BEOWUL

FTR

ANSLATE

D BY:

SEAMUS HEANEY

INTRODUCTION Beowulf is the first

English literature masterpiece.

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem that approximately dates to the year 700.

Beowulf is written in an Anglo-Saxon language (also known as Old English).

THE LANGUAGE

EPIC POETRY AND A HERO Epic poems

are told in an elevated style and deal with deeds of a great hero.

Courage and loyalty are key aspects of the hero.

Warriors could be counted on to avenge the deaths of their lords, fathers, brothers and sons.

THE SETTING Although the story is written in

England, it tells the tale of the Geats and the Danes.

The Geat kingdom is in present day Sweden, and the Dane kingdom present day Denmark.

THE STORY

THE STORY CONTINUED

The epic is divided into two sections

Beowulf as a young warrior fighting Grendel and Grendel’s mother.

50 years later, Beowulf as the King fighting the dragon.

THE MANUSCRIPT The only surviving manuscript is housed at the British Library in London.

The original manuscript is over 3000 lines long and written in unrhymed, alliterative verse.

OUR TRANSLATION Seamus Heaney is

the Nobel Laureate author of our version of the text.

Heaney focuses on lyrical phrasing rather than direct translation for a more easily spoken text.

Features of the text include alliteration and poetic attention to phrasing.