..So this was Beowulf! I hope that you, the viewers, have been greatly enlightened by the information that was displayed on this website. If not, then I hope that you’ve been amused by our efforts at attempting to create this site dedicated to the “great epic”. If not, my deepest apologies for taking up your time.
---- Rebecca
co-creator
Saoran just HAD to say something.
-- I did not like Beowulf. Is Beowulf even a hero at all? Do we judge him by his actions or his intentions? By his actions, Beowulf was definitely a hero. He came and destroyed a form of evil and saved the people of Danes from sinking into the pits of hell. However, Beowulf did not truly want to purge evil from the face of earth nor help the people of Danes. His pure intention was to make a name for himself and let his legacy live on even after his death. So is Beowulf a hero or is he just another human being playing hero?
--Grendel. I find it ironic that Grendel was "flooded with fear" when he was a type of fear himself. It was amusing to picture a monster as big as Grendel trying to escape from Beowulf. It seems as if evil, when confronted by good, shrank into child`s play. I say, if I was the trapped Grendel, my only thought would that of to hurt Beowulf as much as I could. Thus, I find it weird that Grendel wanted to flee from Beowulf. Grendel's motivation in life is to destroy happiness, is it not? Does it matter if he was alive? Was his own life important to him too? Grendel was described as "pure evil," but the struggle to flee and live was too human to be
"pure" evil. So what exactly is pure evil?
--Grendel`s Mom. Was Grendel's mom really out for revenge for her son or was she attacking Beowulf because he entered her territory? Anyways, since when do Monsters ever care about each other?
--Dragon. Is the dragon wrong for wanting to protect his treasures? Does being the victim mean that one is not in the wrong? Does not being wrong mean that the "wronged" one is evil and thus must be destroyed?
--Good vs. Evil. What is good? What is evil?
Shakespeare`s Hamlet: "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
-So many questions yet no "good" answers.
Comments from the fans. [Some are not fans of the epic, but of our site] =D
"I think it`s a stupid yet cool story. The gore is nice, but the whole plot of it all is stupid."
-S.O.
"I like it because it`s a horrish story. Man killing/slaying adds to the charm of the story."
-L.T.
"The story is too predictable. It`s too descriptive and boring. It is SO old english."
-V.T.
"Beowulf was stupid. He was old and and didnt really need to prove that he was strong and mighty."
-S.O.
"An excellent site for Beowulf. I rate it 5 stars." *****
-L.C. (5-6 class)
"Beowulf is great. He has great physical attributes and morals. If I had to pick any Great Epic Hero to be, I would pick Beowulf."
-Nick L. (3-4 class)
"This is by far the best website I have ever seen. This website is the equivalent of a two thumbs up movie. If I was a website I would want to be this one."
-Corey B. (3-4 class)
"Omg.. this website is awesome!!! Just as simple as that! Two thumbs up for everything, especially for the music."
-Yareen T. (3-4 class)
"This website is good. I mean, come on, what you got to lose to check it out? It won't waste a minute of your time. I didn't know so much about Beowulf til I saw it; then everything made sense. Good job, love the music."
-Heather D. (3-4 class)
"Wow! I am amazed at your talent. Incredible! If I could give a grade higher than an A+, I would. You girls really are my favorite students!"
-Mr. D. (not an actual account, but a thought worthy of writing down)
"I LOOOVE the dark creature image. It looks like a monkey in the dark. ^-^ I`m crazy over Grendel! I`m just like him."
"Grendy, boy would we make such a good couple."
- SAORAN ROEUTH
hahahah...
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Works Cited
Religion. The Anglo-Saxons held pagan beliefs when they first arrived in Britain in the early centuries. They believed in many gods that ruled every aspect of their life such as birth, death, fertility, love, harvest, and weather. Like the Egyptians, Anglo-Saxons buried the dead with their belongings. They believed that the dead would need their belongings when they moved on to their next life.
Burton Raffel has 55 years of experience in university teaching. He is noted for his translations of several classics as Beowulf and Don Quijote. He may be also recognized as the translatorof "The Seafarer", the Anglo-Saxon poem that shows the effects of the uprising of the Christian religion (as we have read in class).
Beowulf is the first epic to have been carried on through the generations in a modern European language. It was composed in England by an anonymous poet; then it was orally passed on. The epic poem portrays a feudal, newly Christian world of heroes and monsters, victory and death. Beowulf has lasted more than twelve centuries. The noble yet simple quality of the poem was definitely not lost in Burton Raffel`s translation.
Grendel`s Symphony
