Beowulf: " Comparing and Contrasting"

"Beowulf VS Modern Society":

 

 VS

In Beowulf we can find the themes of:

• Love
• War
• Suicide
• Honour
• Infidelty
• Friendship/Loyalty

1- Love:

We can find the theme of Love. At the time of Beowulf's people fell in love but didn't have a permanent love.
Today it is common treason, even though the love of most people is unique and important.

2- War:

We can find the theme of War. At the time of Beowulf there were many struggles for power and territory. People died for his people, and the winner received a prize, the glory.
Today, the theme of war is present.The soldiers are daily engaged in peace-keeping missions in the East.There are many deaths and the pain is great.

3-Suicide:

At the time of Beowulf people were dying because he felt wounded pride.Today, things haven' t changed. people kill for betrayal, disappointment, or wounded pride.

4-Honour and Infiedelty:

We can find these themes also in today's society. At the time of Beowulf  the people were very proud and wanted power, they had a lot of women.Nowadays, things haven' t  changed.
People want to be higher and want to have fun. In most cases you get to the betrayal and the many consequences.


5- Friendship and Loyalty:

This is the most important theme in Beowulf, in my opinion.
At the time of Beowulf the people were faithful to each other and helped each other.
 Even today, despite the prevalence of self. people help and there is loyalty and 'friendship between people.

   

"Roman Britain"

History: Roman Britain:

Introduction:

In 55 BC Julius Caesar( ca 100-44 BC) invaded Britain,but the real conquest of the country took place in the years 43-47 AD under Emperor Claudius ( 10 BC-54 AD).

One of the first things the Romans did was involve the conquered tribes in the administration of the province.The Romans encouraged the growth of towns near their army bases and established special towns as settlements for retired soldiers.

They persuaded the ruling (dominate) class of Celtic aristocrats to build town dwellings,and they turned the towns into centres of vibrant commercial activity.

Roman towns and roads:

Town boundaries ( confini) contained a regular network of streets. Most towns were surrounded bu stone walls. The centre of a Roman town was the forum,or civic centre, which gave access to the basilica,or town all ( palazzo comunale). It was here that courts of justice were held, though it could also be used for merchants'assemblies. Every town ha public baths. They were open to both sexes ( entrambi i sessi), though at different times of day,and served as a healing spa (luogo di guarigione) and meeting place.

Roads joined the towns together. The Romans built over 9.600 kilometres of roads in Britain. They weren't always straight, but they were amazingly well built and made troop movement,and later the movement of commercial goods,much easier.(Ben costruite facevano muovere le truppe dell'esercito...Più tardi il movimento dei beni commerciali divenne più facile).

Possibly the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain was Hadrian's Wall, constructed as a defensive fortification and customs barrier ( dogana) from the east coast ( costa orientale) to the west coast ( costa occidentale) between England and Scotland.

The origins of London:

The beginnings of London can be dated to the invasion of the Romans in 43 AD. A bridge was built across the River Thames. This first " London Bridge" proved a convenient central point for the new network of roads which soon spread out like a fan from the crossing place.(dimostrò un conveniente punto centrale per la rete di strade che ben presto si diffuse a ventaglio dal luogo di attraversamento).

The Romans settlements on the north side of the bridge,called "Londinium",quickly (rapidamente) became important as a trading centre ( centro commerciale) for goods ( beni) brought up the river boat and unloaded at wooden docks by the bridge.( scaricate in bacini di legno nel ponte).

"Meet the Celts"

CELTS:

During the Iron Age( ca 600 BC-50 AD), a Celtic culture established itself throughout the British Isles.

WHO WERE THE CELTS?

• The Celts were tribes of warrior who shared a similar language,religion and culture.The Romans,who fought against them,reported about their culture but presented them as barbarians.

WHEN DID THEY COME TO BRITAIN?

• It is not correct to say that they invaded Britain. They gradually settled in the country between about 500 and 100 BC.

WHAT DID THEY BRING TO THE BRITISH ISLES?

• They bought ironworking to the Britain Isles, which had amazing effects. It affected trade and helped develop local indipendence because iron was quit cheap and easily available.

DID THE CELTS BUILD HILL FORTS?

• We don't know if the hill forts were built by the Celts as they moved into hostile territory or by the native Britons to defend themselves.Hill forts consisted of a small ditch (fosso) and bank surrounding a hilltop.(sopra una collina).

