Month/Year of Graduation
5-2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Lisabeth Buchelt
Abstract
The traditional Anglo-Saxon theme of kinslaying has been unidentifiable in Beo. Currently, some have found the theme at minute levels through auxiliary characters such as the Scyldings based on coeval works or in the Geats, but the poem as a whole does not bring the concept near its center, nor does the title character react to or perform kinslaying. I read Beo as fundamentally dealing with kinship and kinslaying by arguing that the Grendel-kin are related to Beowulf, not distantly, but as members of a nuclear family. In such a way Beowulf’s battles with Grendel and Grendel’s dam can be described as combat between brothers and between mother and son, respectively. In addition to returning kinslaying to Beo, the linking of Beowulf to the Grendel-kin deepens Beowulf’s character by broadening his motivations and the moral ramifications of his actions.
Recommended Citation
Harte-Maxwell, Patricia A., "Meeting His Monstrous Family: Kinship and Kinslaying in Beowulf" (2020). Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects. 93.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/university_honors_program/93