I watched the video and I thought it was really interesting. I enjoyed how enthusiastic and passionate Michael Woods was about the poem itself and everything related to it. It was amazing to see the original poem and the writing, and I seriously cannot imagine how someone can understand Old English and translate a poem like that with all that it involves, so I feel great admiration for Seamus Heaney. I was also amazed by the landscapes, and how mysterious they look, which Wood pointed. That made me understand a little bit more why they were full of miths. The fear to the unknow leads to using your imagination maybe way too much, which is completely reasonable. Another thing that called my atention was how Grendel has a biblical origin. He is called the "seed of Cain". Cain is Adam's son, who comitted the first murderer by killing his brother Abel and for that, he and his descendents will be "cast out forever", "fated to fight the battle against humanity and goodness". And that relates to what Heaney says that every character acts according to its fate. One thing that I thought it was really interesting and also funny, was the letter of the cleric describing what went on in the monks feast and complaining about how popular Beowulf, a pagan poem, was there. All in all, I truly enjoyed the video and it amazed me to see the conections of the poem with reality, with the English culture.
I agree with Astrid about the emotion showed by the historian Woods; his passion about Beowulf is contagious and his vocabulary makes you connect more vividly with the story. There are many things that caught my attention, but I want to focus on three aspects showed trough out the video: On the first place, how Sutton Hoo was discovered, and the importance it has related to Beowulf due to the knowing of certain Anglo Saxon cultural aspects, such as the usage of "talismanic artefacts" which have "magical power". Secondly the landscapes. As Astrid said they look mysterious... And they were! Woods talks about "little centres of human life among a great place full of nature"; this way of living promote mystical features. People lived (and live) in places "sourrounded by monsters and demons” (used by the bards with a biblical meaning, what takes me to the third point…) What really surprises me is the influence of the Christian beliefs in Beowulf. The usage of symbols (as cruxes, demons, darkness, animal aspects as claws, “the devil’s dog”, etc) get a more and more intense meaning while coming to the end. Woods mention the title of other piece of literary work that is very important for the Anglo Saxon culture (after Beowulf itself), “The dream of the rood”. This poem uses old pagan beliefs to enrich Christian imagination, is a poem that helps people’s conversion into Christianity. The historian mentions a dream vision where a “cosmic and magical” tree speaks and communicates its “laments about the King’s death”, it shows its “loyalty to the Lord” and it is mentioned as an “instrument of death” which supports the death of Christ, who “is seen” as a Germanic hero! Then, I found extremely interesting the fact that Beowulf is “tested three times” during the story; and Heaney says, one of those times (the first test) is a spiritual one. I cannot help relating these tests with the biblical passages where Christ is tested by the Devil. As Beowulf, He is tested three times at the moment when he takes a spiritual retreat before his crucifixion. The video was of great help to understand many things, and it gave me strength to continue reading. And what is more important, the needing to finish the reading of Beowulf.
From my perspective the video "In Search of Beowulf" by Michael Wood is very powerful and interesting. First it is good to see how people dedicate their lives to study and investigate about certains thing that are part of our cultural legacy, and belongs to everybody. Something really innovative and interesting is the fact that the whole documentary is a process built involving the audience, unlike most documentaries that the host tell something that he/she already knows. The poem reflects lots of aspects about anglo-saxons´s lives, for example the conflict between the christians and the pagans. This aspects about the anglo-saxons is clearly shown and investigated in the documentary not only by Wood but also by other experts, including Seamus Heaney. I think it is an excellent documentary where the host shows lots of enthusiasm and it can be used as a resource to clarify the readers some aspects of the poem.
I agree with my classmates, I really enjoyed the video. Actually, I think that it was because of the way in which Michael Wood tells the story with enthusiasm and fervor, and also because of the fact that I can see the areas where the story took place. I felt fascinated with the performance of the Anglo-Saxons lives and with the possibility of seeing the original Beowulf manuscript. The thing that surprised me the most about that was the medieval monster pictures, because when I read I can imagine the situation, people and monsters, but when I saw the original drawings I felt absolutely exited. Another really interesting thing was the part in which the Beowulf expert talked about the relation with Sutton Hoo and the story told in the poem, how the helmets and treasures found there were closely linked to it. It was curious the fact that pagan and Christian allusions were together in the poem; it referred to pagan heroes and at the same time the Christian monsters. For example, something that called my attention was that the pagan tree of life had the same shape that the Christ cross. Although, the original audience and the todays one is differentiated by thousands of years the feeling of astonishment and marvel is the same through all times. Because of that I think it is a fabulous poem through which you can enjoy the reading and at the same time you can learn about culture and history; and it is well shown in this Michael Wood´s video.
