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of section two and four.

Section four strays farthest from the first section in several ways. Firstly, it is quite Naturalistic. God is nearly forgotten while Fate perniciously thwarts Beowulf's success in line 2682 during his confrontation with the dragon. Fate is implied to be supreme in the words "Fate did not ordain" This is a stark contrast to line 1056, reading, "wisest God their Fate averted." Furthermore, section four is inconsistent with the first section as, for the first time, Beowulf's great and glorious strength is considered an impediment, as his hand is "too strong" and snaps his sword in two. This fourth section differs from all the others likewise in Beowulf's inability to succeed without assistance. In his last fight, his comrade is subtly made the hero of the scene, while Beowulf dies in defeat. The last passage, the Fight at Finnsburh, illustrates the great carnage and chaos resulting from the death of Beowulf. This Naturalistic conclusion is completely adverse to the lines in section one reading "But the Lord wove the webs of destiny,/ gave the Geats success in their struggle" As section four is written in a contrasting worldview and with blatant inconsistencies in the character of Beowulf, it is exceedingly unlikely that it was authored by the same man as was section one.

As these works were generally not recorded, the likelihood of the piece gradually morphing is great, as it was probably passed down from master to apprentice or from father to son. This could explain the differences between the four sections. However, as each section is consistent with itself, that is, section one is not a mixture of Naturalism and Theism, and Beowulf is not blessed and cursed by his strength in the same section, this would imply that each section were written by a separate author. The possible exception may be sections one and three, which may have been written by the same man. Therefore, it may be said that this narrative of old was most likely fashioned by three or four entertainers, each giving his own version of this dramatic presentation, the epic poem Beowulf.

Learn more about this author, E. Gray.
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