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Literary Devices
Definition of Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the... read full definition
Prologue (Lines 1–63)
Explanation and Analysis—Weapons and Weeds:
One of the characteristic features of Old English verse is the prominent use of alliteration. Beowulf exemplifies this aspect of Anglo-Saxon literature, as the poet uses clusters of alliterative lines to create a sense of rhythm and energy. When describing the reign and death of Scyld Scefing, a former King of the Danes, the poet uses heavy alliteration to describe the riches with which Scyld was buried:
Many a treasure
fetched from far was freighted with him.
No ship have I known so nobly dight
with weapons of war and weeds of battle,
with breastplate and blade: on his bosom lay
a heaped hoard that hence should go
far o'er the flood with him floating away.
No less these loaded the lordly gifts,
thanes' huge treasure, than those had done
who in former time forth had sent him
sole on the seas, a suckling child.
High o'er his head they hoist the standard,
a gold-wove banner; let billows take him,
gave him to ocean.
The alliteration is, as with other Old English poetry, largely constrained to individual lines. The poet repeats, for example, the consonant “f” in the line “fetched from far was freighted with him,” and shortly after the poet repeats the consonant “w” in “with weapons of war and weeds of battle.” Other lines in the passage demonstrate alliteration with other letters, including “b,” “h,” “l,” and “s.” This repetition of initial letters adds a sense of energy and vitality to the poem and may have enhanced oral readings or performances of Beowulf.
Related Themes:
