The Story of Beowulf

Introduction

Beowulf has been called an epic, but it is narrative rather than epic poetry. The subject has not the weight or dignity of an epic poem, nor the mighty fates round which an epic should revolve. Its story is rather personal than national. The one epic quality it has, the purification of the hero, the evolution of his character through trial into perfection, and Beowulf passes from the reclusive hero into the image of a heroic king who dies for his people, may belong to a narrative poem. Moreover, the poem is made up of two narratives ...