What Betania commented about the three moments of Jesus temptation leads my thoughts to another Christian hero: Peter, the first of Christ`s followers; who also had his three moments, anticipated by Jesus, in which he would deny any relation between himself and Christ. Number three seems to be highly relevant to Christianity; it should not be forgotten that God, as believed by Catholics and Christians, is formed by three elements: The father, the son and the Holly Spirit. Regarding the movie itself the possibility for seeing the moors, the woods and the plain valleys, it all added to the recreation of the poem being recited as in medieval times; That oral tradition performed by actors who bring the poem so vividly to life is very stimulating in terms of imagination and it gives the opportunity to form an idea about the times in which Beowulf was written.
From my point of view, the creators of the movie “In search of Beowulf” were successful in covering various aspects of the poem Beowulf, where they could perfectly place it in a cultural and historical context and also by linking several topics and details that myself could never realize.
On the one hand, in this film we can learn about the Anglo-Saxon culture, their beliefs, history and roots. Personally, I already new about the discovery in Sutton Hoo of the Anglo-saxon ship burial with its extraordinary treasures, but I never thought that it could have such an impact on people´s perspective about Beowulf. Before the finding, many people used to think about Beowulf as a fictitious story, although, when the ship was found, it was also discovered a hint that at least part of the story could be true.
However, on the other hand, we can suspect that this piece of art was not only done for the sake of joy, but also for religious and probably political interests. While the heroes of the story are Pagan, the poem itself is christian and the demons have a biblical origin. My interpretation of this is that there were political interests in converting Anglo-saxon people to christian, and the Anglo-saxon heroes were invented to call their attention and achieve that goal.
To conclude, I enjoyed watching this film because it was a useful tool that allowed me to learn interesting things about English roots, the Anglo-saxon culture, the conversion from Pagan to Christianity and how those subjects are related in Beowulf´s poem.
I believe the movie succeeds in placing Beowulf in time and place. This helps us to relate in a better way to the poem so we don’t feel so strange to the Anglo-Saxon culture.
The re-enactment of the banquet where the man tells the story allows us to imagine the gatherings and makes us feel part of that world as well. I particularly enjoyed the readings and telling in the Old English since we rarely are able to hear it nowadays. We are transported by the language to those days where a warrior’s life was hard.
The elements of Christian and Pagan cultures merging as one dies and the other starts to live remind us of the Uruguayan slaves who merged their culture with the Christian religion beliefs in order to preserve it. The blur lines between Paganism and Christianity also show a major change in the Anglo-Saxon culture which is reflected in the poem.
Another high peak of the movie is the interview of Seamus Heaney who explains the final part of the poem. Since we are working with his translation it was very interesting hearing his interpretation of the text.
To conclude I find the movie very interesting and enjoyable. I would encourage people to watch it before reading Beowulf or on the early stages of its reading since it provides an excellent framework to the poem showing the Anglo-Saxon culture as well as giving a journey through the story.
the first aspect that caught my attention was the theme of the words we use in English becuse they come from the Anglo Saxon word. on the other hand also caught my attention the survived the beowulf because it went from being an oral tale to be a classic of literature . also it is interesting to see how the oral tradition is maintained today and the imitation of the hall from the time of Beowulf. finally this video was very useful to understand and comprehend anglo Saxon culture, the struggle between Christianity and pagan cults and the elements (objects) that exist in that world. after seeing this video we can understand and appreciate details when we read the book
The enthusiastic way in wich Michael Woods told the story about Beowulf and its history was really enjoyable and catchy, he successfully covers the most relevant point about Beowulf leading to a better understanding of the historical and cultural context in which it took place. I truly believe that having an idea of the context facilitates our reading and understanding of this poem.
It was amazing to discover how important the manuscript is for the English culture, and also how it survived through time from the oral tradition. That lead me thinking, What is it on Beowulf that survived such a long time?
I found it quite intresting the fact that Michael Woods showed and visited every place wihich may have had relation with the poem. This makes this poem even more fascinating because we can imagine a possible setting. Woods seemed to be fascinated in the whole video and it was contagiuos. I was amazed to realise how important was Anglo Saxon´s language to the English culture, its heritage and how a minority can make a huge impact in a society. I did not know words known as key concepts like mother, father or friend mentioned by Woods were Anglo Saxons.
I watched the video and I thought it was really interesting. I enjoyed how enthusiastic and passionate Michael Woods was about the poem itself and everything related to it.
