Use of Metaphors, Exaggeration, and Alliteration in Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essay

Use of Metaphors, Exaggeration, and Alliteration in BeowulfThe epical poem Beowulf, written in Old English by Christianmonks around 750 AD, is a wonderful hap story about a warrior whokills ferocious monsters. The use of description and imaginativeness enlivensthe story, making it possible for a endorser to really see in his or hermind the characters and events. Metaphors, exaggeration, andalliteration be three devices that together allow the reader toexperience this poem which is quite different than most other poetry.A illustration is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase thatordinarily means one intimacy is applied to another thing to suggest alikeness between the two. Metaphors are used extensively throughout thepoem to paint a more colorful picture in the listeners mind. Thesemetaphors are used in phrases called kennings. A kenning is adescriptive, poetical twist used instead of a simple name for aperson or thing. Beowulf is unassailablely ever called by his actua l name.Instead there are many kennings referring to him, such as Prince ofthe Weders, The Son of Ecgtheow, The Geatish hero, and The Lord ofthe Seamen. These kennings describe Beowulf to us in a more interestingway than just stating the hard facts. Without these kennings Beowulfwould be less interesting and we would learn less about him. Anybodywould say that describing or referring to a person by his or her name over and over again is boring. So the use of kennings and metaphors isvery important in this long epic poem.Exaggeration is another device to make Beowulf a moreinteresting, entertaining, and dramatic poem. For example, even thoughthis story is a fantasy, it is hard to believe that the character ofBeowulf would be able to kill a monster like Grendel with his barehands. Exaggerating Beowulfs valor makes the story more exciting.Another exaggeration used to convince us how dandy our hero is, is thepassage, Over all the world, or between the seas, / Or under(a) theheaven, n o hero was greater. (671-672). This dazzles the listener withBeowulfs bravery. His bravery is again exaggerated when he jumps in theswamp wearing heavy armor to fight and kill Grendels mother. Its unlikely even a strong warrior could win a battle with a she-monster inan underwater cave with a broken sword. But it adds to the excitement.In the disceptation The head of Grendel, with heavy toil / Four of thestoutest, with all their strength, / Could hardly carry on swaying spear/ Grendels head to the gold-decked hall.Use of Metaphors, Exaggeration, and Alliteration in Beowulf Epic of Beowulf endeavorUse of Metaphors, Exaggeration, and Alliteration in BeowulfThe epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English by Christianmonks around 750 AD, is a wonderful adventure story about a warrior whokills ferocious monsters. The use of description and imagery enlivensthe story, making it possible for a reader to really see in his or hermind the characters and events. Metaphors, exaggeration, andal literation are three devices that together allow the reader toexperience this poem which is quite different than most other poetry.A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase thatordinarily means one thing is applied to another thing to suggest alikeness between the two. Metaphors are used extensively throughout thepoem to paint a more colorful picture in the listeners mind. Thesemetaphors are used in phrases called kennings. A kenning is adescriptive, poetical expression used instead of a simple name for aperson or thing. Beowulf is hardly ever called by his actual name.Instead there are many kennings referring to him, such as Prince ofthe Weders, The Son of Ecgtheow, The Geatish hero, and The Lord ofthe Seamen. These kennings describe Beowulf to us in a more interestingway than just stating the hard facts. Without these kennings Beowulfwould be less interesting and we would learn less about him. Anybodywould say that describing or referring to a person by his or her nameover and over again is boring. So the use of kennings and metaphors isvery important in this long epic poem.Exaggeration is another device to make Beowulf a moreinteresting, entertaining, and dramatic poem. For example, even thoughthis story is a fantasy, it is hard to believe that the character ofBeowulf would be able to kill a monster like Grendel with his barehands. Exaggerating Beowulfs bravery makes the story more exciting.Another exaggeration used to convince us how great our hero is, is thepassage, Over all the world, or between the seas, / Or under theheaven, no hero was greater. (671-672). This dazzles the listener withBeowulfs bravery. His bravery is again exaggerated when he jumps in theswamp wearing heavy armor to fight and kill Grendels mother. Itsunlikely even a strong warrior could win a battle with a she-monster inan underwater cave with a broken sword. But it adds to the excitement.In the line The head of Grendel, with heavy toil / Four of thestoutest, with all their strength, / Could hardly carry on swaying spear/ Grendels head to the gold-decked hall.