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Character from Archetype: A Study of the Characterization of Beowulf with Reference to the Diction of Direct Speech in Beowulf. Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD University College London, October, 1995 hy Dong-Ill Lee ProQuest Number: 10017794 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest 10017794 Published by ProQuest LLC(2016). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ABSTRACT This dissertation attempts to measure the development of Beowulfs character in Beowulf. Direct speech works as a primary source for this enquiry since it takes us closer to the speakers’ inner state of mind than do any other elements in the poem. My examination of the diction of the speeches in Beowulf reveals that the eponymous hero, though he is taken from a folk-tale archetype, has an individual character which develops through the poem. Young Beowulf displays faultless courage and adheres to the heroic code. However, he is still developing and has not yet learned how to restrain some of his more inappropriate emotions. His responses to his interlocutors show that he has mental insight and the ability to master his circumstances. Although, on his arrival in Denmark, he is already an established, confident hero, he is still a youth and his adventures in this country contribute to his continued mental growth. Old Beowulfs reflections later reveal a reappraisal of his life in which he achieves a spiritual awakening and goes beyond the Germanic ethics that have hitherto governed his life to a new awareness of spiritual values. In this development through the poem, Beowulf reveals the individualized traits whereby the poet has built him up from an archetype into a character. This study focuses on three kinds of evidence: firstly, semantic evidence, which is gathered from Beowulf and other Old English poems; secondly, the sub-text of direct speech, in which the underlying intentions of the poem’s protagonists can be found; thirdly, contextual considerations, which also help to reveal the true meaning of the words and actions of people in Beowulf. I declare that this thesis is all my own work and to the best of my knowledge, all quotations and ideas from other sources have been fully acknowledged. Dong-Ill Lee Table o f Contents page Title-Page ................................................................................................................... 1 Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 2 Table of Contents ...................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................... 6 Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. 7 1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 10 (a) The Implication of Speeches before the Battle with Grendel .............. 13 (b) Conclusion .............................................................................................. 19 2. Beowulfs Arrival in Denmark ...................................................................... 23 (a) The First Challenge with the Coastguard and Wulfgar ....................... 23 (b) The Exchange with Hrothgar: a Hidden Conflict of Psychology ....... 50 3. Beowulfs Flyting with Unferth .................................................................... 61 (a) Unferth's Rivalry, Sense of Inferiority and Heroic Ideology .............. 61 (b) The Purpose of Unferth's Word-Play .................................................... 74 (c) Beowulfs Reply: his Lack of Self-Restraint ........................................ 97 (d) Beowulfs Defence of his Early Achievement ...................................... 104 (e) Conclusion .............................................................................................. 116 4. Beowulfs Youth and Social Status ............................................................... 118 (a) The Credibility of Beowulfs Sluggish Period ...................................... 119 (b) Beowulf s Status When he Arrives in Denmark ................................... 126 (c) The Textual Evidence for Beowulfs Sluggish Period ......................... 144 (d) Conclusion ............................................................................................... 148 5. The Speeches of Wealhtheow ...................................................................... 150 (a) The Comparability in the Presentation of Wealhtheow and Beowulf 150 (b) The Mode and Function of Ma()elode ................................................... 161 (c) Wealhtheow's Verbal Tactics Revealing her Awareness of the Importance of Gift-Giving .................................................................... 170 (d) Beowulfs Perception of Wealhtheow's Intention ................................. 180 (e) Conclusion ............................................................................................... 182 6. The Variety of Beowulfs Emotional Responses ......................................... 183 (a) Formulaic Expressions for Sorrow in Main Characters ....................... 184 (b) Ties of Affection between Beowulf and Hondscio, and between Hrothgar and Æschere ............................................................................... 192 (c) The Unexpected Element of Humour .................................................... 215 (d) Conclusion ............................................................................................... 218 7. Beowulfs Spiritual Awakening .................................................................... 219 (a) The Cause of Beowulfs'Gloomy Thoughts' ........................................ 219 (b) Formulaic Expressions for the Heroic Code ......................................... 223 (c) The Thematic and Structural Linkage of Revenge and Kinship .......... 240 (d) Beowulfs Spiritual Awakening: Reflection of Hrothgar's Precepts 259 (e) Conclusion ............................................................................................... 265 8. Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 266 Selected bibliography ................................................................................................ 274 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS During my study of Beowulf I have received invaluable guidance and help from various people. I would like to thank the many scholars who have led me to the world of Beowulf and to embark upon this PhD, and who have contributed to my understanding of the poem, in particular Dr. Jane Roberts, Mrs Palmer, Mrs Kingston and Dr. Richard North of the University of London. I am deeply grateful to the unknown poet of Beowulf who inspired me to search for the aesthetic meaning of the poem and eventually led me beyond this to experience the spiritual universe of Beowulf himself. I am greatly indebted to my supervisor Dr. Richard North, whose expert scholarship and encouragement enabled me to complete this thesis. Special thanks to my parents and relatives in Korea for their constant prayers and support, and to my Christian brothers and sisters for their kindness. Finally, heartfelt thanks to my beloved wife Mi-Young and my daughters Honey and Eungee, as their patience, care and solace made it possible for me to finish my thesis. Abbreviations And Andreas ASPR The Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records, ed. Krapp and Dobbie Beo Beowulf BT An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, ed. Bosworth and Toller. All references to dictionary entries by word stated. ^ Christ Christ CSASE Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England Descent Descent into Hell EETS The Early English Text Society El Elene ES. English Studies Ex Exodus Fall The Fall of the Angels Gen Genesis Guth Guthlac Husb Husband's Message JEGP Journal of English and Germanic Philology JGP Journal of Germanic Philology JNT Journal of Narrative Technique Jud Judith Jul Juliana LSE Leeds Studies in English Klaeber Beowulf, ed. Klaeber Maldon The Battle of Maldon M axi Maxims I MÆ. Medium Ævum MLQ Modem Language Quarterly MLR Modem Language Review ME Modem Philology Neophil Neophilologus NM Neuphilologische Mitteilungen N&Q Notes and Queries OE Old English OHG Old High German ON Old Norse OS Old Saxon PBA Proceedings of the British Academy ELL Papers on Language and Literature PMLA Publications of the Modem Language Association of America EES. Review of English Studies Rid Riddles Saga-Book Saga-Book of the Viking Society SM Studia Neophilologica Soul I Soul and Body 1 SE Studies in Philology Spec Speculum TSLL Texas Studies in Literature and Language Wan The Wanderer Wid Widsith Wrenn Beowulf, ed. Wrenn All quotations of Beowulf are from Klaeber's Beowulf (3rd. ed.) and all translations are mine except as otherwise noted. All quotations from Old English poems are from ASPR. Other translations of Old
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