Previous
Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Beowulf’s Funeral (Lines 3110–3182)
Explanation and Analysis:
The mood of Beowulf is at once celebratory and melancholy. The poem tells the story of legendary events that took place centuries earlier, both honoring the achievements of a heroic age and mourning the passing of time and the inevitability of death. This dual mood is evident in the final scene of the poem, in which the Geats lay their king, Beowulf, to rest alongside the treasures found in the dragon’s hoard:
THEN fashioned for him the folk of Geats
firm on the earth a funeral-pile,
and hung it with helmets and harness of war
and breastplates bright, as the boon he asked;
and they laid amid it the mighty chieftain,
heroes mourning their master dear. [...]
In heavy mood
their misery moaned they, their master's death.
Wailing her woe, the widow old,
her hair upbound, for Beowulf's death
sung in her sorrow, and said full oft
she dreaded the doleful days to come,
deaths enow, and doom of battle,
and shame. The smoke by the sky was devoured.
Here, the language of the poem honors Beowulf as a “mighty chieftain” who led his people well. In accordance with his wishes, his followers pile up glittering armor, “helmets and harnesses of war / and breastplates bright” and place his body among these valuable treasures. Their mourning speaks to his qualities as a king and leader. However, his death also indicates that difficult times are coming for his people, the Geats, and the narrator confirms that many lives will be lost in future wars with the Geats’ enemies. Beowulf, then, celebrates the events of the past while also reflecting mournfully that human lives and even entire civilizations will come to an end.
Related Themes:
