Critical Essay on Beowulf
Beowulf is one of the oldest poems in history. The poem was written in the early centuries. The author used old English to express his ideas. Many scholars have published different reports on the structure and the general format of Beowulf. Actually, it is one of the poems that have received different responses and reactions from readers. The poem’s structure has been described by different scholars (Mitchell, 2017). Therefore, there are various theories that are used to discuss the structure of the said literature. This essay discusses the structure of the poem based on analysis of Tolkien’s theory. This essay recognizes Tolkien’s theory as the most accurate tool to analyze Beowulf.
Tolkien considered the Monsters and the Critics on the said poem. The two were the main aspects of the poem. Therefore, Tolkien saw the need to focus on the two aspects so as to present an accurate meaning of the poem. A greater number of those who have analyzed the poem using Tolkien’s theory suggest that it is the most accurate tool. Many researchers and other academicians have also used the theory to explain and to understand more about Beowulf. Ideally, this theory has been used by modern society as well as those who analyzed the structure of the poem in the early centuries.
According to Tolkien, the poem ‘lacked advance’. This is clearly portrayed in the poem by all editions. Notably, the poem was not meant to advance. In this regard, the lack of advance was evident in some of the parts of the poem. The author tried to keep such issues clear to ensure that every reader gets the picture and the whole concept of the said poem. For instance, the author wrote ‘across the cup of waves, a mighty prince’. In this sentence, it is evident that the poem had no advance. Moreover, some of the points were not originating from the same concept. The poem had a systematic flow to ensure that everyone follows the rhythm. Such lines enabled Tolkien to come up with the theory.
Tolkien viewed the book as ‘a historical document’. Actually, he viewed it as other historic features such as the history of Sweden. Today, the poem is also used as a historic point of reference. In other words, the poem had numerous historic words and phrases. Due to the fact that the author used old English, the poem may be merely a history. In most cases, Tolkien criticized the poem by quoting that ‘there is nothing in the story’. He was not convinced by the speaking of the monsters as shown by the author. As far as criticism is concerned, Tolkien stated that ‘we do not deny the worth of the hero by accepting Grendel and the dragon’. This statement was enough evidence to show that Tolkien was against most of the expressions in the poem. Additionally, Tolkien compared the poem and a myth. However, he said that myths had special value. Such value was better than that of Beowulf.
Tolkien’s theory holds that the poem was essentially a balance and it had the opposition of endings and beginnings. The structure of the poem showed the balance in terms of flow and arrangement of words. Despite the fact that the author used old English in his writing, the lines were arranged in a systematic manner for easy understanding. For instance, he wrote,
He wore those gold wires, rarest gem-stones,
across the cup of waves, a mighty prince.
He fell beneath his shield. Into Frankish hand
came his life, body-gold, and the great ringed collar;
As shown in the above extract, the author arranged the words in a systematic way. However, the main point of the theory in question is to criticize the poem.
Tolkien viewed the poem by considering all the important points. There was no bias in coming up with the theory. Tolkien argued that the poem was not meant to be an exciting narrative. He added that the poem was not meant to be a romantic story but a word-picture. The main focus was on the composition of the song but not the tune. The theory was mainly based on the actual facts on the poem including the words used and the overall structure. Actually, such arguments make Tolkien’s theory the most accurate tool to analyze the criticism of Beowulf.
The other reason that makes Tolkien’s theory more accurate is the fact that it used actual facts from the poem. He viewed the poem as a story of “man at war with the hostile world, and his inevitable overthrow in Time”. Based on my readings, this was the main story in the poem. The theory focused on such views to present an actual story that the poem was meant for. Tolkien also noted that the Grendel and the Dragon were enemies. The poem clearly indicates Tolkien’s assumptions and conclusions. Therefore, the poem depended on the actual writings on as portrayed in the poem.
Most of the effective theories consider the contribution of others. In this case, Tolkien considered the critics of other scholars such as Raymond Wilson Chambers and Ritchie Girvan. The critics from the scholars played an instrumental role in Tolkien’s theoretical view hence making it more accurate than other relevant theories (Andrew, 2015). The consideration of other opinions is also important in this case. In addition, the said theory holds the selection of the theme was unworthy. For instance, the inclusion of the dragon was not encouraging. The critics were clearer to the point that readers can easily understand the theory. The quotes from other scholars also play a key role in Tolkien’s theory. In fact, the one from W. P. Ker ‘there is nothing much in the story’ inspired him to come up with a stronger criticism of the poem.
In summary, Beowulf is one of the oldest poems in history. The structure of the poem has been explained from different theoretical points of view. Among the relevant theories, Tolkien presented a critical point of view that is more accurate those other theories. Tolkien used the actual poem to identify possible critics. In addition, he also used some quotes from other scholars. The combination of the actual poem and the critical quotes from various scholars made Tolkien’s theory the most accurate tool in describing Beowulf.
References
Andrew, S. (2015). Postscript of Beowulf. Cambridge University Press
Mitchell, S. (2017). Beowulf. Yale University Press