WHAT WAS THE BASIC UNIT OF CELTS LIFE?

•  It was the clan,which was like today's extended family.

WERE CLANS BOUND TOGETHER?

• Yes, clans joined together with other clans to form tribes,each with its own social structure and customs.

WHERE DID THE CELTS LIVE?

•  They lived in huts made of timber with thatched roofs.(Capanne in legno con tetti di paglia)

WERE THEY FARMERS?(agricoltori)

• The Celts practised agriculture when they were not fighting in wars. They introduced the iron plough, (aratro) which made the cultivation of the soil easier. In the countryside in Britain it is still possible to see the long and narrow pattern of the Celtic field.(stretti modelli di campo celtico).

 WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF WOMEN?

•  They were almost equal to men. They could choose the man they wanted to marry and retained their own property. They could also lead other warriors in war,like Boadicea- a warrior queen of the early Britons who fought against the Romans.

DID THE CELTS WRITE LITERATURE?

•  They relied on the oral transmission of culture,especially through bards. Much of what we know of their traditions comes to us today through the old tales( racconti) and poems that were handed down (tramandati) for generations before being written down.

WHAT DID THEY WORSHIP?

• They worshipped ( adoravano) the natural elements,like the sun, the moon and water. They held          (praticavano) their religious rites in the woods and near the sacred water of wells and springs.

Approfondimenti:

THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN:

October 31(st) is Halloween. This festivity has Celtic origins: in the 5(th) century BC, the Celts believed taht summer ended on October 31(st). The holiday was called Samhain and celebrated the start of winter and of the new year. The Celts believed that ghosts and witches returned on that night and that evil spirits entered the body of a person or animal. This is why they used to wear frightening costumes ( costumi spaventosi) and make big fires to send the spirits away. Later, Christian practices replaced pagan ones; the Roman Catholic Church decided to call November 1(st) all Hallows Day' or ' All Saints Day' and the evening of October 31(st) became ' All Hollows Eve'(vigilia)- that is Halloween.

Nowadays at Halloween children and teenagers wear skeleton,which,ghost and monster costumes for parties and 'trick or treating'(dolcetto o scherzetto). They visit they neighbours house and when the door opens , they say' Trick or treat'? and people usually give then sweets or money. This costum originated in the 9(th) century in Ireland, where on November 2(nd)- All souls Day- Christians used to walk from village to village begging for 'soul cakes', made of bread with currants.(ribes)

The more 'soul cakes' the beggars ( mendicanti) received, the more prayers they promised to say for dead relatives.(promettevano preghiere per i parenti defunti).

The custom of buying a big pumpkin and making a lantern comes from Irish folklore.(Acquistare una zucca e posizionarci una lanterna).
Irish people put lit, hollowed-out turnips in front of their windows and in their garden to frighten evil spirits away.

Origini di Halloween:( video):

Beowulf:The Film

                                 Beowulf:

                                              (The film)

Direct by Robert Zemeckis;

USA 2007.

With Ray Winstone (Beowulf);

Anthony Hopkins (Hrothgar)

Robin Wright Penn ( Hrothgar's wife)

Angelina Jolie (Grendel's mother)

The film deals whit Beowulf's battles with three demonic creatures,but it takes some liberties in the telling of those stories.

It begins in Denmark,in the 6(th) century,where King Hrothgar and his much younger queen are celebrating with they warriors in Heorot. As the party gets on,the horrible monster Grendel kills several soldiers.

Beowulf, a brave warrior from Geatland, arrives with his men and succeeds in defeating Grendel.

Everyone believes that peace has been restored,until Beowulf realises that he must confront Grendel's mighty mother. After a fight with her, the film jumps into the future,where we see an ageing Beowulf,now King, as he prepares to battle with what appears to be a new offspring of Grendel's Mother. Beowulf stabs the dragon in the chest but he is mortally wounded. The hero is then given a Norse funeral.

Traduzione del poema (Beowulf):

-(TRAMA):

Anthony Burgess osserva che Beowulf è, essenzialmente, una storia di guerrieri. Più precisamente, rappresenta l'unico esempio di poema epico completamente basato sull'archetipo dello scontro fra l'eroe e il mostro (San Giorgio e il drago).