ReplyDeleteIt was amazing to see the original poem and the writing, and I seriously cannot imagine how someone can understand Old English and translate a poem like that with all that it involves, so I feel great admiration for Seamus Heaney.
I was also amazed by the landscapes, and how mysterious they look, which Wood pointed. That made me understand a little bit more why they were full of miths. The fear to the unknow leads to using your imagination maybe way too much, which is completely reasonable.
Another thing that called my atention was how Grendel has a biblical origin. He is called the "seed of Cain". Cain is Adam's son, who comitted the first murderer by killing his brother Abel and for that, he and his descendents will be "cast out forever", "fated to fight the battle against humanity and goodness". And that relates to what Heaney says that every character acts according to its fate.
One thing that I thought it was really interesting and also funny, was the letter of the cleric describing what went on in the monks feast and complaining about how popular Beowulf, a pagan poem, was there.
All in all, I truly enjoyed the video and it amazed me to see the conections of the poem with reality, with the English culture.
I agree with Astrid about the emotion showed by the historian Woods; his passion about Beowulf is contagious and his vocabulary makes you connect more vividly with the story.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that caught my attention, but I want to focus on three aspects showed trough out the video:
On the first place, how Sutton Hoo was discovered, and the importance it has related to Beowulf due to the knowing of certain Anglo Saxon cultural aspects, such as the usage of "talismanic artefacts" which have "magical power".
Secondly the landscapes. As Astrid said they look mysterious... And they were! Woods talks about "little centres of human life among a great place full of nature"; this way of living promote mystical features. People lived (and live) in places "sourrounded by monsters and demons” (used by the bards with a biblical meaning, what takes me to the third point…)
What really surprises me is the influence of the Christian beliefs in Beowulf. The usage of symbols (as cruxes, demons, darkness, animal aspects as claws, “the devil’s dog”, etc) get a more and more intense meaning while coming to the end. Woods mention the title of other piece of literary work that is very important for the Anglo Saxon culture (after Beowulf itself), “The dream of the rood”. This poem uses old pagan beliefs to enrich Christian imagination, is a poem that helps people’s conversion into Christianity. The historian mentions a dream vision where a “cosmic and magical” tree speaks and communicates its “laments about the King’s death”, it shows its “loyalty to the Lord” and it is mentioned as an “instrument of death” which supports the death of Christ, who “is seen” as a Germanic hero!
Then, I found extremely interesting the fact that Beowulf is “tested three times” during the story; and Heaney says, one of those times (the first test) is a spiritual one. I cannot help relating these tests with the biblical passages where Christ is tested by the Devil. As Beowulf, He is tested three times at the moment when he takes a spiritual retreat before his crucifixion.
The video was of great help to understand many things, and it gave me strength to continue reading. And what is more important, the needing to finish the reading of Beowulf.
From my perspective the video "In Search of Beowulf" by Michael Wood is very powerful and interesting. First it is good to see how people dedicate their lives to study and investigate about certains thing that are part of our cultural legacy, and belongs to everybody.
ReplyDeleteSomething really innovative and interesting is the fact that the whole documentary is a process built involving the audience, unlike most documentaries that the host tell something that he/she already knows.
The poem reflects lots of aspects about anglo-saxons´s lives, for example the conflict between the christians and the pagans. This aspects about the anglo-saxons is clearly shown and investigated in the documentary not only by Wood but also by other experts, including Seamus Heaney. I think it is an excellent documentary where the host shows lots of enthusiasm and it can be used as a resource to clarify the readers some aspects of the poem.
I agree with my classmates, I really enjoyed the video. Actually, I think that it was because of the way in which Michael Wood tells the story with enthusiasm and fervor, and also because of the fact that I can see the areas where the story took place. I felt fascinated with the performance of the Anglo-Saxons lives and with the possibility of seeing the original Beowulf manuscript. The thing that surprised me the most about that was the medieval monster pictures, because when I read I can imagine the situation, people and monsters, but when I saw the original drawings I felt absolutely exited. Another really interesting thing was the part in which the Beowulf expert talked about the relation with Sutton Hoo and the story told in the poem, how the helmets and treasures found there were closely linked to it.
ReplyDeleteIt was curious the fact that pagan and Christian allusions were together in the poem; it referred to pagan heroes and at the same time the Christian monsters. For example, something that called my attention was that the pagan tree of life had the same shape that the Christ cross. Although, the original audience and the todays one is differentiated by thousands of years the feeling of astonishment and marvel is the same through all times. Because of that I think it is a fabulous poem through which you can enjoy the reading and at the same time you can learn about culture and history; and it is well shown in this Michael Wood´s video.
