Beowulf an Inspiration to J.R.R. Tolkien

 I wanted to dissect Beowulf, as I didn’t get to grasp the entire context of it the first week.  After doing a third pass reading it struck me that I have read a story in high school that reminded me of Beowulf. The book was J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. After doing some research, an interesting fact that I found was that the epic poem Beowulf was indeed a huge influence for Tolkien. He said, “Beowulf is in fact so interesting as poetry, in places poetry so powerful, that any historical value it may possess must always be of secondary importance.” (http://www.sfsu.edu/~medieval/Volume5/Beowulf.html)

It is evident that Tolkien based many of his characters off of the characters and objects in Beowulf. For example, Beorn in Lord of the Rings is compared to Beowulf in Beowulf. Immediately one would notice that they share half of their names (“Beo”). Beorn is a shape changer throughout the book as he can transform into a bear. Beowulf translates as “bee-wolf” which means bear as well. Along with their similar names both men have extraordinary strength and can tear their enemies apart with their strong clench. (http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/papers/Ancalagon/TolkienandBeowulf.htm)

In both the epic poem and the story, there are struggles within their great journeys, and the battles that they fought. Tolkien took the imagery from Herot and used it to create the halls of Beorn and Théoden. Another thing that amazed me was that Tolkien thought of the title of his book from a line in Beowulf. Line 2345 reads, "Oferhogaode ða hringa fengel," usually translated, "Yet the prince of the rings was too proud..." This advocates Beowulf's characteristic of sharing gold rings and other rewards from battle with his men, and therefore, earning their loyalty. It seems that there is strong evidence that Tolkien translated this title into "Lord of the Rings”. (http://moongadget.com/origins/lotr.html)

I believe Tolkien changed the way people viewed Beowulf. In the past, believing in a fantasy world and mythical creatures would be looked down upon. He made it okay to believe in these ideas- to think there is evil even in good men and there is more to life then what is before us. After finding out all this information, I wonder how the author of Beowulf would feel that Tolkien borrowed so many of Beowulf’s characters, weapons, great halls and battles against good and evil. I believe that is okay, as in literature and art, as well as science and math, when something new is formed and put forth to others, it always is based from a previous discovery. More importantly, many people have enjoyed reading both pieces, which is a huge success for both authors as a main part of writing is attracting an audience.

There are very appealing comparisons to be found between the two pieces. Since I am not of avid knowledge of Lord of the Rings, the links that I have focused throughout this rumination will describe in detail the many similarities to Beowulf if any one is interested in looking further into this discovery!

Creative Engagement/ Where Did That Word Come From?

Having to search for a word in Oxford English Dictionary resulted in a thought coming to my mind. How many words did Shakespeare contribute to our vocabulary? This is what I found. Shakespeare is credited by the Oxford English Dictionary with the introduction of nearly 3,000 words into the language. His vocabulary, as culled from his works, numbers upward of 17,000 words (quadruple that of an average, well-educated conversationalist in the language). In the words of Louis Marder, "Shakespeare was so facile in employing words that he was able to use over 7,000 of them—more than occur in the whole King James version of the Bible—only once and never again." (http://www.bardweb.net/language.html) This is AMAZING as he had very little formal education.

The link will provide the words Shakespeare invented.

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/wordsinvented.html

A Sonnet To A Past Loved One

It is believed that in Sonnet 55, the speaker is seeking to build a metaphoric monument dedicated to his beloved, the fair lord. It seems that the character of the fair lord reoccurs throughout some of Shakespeare’s sonnets. I find it interesting that the ‘fair lord’ is not described or revealed throughout this sonnet as it leaves a mysterious tone and allows the reader to assume which characteristics he obtains. The poet says, “you live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes (Line 14),” which may show that it doesn’t matter exactly how he is described because he is inhabited in the eyes of those who loves him- especially the writer in this case. Another interesting thought is that the reference to Judgment day (Line 13), may propose that the fair lord’s identity will be revealed as one must be themselves and pure when God is deciding if one can enter heaven.

After having the opportunity of visiting Shakespeare’s house a few years ago, I remember learning that his son died at an early age. It is said that Hamnet’s death had an effect on Shakespeare’s tone in his writing. So, because of that I wanted to bring up the possibility of this Sonnet being about Hamnet’s death, rather than the ‘fair lord’. There are certain pieces throughout the sonnet that demonstrates this idea. To start off, the “gilded monument” that he is writing about in Line 1 can be referring to a memorial being build for Hamnet. Another one in particular was  “You shall shine more bright (Line 3).” When thinking about what shine bright, the sun comes into mind- sun/son. The homophones of son and sun allow the reader to think that Shakespeare’s son will shine on in people’s hearts after his death.

It is also evident that immortality is a huge part of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Throughout his pieces he depicts the negative effects of time- the inevitable effects on beauty. For example, he talks about how he does not want his beloved to develop features such as wrinkles or grow gray hair. Throughout Sonnet 55 Shakespeare refers to the word “live” and words that include “live” in them, for example “outlive (line 2)”, “living record (line 8)”, “oblivious (line 9)”, and “you live in this (line 14).” This reoccurring word can mean different things such as living in an afterlife, living in a memory, or his desire to have his son be alive again.

When making an opinion on whom you think the sonnet is about- Hamnet or ‘fair lord’ one may think about how intimately it is written. It seems like it can go either way. Shakespeare was very close with his son, so it is understandable that he would want a golden monument for him in his honor. But on the other hand, the reader has had previous experience with the fair lord as he is mentioned throughout other sonnets. I like how Shakespeare has left it open for interpretation- we’ll probably never get a definite answer, and I am sure that people who will be re-reading all of these sonnets in the present and in the future, new ideas will come into mind and the cycle will continue.