Beowulf LRJ 1

When reading Beowulf, values of this society become apparent. One such value is the unswerving loyalty to the king. Even after King Hrothgar gives up after failing to protect his people, and the foreign Beowulf comes in to save them, the Danes remain faithful to Hrothgar. "Yet there was no laying of blame on their lord,/the noble Hrothgar; he was a good king." (861-862) Another value is the habit of taking trophies from one's victims. This tradition continues to this day, when hunters mount the heads of deer they killed on their wall. In Beowulf, he rips Grendel's arm off and displays it in the rafters of the mead-hall for all to see. "Clear proof of this/could be seen in the hand the hero displayed/high near the roof: the whole of Grendel's/shoulder and arm..." (832-835) One more value repeated in this tale is the sexism and male superiority in their society. In the selections read so far, only one mention of a woman has appeared. Every other character has been male. She is referred to only as a wife, rather than an actual person. "The lord of Shieldings... left the hall to lie with Wealtheow,/his queen and bedmate." (663-665)
Alliteration can be found throughout Beowulf, like "...shadow-stalker, stealthy and swift,"(704) or "...terror-monger... and now the timbers trembled and sang." (775-776) Alliteration is included because Beowulf was originally presented orally. Alliteration adds to the excitement of the story and makes it more interesting for the audience.
Along with alliteration, Beowulf uses kennings to draw the audience further into the story. Some examples of these are "ring-giver" (36) for the king Shield Sheafson, "treasure-seat" (168) for the throne, and "sea-lanes" (239) for the sea. Kennings also create interest and are almost like a puzzle for the reader or audience to figure out while enjoying the story.