to be chanted, with harp accompaniment, by the Anglo-Saxon scop.  In Beowulf, the scop entertains warriors at Heorot, also cognise as The Hall of Hart.  Often mascu depict and strong, but also pitiable in spirit, the stories emphasize the sorrow and ultimate futility of mans lot and his helplessness forward the power of fate.  Beowulf, composed in 750 A.D., was originally h anded down in the same oral tradition.  In 1000 A.D. the epic poem was carry on by monastic copyists in a written manuscript.         In addition, Beowulf reflects Anglo-Saxon poetic traits.  The poetry is composed without rhyme, in a characteristic line, or verse, of four stressed syllables alternating with an indeterminate number of unstressed ones.  This line strikes strangely on ears habituated to the usual modern pattern, in which the rhythmical unity, theoretically consists of a constant number of unaccented syllables that always precede or follow any stressed syllable.  An opposite unfamiliar but every bit striking feature in the formal character of Old English poetry is struct... ...ure of pagan or idolatry worshipping and Christianity are evident in Beowulf.  For example, Christianity is displayed in a paraphrase of Genesis in which A dainty bard sang the ancient story/ Of mans creation (lines 88-89).  On the oth er hand, pagan beliefs are obvious in the description of the Geats as Boar-heads glittered on glistening helmets (line 298).  Although the Anglo-Saxons were leaning toward Christianity, they still had skeletons in the closet.         Beowulf functions as a historic document to depict a collage of Germanic societies.  It represents a relatively advanced eighth-century Anglo-Saxon nation recently converted to Christianity that looks on its Norse past with pride.  Beowulf also reflects a society with an elevated understanding of the set of civilization.