The Influences On Anglo Saxon Poets Essay — страница 2

would gladly give his life in his service. Beowulf helps other kings in this fashion by ridding their lands of evil monsters and protecting the kingdom’s citizens. By doing this, he gained the respect and honor from many people. One reason for this fanatical loyalty was that they believed the king was chosen by God. In serving the king, they were in fact serving God. The king was in most probability just an exceptional warrior and good friend whose story was exaggerated to the point of him becoming a great political leader. Government, everyday life and beliefs all had a profound influence on the works of the Anglo-Saxon period. The authors wrote about the cold, hard world around them, thus providing us with great tales of heroes and adventures. We can now look back and see

what life and culture was like many years ago during five hundred and fifty years of Anglo-Saxon reign. Annex A Exert from “The Ruin” Bright were its palaces, its many bathing halls, Its wealth of tall pinnacles, its tumult of warriors, Many a mead hall filled with festive life, Until mighty fate overturned all. Far and wide the slaughtered fell, the plague days came, Death snatched away all the host of men. Their battlements became waste places, Their citadel crumbled. Author Unknown Annex B Exert from “The Wanderer” Where is the horse? Where the hero? Where the treasure giving prince? Where the seats at the feast, where the delights of the hall? Alas, bright goblet! Alas, mailed fighter! Alas, princely power. How that time has passed away, Grown dark beneath the

night’s helmet, as though it had not been. Author Unknown Annex C Exert from “The Chronicle” … and some he killed in various ways, Some of them were sold for cash, some cruelly slaughtered, Some of them fettered, some blinded, Some were mutilated, some scalped. No more dreadful deed has been done in this land Since the Danes came and took peace at our hands. Author Unknown Annex D Exert from “Beowulf” Then the hardy Beowulf remembered his battle-boast. Up he sprang and laid fast hold upon his foe. Grendel’s fingers cracked in that iron grip, but the fiend strove fiercely to wrench himself free. He longed to escape to the fens, yet he knew his power was caught in the strength of this grim one. [...] As they struggled the monster took a fearful hurt; a great wound

showed on his shoulder, his sinews cracked and the bones broke. Now was the victory given to Beowulf, and Grendel, sick unto death, fled to his den in the dark moor. Author Unknown Annex E Exert from “Apolonius of Tyre” Antiochus was the king of Antioch, and his heart was evil. His daughter was very beautiful, and so he had an incestuous relationship against her will. To keep her to himself, he demanded that her suitors must solve a riddle or die. Apolonius, the prince of Tyre, guessed correctly, but the king said he was wrong, thus condemning him to death. Apolonius had a month to return home and say good-bye to everybody. “What wilt thou do now, Apolonius? Thou has guessed the king’s riddle, and thou his daughter hast not received; therefore thou art now condemned that

thou shouldst be killed”. And he then went out and ordered his ship to be loaded… Apolonius returns of his own free will, but he is lost in a shipwreck. Author Unknown Alexander, M. “The Ruin”. The Earliest English poems. http://www/ccc/nottingham.ac.uk/ aczsjm/wap/angsp.html (1966) Hosford, Dorothy. By His Own Might: The Battles of Beowulf. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1947. Page, R.I. Life in Anglo-Saxon England. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1972. Thorpe, Ben. “Apolonius of Tyre”. http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/apt/apt.html (1995)