Much of the last half of Beowulf is an elegiac reflection over human loss. Review these elegiac speeches:
A) In lines 2403, Beowulf realizes why the dragon is terrorizing his realm. One of his kinsmen stole a gold cup out of the dragon’s lair. Where did the original treasure come from? Three hundred years ago, the only survivor in a raid buried the treasure, which the dragon later turned into his own lair. The last man laments the loss of kinsmen in 2247-2266.
B) In lines 2444-2459, Beowulf speaks an elegy as he recalls his own king Hygelac’s family. Hygelac, Herebeald, and Haethcynn were the sons of the king. Haethcynn accidentally killed his brother Herebeald.
Then compare the two speeches as elegies. Which in your view is more expressive or effective? consider poetic motifs such as the ubi sunt motif, imagery, and forms of repetition and variation in the verses.
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