What Betania commented about the three moments of Jesus temptation leads my thoughts to another Christian hero: Peter, the first of Christ`s followers; who also had his three moments, anticipated by Jesus, in which he would deny any relation between himself and Christ. Number three seems to be highly relevant to Christianity; it should not be forgotten that God, as believed by Catholics and Christians, is formed by three elements: The father, the son and the Holly Spirit. Regarding the movie itself the possibility for seeing the moors, the woods and the plain valleys, it all added to the recreation of the poem being recited as in medieval times; That oral tradition performed by actors who bring the poem so vividly to life is very stimulating in terms of imagination and it gives the opportunity to form an idea about the times in which Beowulf was written.
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, the creators of the movie “In search of Beowulf” were successful in covering various aspects of the poem Beowulf, where they could perfectly place it in a cultural and historical context and also by linking several topics and details that myself could never realize.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, in this film we can learn about the Anglo-Saxon culture, their beliefs, history and roots. Personally, I already new about the discovery in Sutton Hoo of the Anglo-saxon ship burial with its extraordinary treasures, but I never thought that it could have such an impact on people´s perspective about Beowulf. Before the finding, many people used to think about Beowulf as a fictitious story, although, when the ship was found, it was also discovered a hint that at least part of the story could be true.
However, on the other hand, we can suspect that this piece of art was not only done for the sake of joy, but also for religious and probably political interests. While the heroes of the story are Pagan, the poem itself is christian and the demons have a biblical origin. My interpretation of this is that there were political interests in converting Anglo-saxon people to christian, and the Anglo-saxon heroes were invented to call their attention and achieve that goal.
To conclude, I enjoyed watching this film because it was a useful tool that allowed me to learn interesting things about English roots, the Anglo-saxon culture, the conversion from Pagan to Christianity and how those subjects are related in Beowulf´s poem.
I believe the movie succeeds in placing Beowulf in time and place. This helps us to relate in a better way to the poem so we don’t feel so strange to the Anglo-Saxon culture.
ReplyDeleteThe re-enactment of the banquet where the man tells the story allows us to imagine the gatherings and makes us feel part of that world as well.
I particularly enjoyed the readings and telling in the Old English since we rarely are able to hear it nowadays. We are transported by the language to those days where a warrior’s life was hard.
The elements of Christian and Pagan cultures merging as one dies and the other starts to live remind us of the Uruguayan slaves who merged their culture with the Christian religion beliefs in order to preserve it.
The blur lines between Paganism and Christianity also show a major change in the Anglo-Saxon culture which is reflected in the poem.
Another high peak of the movie is the interview of Seamus Heaney who explains the final part of the poem. Since we are working with his translation it was very interesting hearing his interpretation of the text.
To conclude I find the movie very interesting and enjoyable. I would encourage people to watch it before reading Beowulf or on the early stages of its reading since it provides an excellent framework to the poem showing the Anglo-Saxon culture as well as giving a journey through the story.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletethe first aspect that caught my attention was the theme of the words we use in English becuse they come from the Anglo Saxon word.
ReplyDeleteon the other hand also caught my attention the survived the beowulf because it went from being an oral tale to be a classic of literature . also it is interesting to see how the oral tradition is maintained today and the imitation of the hall from the time of Beowulf.
finally this video was very useful to understand and comprehend anglo Saxon culture, the struggle between Christianity and pagan cults and the elements (objects) that exist in that world. after seeing this video we can understand and appreciate details when we read the book
The enthusiastic way in wich Michael Woods told the story about Beowulf and its history was really enjoyable and catchy, he successfully covers the most relevant point about Beowulf leading to a better understanding of the historical and cultural context in which it took place. I truly believe that having an idea of the context facilitates our reading and understanding of this poem.
ReplyDeleteIt was amazing to discover how important the manuscript is for the English culture, and also how it survived through time from the oral tradition. That lead me thinking, What is it on Beowulf that survived such a long time?
I found it quite intresting the fact that Michael Woods showed and visited every place wihich may have had relation with the poem. This makes this poem even more fascinating because we can imagine a possible setting.
ReplyDeleteWoods seemed to be fascinated in the whole video and it was contagiuos. I was amazed to realise how important was Anglo Saxon´s language to the English culture, its heritage and how a minority can make a huge impact in a society. I did not know words known as key concepts like mother, father or friend mentioned by Woods were Anglo Saxons.