                                           

Mappa dei territori e delle tribù del poema

Il poema si apre con la costruzione di un'immensa dimora per ordine del re danese Hrothgar a Heorot, il "Cervo". La splendida reggia attira l'attenzione di Grendel, un mostro gigantesco e sanguinario il cui aspetto viene descritto sempre indirettamente e a tratti, probabilmente un troll della mitologia nordica. Dopo aver studiato la vita nella reggia dall'esterno per qualche tempo, Grendel prende a far visita al Cervo ogni notte, mietendo molte vite a ogni suo passaggio.
In soccorso al disperato re danese arriva Beowulf, nipote del re dei Geati (i Goti che abitavano, probabilmente, la Svezia meridionale). Anche dell'aspetto di Beowulf non si sa molto; certamente si tratta di un uomo molto giovane, fisicamente "eccessivo" (dotato di una statura e di una forza sovraumane, che lo fanno spesso apparire simile a quei giganti che la mitologia nordica ritrae sempre come ostili e pericolosi). Beowulf decide di affrontare Grendel a mani nude, e in un terribile combattimento riesce a strappare un braccio all'Orco e causarne la morte.
I festeggiamenti al Cervo sono appena iniziati quando, la notte successiva, il palazzo viene visitato da una creatura altrettanto sanguinaria, la madre di Grendel; rappresentata come una donna mostruosa e gigantesca, che abita in una dimora subacquea nascosta. Beowulf offrirà ancora il suo sostegno al re e si recherà, in una sorta di simbolica discesa agli inferi, a incontrare l'Orchessa, riuscendone ancora vittorioso. Tuttavia, è da evidenziare una escalation drammatica nel fatto che, per affrontare l'Orchessa, Beowulf, diversamente da quanto accaduto con Grendel, non rinuncia ad armi ed armature, anzi si affida esplicitamente alla cotta e alla sua spada (che peraltro si rivelerà insufficiente), ed alla fine riesce ad avere la meglio solo in virtù di una spada eccezionale e prodigiosa, trovata in una circostanza fortuita nell'antro del mostro durante la lotta, senza la quale sarebbe certamente perito nello scontro.
In una subitanea accelerazione della narrazione, Beowulf, tornato in patria, diventa re dei Geati e regna pacificamente per 50 anni. Il suo regno viene però aggredito da un nuovo mostro, questa volta un drago (quest'ultimo noto con vari nomi quali il serpente di fuoco, il verme di fuoco o semplicemente il verme). La figura del drago di Beowulf rappresenta un esempio canonico a cui si è certamente ispirata molta letteratura successiva, anche contemporanea (si pensi ai draghi di Tolkien): il drago di Beowulf è una serpe alata e volante; sputa fiamme e custodisce un antico tesoro. Già anziano, Beowulf affronta il drago per proteggere il proprio regno; pur riuscendo a ucciderlo, morirà anch'egli nello scontro (come Thor è destinato a morire uccidendo il gigantesco serpente d'acqua).

Beowulf (Movie clip):

/Slaying the dragon

Trailer: Film:

Grendel's Story

      
                                 
                                   GRENDEL:

             

Introduction:

- During the poem several monsters appear.The first one is Grendel.

- His physical appearance is left to the reader's imagination,the only clues are that he is a descendant of Cain, the first murderer of the Old Testament of the Bible,and 'fiend of hell'.

- He is described as a being ' of the night':wherever he moves he is surrounded by darkness.

Action:

- He is bloodthirsty and keeps the Danish kingdom of King Hrothgar under siege for twelve years,killing both warrior and civilians.Grendel's mother,who has no name of her own,looks a bit like a woman.

- She lives with her son in a supernatural lake filled with sea-dragons,and the poison in her blood dissolves any sword used against her.

Beowulf and Grendel: The fight

( Modern translation by Seamus Heaney: 2001)


TESTO E TRADUZIONE:

- In off the moors, down through the mist-bands

God-cursed Grendel came greedily loping.

The bane of the race of men roamed forth,

hunting for a prey in the high hall.

Under the cloud-murk he moved towards it

until it shone above him, a sheer keep

of fortified gold.Nor was that the first time He had scouted the grounds of Hrothgar's dwelling-[...]

-A largo delle brughiere,giù nelle terre nebbiose Grendel,il Dio maledetto,giungeva a grandi passi.

A caccia di una preda nell'alta stanza,il flagello per la razza umana si aggirava.

