Discussion Board Posts
What is the miracle of Caedmon’s hymn? Consider the poem itself as well as Bede’s account of its genesis
The miracle of Caedmon’s Hymn according to the Venerable Bede is that while Bede had always known Caedmon as a great poet of unmatched skill. He did not always possess such a talent. Bede contended that the gift of song that Caedmon had could have only come from God. The reason for this was so Caedmon could bring the people that come to listen to him away from evil. For much of Caedmon’s life he had not known any poetry or song and was tone deaf. This caused him to always leave the room when it came time for songs and poetry to be performed. "when he saw the harp nearing him, he then arose for shame from that feast and went home to his house."(Bede). His situation was not helped by the fact that he was illiterate and tone deaf. One day he fell asleep in the woods when he went chasing after some errant birds he was in charge of. While he was asleep he had a dream that a figure appeared in front of him. The figure then dared him to sing the principium creaturarum, which was literally about “the start of creation”. At this point Caedmon had started singing a song that he had never heard before. Later Caedmon had his master accompany him to Hild. It was there that he judged by a group of men that had decided that he had been touched by God. He was suggested to join the monastery. While he was there he became a very religious man. However, despite being able to gain an education while living at the monastery he never learned how to read. Due to the fact that he was such a religious and devoted man he was granted the ability to see his own death.
What happens in scyld scefing’s life?
In “Beowulf” the 52 lines that introduce the poem seem to be of a separate narrative from the rest of the story. The narrative tells the story of Scyld Scefing. Scyld Scefing was the king of the Danes. According to lore, many years before he had arrived on the Danish shore as a young, naked child in a boat that was no larger than a shield. The young child in the small boat had presents surrounding him in order to buy favor with those who found him. The Danes seem to view him as a divine or mythical figure as they have no idea where he had come from. As Scyld grew he became more popular and respected until the Danes who had no leader decided that he should be their King. This was mainly because the other tribes respected him and he was able to unite them to the Danes. He did this primarily by conquering them and gaining tribute from them, but still he was able to do so with minimal conflict and resentment from thosehe had conquered. He then has an heir which guarantees that the Danes will continue to have a ruling line and that they will not return to being without a ruler. While he was king the land enjoyed a time of peace as their enemies did not dare to attack and Scyld was more than willing to bestow gifts on those he felt were loyal to him. At the start of the poem they Danes were conducting Scyld’s funeral in which they had laid his body in a boat surrounded by treasure and had let him drift off into the sea. While the story of Scyld Shefing seems as though it does not below, it serves the purpose of giving the reader background.
What are the duties of a Queen? How well do the queens of the poem-Wealthrow, Hildeburth, and Freawaru play this role?
Despite their brief appearances in the poem “Beowulf” the duties of the queen are extremely important. When we first meet Wealthrow in lines (612-41) she presents the cup to Hrothgar first. This indicates that he is the most powerful man in the room. Wealthrow passes the cup to Beowulf last because he is a foreigner to their land and has yet to prove himself in battle. The second time Beowulf is invited to the hall he is given the cup second because he had killed Grendel. (1162-1232). Another queen who played the role of hostess was Hygd, who was king Hygelac’s wife, as with Wealthrow her distribution of the cup is important in regards to status. Outside of being hostesses they also have some say in politics as they are present in the hall during discussions about politics and they do offer their input. This is seen when Wealthrow addresses Hrothgar after Grendel’s death in lines 1168-87 and tells him not to make Beowulf his heir, but Hrothulf as he will protect her sons. She then offers gifts to Beowulf. Gift giving was part of her duty as hostess. However, the most telling aspect of Wealthrow and the role she plays comes from her last line in which she states, “the noble men, having drunk, will do as I ask” (1230). Hygd offers Beowulf the throne after Hygelac dies because she did not trust her son to rule. In this act she has taken on Hygelac’s role as she is making an important decision regarding the rule of the land. Hildeburth and Freawaru are peace-weavers, which are noble women who are married to bring peace between the Danes and a rival country. Due to their position they had influence on both the ruler of their homeland and their husband.
4. Why would April be a good time for a pilgrimage to Canterbury?
The General Prologue begins “, "whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote / The droghte of March hath perced to the roote" (Chaucer and Benson 1 – 2). This is describing the transition of nature from being dead to coming back to life. There are two reasons that April would have been set as the time of the pilgrimage. The first is that April is when Spring truly returns. It is the time of year when the snow has already melted and the plants and grass which were dead rejuvenate. The birds return from the South and the trees are starting to bloom again. So Spring is a time of rebirth. In the story it seems that it is also a time of spiritual rebirth in that people begin to feel the desire to travel. In the case of those who are devout they want to undertake a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. However, in the story the pilgrims are only going to Canterbury. The reason for this is because Saint Thomas Becket’s remains and relics which sat in Canterbury Cathedral were a popular attraction to pilgrims. They would pray and thank him for helping them because Becket had been martyred for the faith and being so was seen as being endowed with the ability to help people after death.
The second reason that the pilgrimage may have been taken in April is because of Easter. This is the time of year when the followers of the Christian faith, like modern Christians would have believed that Jesus died and was resurrected three days later and then ascended into Heaven. So a pilgrimage in April during a time when nature was resurrecting itself from the death of winter would have been symbolic and may have even made the Pilgrims feel luckier in their travels.
5. What standard does the Wife of Bath use to divide her five husbands into two groups: the three old husbands were good while the two young husbands were bad?
The Wife of Bath, believes that a good marriage is one in which the wife has Sovereignty over her husband. Has divided her husbands into her “good” and “bad” husbands. Her first three husbands were wealthy, and older. They did not resist her attempts to control them. She would do this by accusing them of having affairs and claiming that they had said that she was out to get them when they were drunk. This caused them to give her whatever she wanted. She would also refuse to satisfy them unless she was paid. Her fourth husband had mistresses during their marriage was considered to be one of the “bad” ones because he resisted her dominance. It seems as she gained power over him by letting him believe that she was having affairs. The worse husband was her fifth, who she loved the best out of all of her husbands. He hated women and treated her cruelly and would read books about the horridness of women. However, he was good in bed so she forgave him his faults. One day he decides to read the book out loud disparaging women. This leads to a physical altercation and he hit her in the head, which causes her to go deaf in one ear. He thinks that he killed her. This allows her to obtain power over him. I think that she did actually feel this way. Her character enjoys passion/sex and power. To her sex was power. However, her first three husbands were too easily swayed to her will and the sex was dull. The fourth had affairs which she obviously did not like. Jankyn seemed to be her ideal after she gained sovereignty over him. This was because she talked about him the longest and gave details of their relationship.
Works Cited
Beowulf. Champaign: Project Gutenberg, 1990. Print.
Caedmon. Caedmon's Hymn. Project Gutenberg, 2006. Print.
Chaucer, G., & Benson, L. D. (1988). General prologue [from The Canterbury tales]: [text only]. From "The riverside Chaucer". Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chaucer, G., & Benson, L. D. (1988). The wife of Bath's prologue and tale [from The Canterbury tales]. From "The riverside Chaucer". Oxford: Oxford University Press.
