Pages 31-60 notes

"Trista"
Book 10
-"These numberless races around me menace with terrible warfare"- line 15.  Shows nativist/racist attitude of time period
-"And instead of a wolf the trembling sheep stand in dread of war." lines 27-28.  Serves as a metaphor; the soldiers are to their commander what sheep are to a shepherd, afraid of the fighting instead of a wolf
-Ovid lived in Rome until he was exiled for offending the emperor; he loved Rome and was devastated
-Ovid makes direct reference to his exile: "Perhaps even holding against me the fact that I'm exiled from Rome." lines 40-41.
-References to Greek mythology (Lachesis, one of the fates)
-These references remind modern readers of the time period in which this was written, many years before Christianity spread through Mediterranean, changing literature
-"I deserved to lose even my life then when I did injury to the power of Caesar the god." lines 51-53.  These are the final lines of the poem.  Ovid still wishes more than anything to be forgiven.  References Caesar's supposed divinity; has true belief in it

"Far Corners of the Earth"
-Tu Fu, author of poem, was exiled from his home just as Ovid was
-Later time period (712-770)
-Poem reflects Tu Fu's feelings; he continues down "a new waste of highway" away from his home, and "a new waste of highway" in life/his mental state

"Beowolf"
The Wrath of Grendel
-"...and made his home in a hell not hell but earth."  Grendel's backstory is disturbed, angry; shows the transition of society from a pagan to Christian culture
-The poem reads partially like a sermon; this is common of the time period, huge devotion to beliefs
-In a weird plot twist, Grendel brutally murders 30 men in their sleep and steals their bodies... again shows growing hatred of pagans by Christians/the persecution they endured
-Grendel keeps coming back and murdering more people in cowardly ways
-"Mankind's enemy continued his crimes, killing as often as he could..." mankind is also guilty of "killing as often as [it] could," ironic that story seems ignorant to this
-Poem goes into an anti-pagan/religious rant; disturbing yet completely expected amount of casual hatred
The Coming of Beowolf
-Beowolf sets off to fight Grendel with fourteen men
-The story begins to show faint resemblance to the modern epic
-"Beowolf unlocking words from deep in his breast..." lines 172-173.  Beowolf portrayed as very powerful; epic hero
-The Danish watchmen goes from being suspicious to completely allowing Beowolf's team entry based on a story and no paperwork or proof whatsoever
-The men reach Herot and Beowolf speaks to Hrothgar... Beowolf's "heroic" character traits are built upon: he refuses to back down from facing Grendel
The Battle with Grendel
-"Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty hills and bogs, bearing God's hatred, Grendel came..." lines 285-286.  Another mention of God's hatred; also serves to say that pagans are hated by God
-Grendel is a blood thirsty pagan monster who just wants to kill stuff
-Very descriptive deaths in this poem
-Beowolf and Grendel have their epic face off; Grendel represents a heathen
The Monsters' Lair
-Two more Grendel-like representations of evil are found
-"At night that lake burns like a torch.  No one knows its bottom..."  lines 431-432.  The monsters are described coming from this lake, which represents an entrance to hell
-Beowolf+team go to kill more monsters in the hope of treasure
The Battle with Grendel's Mother
-Beowolf goes deep into a lake to fight monsters; he is taken into an underwater hall
-Beowolf is basically a messenger from God; he is holy/blessed
-Beowolf defeats Grendel's mother using a specially made sword; hero's weapon, commonly seen in epics
-Beowolf cuts the head off Grendel's dead body.  He does this to shame Grendel; final act of humiliation
-Many men give up home, others wait anxiously for Beowolf to return (another characteristic common in modern epics)  Beowolf returns w/Grendel's head+sword hilt from battleground
The Last Battle
-Beowolf is now an old man and nearing the end of his life, yet he is still boastful and arrogant and decides to fight another monster.  "...No man but me could hope to defeat this monster." (lines 645-646).
-Ideals were clearly different in this time- Beowolf's pride and boasting appear to be good things, whereas now epic heroes are typically humble
The Spoils
-Beowolf, on his deathbed, gives final prayer and gives his possessions to Wiglaf
-Modern epic moment: Beowolf dies heroes death after killing dragon, has a tower named after him