Superb!, 15 Feb 2005

By	J. Newton (London, England) - See all my reviews

Although composed in England, Beowulf is set in Scandinavia during the sixth century AD. The poem starts with the most notable warrior of the Geats, Beowulf, crossing the sea to the land of the Danes in order to rid them of a fearsome and evil monster who has terrorised King Hrothgar and his people since the construction of his impressive hall. This monster, Grendel stalked the kingdom at night attacking and devouring those who slept. After a confrontation with Grendal and then a second with the beast's mother, Beowulf returns home in triumph having killed both beasts and gaining favour from the native king. His rewards at both home and abroad are great and eventually he rises to the throne of his homeland where he rules impressively for fifty years. At this point Beowulf's final adversary emerges. A dormant dragon is woken by the theft of a gem-studded goblet from its hoard. The dragon, in a fit of rage, begins to decimate the land and it is clear that the beast must also be destroyed. A now aged Beowulf confronts the dragon in a final and decisive battle that claims both the dragon's life but also Beowulf's. In an emotive ending, Beowulf is mourned by his followers and people at his funeral, where his pyre is set alight and a memorial built.

Dating the poem is a very difficult task. It is understood that the poem could not have been composed before 521AD because of the reference in the poem to the death of Hygelac; the king of the Geats, who is known to have existed due to the sixth-century historian Gregory of Tours. Neither can it be later than about 1000AD as this is the date given to the only surviving Beowulf manuscript. It is uncertain when exactly between these two dat