Sotto la nube tenebrosa si muoveva fino a quando non brillava più sopra di lui una fortezza a picco fortificata d'oro.Non era la prima volta che aveva perlustrato i terreni dell'abitazione di Hrothgar.[...]

Nor did the creature keep him waiting

but struck suddenly and started in;

he grabbed and mauled a man on his bench,

bit into his bone-lappings, bolted down his blood

and gorged on him in lumps, leaving the body

utterly lifeless, eaten up

hand and foot. Venturing closer,

his talon was raised to attack Beowulf where he lay on the bed, he was bearing in

with open claw when the alert hero's

comeback and armlock forestalled him utterly.

The captain of evil discovered himself

in a handgrip harder than anything

he had ever encountered in any man

on the face of the earth. Every bone in his body

quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape.[...]

-La creatura non lo fece attendere,

ma attaccò e colpì all'improvviso. Afferrò un uomo dalla panca e lo straziò,

dilaniò le giunture delle ossa, trangugiò il suo sangue,si ingozzò della sua carne a pezzi, lasciando il corpo senza più vita, le mani e i piedi. Avvicinandosi,sollevò una zampa per assalire Beawulf

sul letto dove era disteso. Stava calando gli artigli aperti quando la pronta reazione

e la presa dell’eroe accorto lo anticiparono totalmente. Il capitano del male si trovò così bloccato

da una presa più forte di quante ne avesse mai incontrate in nessuno sulla faccia della terra. Ogni osso nel suo corpo tremò ed indietreggiò, ma non riuscì a liberarsi.[...]

Time and again,

Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend

their lord's life, laying about them

as best they could with their ancestral blades.

Stalwart in action, they kept striking out

on every side, seeking to cut

straight to the soul. When they joined the struggle

there was something they could not have known at the time,

that no blade on earth, no blacksmith's art

could ever damage their demon opponent.

He had conjured the harm from the cutting edge

of every weapon.[...]

-Di volta in volta, i guerrieri di Beowulf lavoravano per difendere la

vita del proprio signore, menando colpi all'impazzata come meglio potevano con le spade ancestrali.

Forti nell'azione, continuavano a colpire da da ogni parte, cercando di tagliare dritto all'anima. Quando si unirono alla lotta c'era qualcosa che non potevano sapere, al momento;

nessuna lama a terra, né l'arte di nessun fabbro avrebbe mai potuto danneggiare l'avversario demone.

Egli aveva privato tutte le lame dalla loro stretta.[...]

The monster's whole

body was in pain: a tremendous wound

appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split

and the bone-lappings burst. Beowulf was granted

the glory of winning; Grendel was driven

under the fen-banks, fatally hurt,

to his desolate lair. His days were numbered,

the end of his life was coming over him,

he knew it for certain; and one bloody clash

had fulfilled the dearest wishes of the Danes.

- L’intero corpo del mostro era nel dolore: una tremenda ferita

apparve sulla sua spalla. I tendini si strapparono e l'osso bruciò. A Beowulf fu concessa

la gloria di vincere; Grendel fu portato sotto le rive della palude, fatalmente ferito,

nella sua tana solitaria. I suoi giorni erano contati, la fine della sua vita stava venendo su di lui,

lui lo sapeva per certo, e uno scontro sanguinoso aveva realizzato i desideri più cari dei Danesi.

Beowulf vs Grendel :The Fight (Trailer):

Beowulf 's Funeral (Testo):

                                              Beowulf's Funeral:

Anonymous:

BEOWULF: ( ca 11(th) century):

According to Beowulf's wishes,his people burn his body on a huge funeral pyre and then bury him with a great treasure in a barrow overlooking the sea.

-Secondo i desideri di Beowulf, la sua gente brucia il suo corpo su un enorme pira funebre e poi lo seppelliscono con un grande tesoro in un tumulo a picco sul mare.

The Geat people built a pyre for Beowulf,

stacked and decked it until it stood foursquare,

hung with helmets,heavy war-shields

 and shining armour,just as he ordered.

Then his warriors laid him in the middle of it,

Mourning a lord far-famed and beloved.

On a height they kindled the hugest of all

 funeral fires: fumes of woodsmoke 

billowed darkly up,the blaze roared

 and drowned out their weeping,wind died down

 and flames wrought havoc in the hot bone-house,

burning it to the core. They were disconsolate

 and wailed aloud for thei lord's decease.

