The story of Beowulf is clearly an epic of mass proportions. It takes its readers through an immense journey of great battles with horrific beasts and also manages to teach about pride and honor. The main character Beowulf faces many challenges throughout the epic but conquers them in the end, giving the word "epic hero" its true meaning.
             The use of Alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, emphasized the certain image of nobility and principle. Beowulf wanted to honor his fellow soldiers and therefore he fiercely battled with Grendel, the beast, who conquered and ate all men in sight. Burton Raffel, translator of Beowulf from French to English, used alliteration at certain times in the poem in order to heighten the mood, particularly during the fighting scenes to bring out more emotion. For example:
             "He moved quickly through the cloudy night,
             Up from his swampland, sliding silently
             Toward that gold-shining hall..."
             In this excerpt, Burton uses repeated k and s sounds in order to emphasize Grendel's movement, and really makes the reader have a mental picture of what Grendel is doing.
             Another form of figurative language seen in this poem would be the use of kennings. A kenning is "a descriptive phrase or compound word that substitutes for a noun." In Beowulf they would demonstrate kennings by saying "the Almighty's enemy" or "sin-stained demon", referring to Grendel. It makes the poem more interesting then just plainly saying "Grendel".
             This was a very well written epic about a true hero who defended the Geat's from vicious monsters and who died risking his life for others. Although the epic's values are over exaggerated, they still hold true to today's society. Honor and pride still live in the hearts of people today and Beowulf is an excellent example of that.
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