by Naomi Garton

Created on: September 15, 2008

The poem "Beowulf" translated by Seamus Heaney (1999) is certainly, in my opinion, a combination of beauty and brutality; beauty in that Heaney's style and use of language is engaging and exquisite, and brutality in that the subject matter that Heaney explores is savage and barbaric.

The poem Beowulf was composed some time between the middle of the seventh and the end of the tenth century and therefore contains some rather brutal occurrences that may have been deemed normal at the time, but appear less so now. In the poem, the first and most obvious of these is the fight between Grendel and Beowulf. The poem details Grendel's primary attack on a Geat warrior, "struck suddenly and started in; he grabbed and mauled a man on his bench" which, in my opinion, conveys the more brutal side of Heaney's Beowulf and particularly in this passage Heaney uses the poetic technique of alliteration to effect as it appears Grendel is still looking for his final fight: Beowulf. Further,Heaney's translation of the poem includes this regular use of alliteration and in my opinion this exaggerates the events in the poem whether they are brutal or beautiful. When the fight becomes more intense, as does Heaney's use of alliteration "...bit into his bone-lappings, bolted down his blood" suggests Grendel is very vengeful and menacing and particularly in this passage Heaney's use of plosive alliteration which relies on the build up and release of breath, reflects the tension and horror of the brutal events that occur. To this extent I believe that Heaney's Beowulf is brutal, but I cannot agree that it is equally beautiful because some parts of the poem are simply disgusting.

However, although this and other events like it in the poem are seemingly beautiful, I think that the critic believes the book is "a combination of beauty and brutality" because Heaney's poetic style and choice of vocabulary make for a beautiful piece of literature. A prime example of this in the poem is when Beowulf discovers a mighty sword and slays his opponent - Grendel's mother, "...swung the blade in an arc, a resolute blow that bit deep into her neck bone and severed it entirely, toppling the doomed house of her flesh, she fell to the floor." Although when one stops to contemplate this event it seems sickening, I believe at first glance it is a rather beautiful description, indeed "house of her flesh" is an interesting description of a body and "bit deep" suggests the sword is also alive and has a mind of its

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