 A Geat woman too sang out in grief;

 with hair bound up,she unburdened herself 

of her worst fears,a wild litany 

of nightmare and lament: her nation invaded,

enemies on the rampage,bodies in piles,

slavery and abasement. Heaven swallowed the smoke.

Then the Geat people began to construct

 a mound on a headland, high and imposing,

 a marker that sailors could see from far away,

and in ten days they had done the work.

It was their hero's momorial;what remained from the fire

 they housed inside it,behind a wall 

as worthy of him as thei workmanship could make it.

And they buried torques in the barrow,and jewels

 and a trove of such things as trepassing men

 had once dared to drag from the hoard.

They let the ground keep that ancestral treasure,

gold under gravel,gone to earth,

as useless to men now as it ever was.

Then twelve warriors rode around the tomb,

Chieftains sons, champions in battle, 

all of them distraught, chanting in dirges 

Mourning his loss as a man and a king.

Traduzione:

- E poi gli costruirono,al principe dei Geati,su quella terra,

un rogo e vi ammassarono gli elmi,gli scudi e le armature scintillanti

come lui aveva ordinato.

Nel mezzo ci distesero il loro re famoso e i soldati piansero il loro signore.

Su un altura accesero il fuoco funebre più enorme di tutti: esalazioni di fumo

di legna fluttuavano in grandi volute cupe,la fiamma ruggì e soffocò il loro pianto,

il vento cessò e le fiamme generarono devastazione nel corpo,bruciando nelle viscere.

Piansero sconsolatamente per la caduta del loro re. Una ragazza geata coi capelli legati

cantò un canto di lutto,angosciata e dolente. Ripeté che aveva paura di un attacco militare,

di uno stormo di stragi, del terrore delle truppe,degli oltraggi e dell'umiliazione delle catene.

Il cielo ingoiò il fumo.

Poi la gente costui' un tumulo in un promontorio alto e vistoso in lungo e in largo dai viaggiatori del mare.

Lo fabbricarono in dieci giorni quel monumento al re famoso in battaglia.

Intorno ai resti del rogo costruirono un muro e vi misero anelli,collane e sigilli che una volta

i trasgressori avevano tolto dal tesoro.

Hanno lasciato al terreno quel tesoro ancestrale,l'oro alla sabbia,andata a terra come era sempre stato perché inutile agli uomini.

Poi dodici guerrieri,figli di capitribù,campioni di battaglia si erano riuniti intorno al rogo  sconvolti dal dolore intonavano canti funebri in lutto per il loro perduto re e uomo.

Trailer: Beowulf 's Funeral:

"Beowulf poem"

                                                             

   BEOWULF:

  

-The protagonist of poem is Beowulf.

Beowulf is a hero,he is parised for his courage,endurance and generosity,which determine his nobility and establish the courtly ideal of the warrior.

Superhuman powers are attributed to him:He kills monsters which live underwater and underground,which can fly which breathe fire.

  

-It is thought to have been composed by a single Christian author for a Christian audience in Anglo-Saxon England any time from the 8(th) to the 11(th) century,but the first recorded written version dates from the 11(th) century.

-Curiosity:

-  During the time in between,composer and singers,or scops,would memorise this long,heroic tale and tell it at the fireside as a form of entertainment

   

-The action of the poem take place in Scandinavia,but the poem itself was probably written in Northumbria,an important Anglo-Saxon kingdom and home to Roman Catholic monks who reinterpreted the story in a Christian way.

   

-The first actions take place in a Danish kingdom ruled by King Hrothgar.Beowulf confronts a monster that has been terrorising the king and his men for twelve years. Later,Beowulf dives into a misty lake and fights the monster's mother.

The scene of the action then shifts fifty years later to the land of the Geats in Sweden,where an elderly Beowulf confronts a dragon terrorising his own land.

During the poem several monsters appear.The first one is Grendel. He is bloodthirsty and keeps the Danish kingdom of King Hrothgar under siege for twelve years,killing both warriors and civilians.

 

-Life is a struggle between good and evil.Beowulf represents goodness,while the three monsters that he kills stand for evil.The greatness of a human being is judged by the greatness of his deeds and his noble ancestry.

Loyalty to one's lord or neighbour is the primary value.Beowulf risks his life to help a neighbour,King Hrothgar,in trouble.




Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-n4oRO6_rE