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Idioms
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Beowulf Arrives (Lines 194–490)
Explanation and Analysis—Setting Sail :
The narrator uses rich imagery in describing the beginning of Beowulf’s journey to travel to the land of the Danes and defeat Grendel in fulfillment of his father’s debt to Hrothgar. After Beowulf and his band of brave Geatish warriors board a boat to head to present-day Denmark, the narrator states:
On board they climbed,
warriors ready; waves were churning
sea with sand; the sailors bore
on the breast of the bark their bright array,
their mail and weapons: the men pushed off,
on its willing way, the well-braced craft.
Then moved o'er the waters by might of the wind
that bark like a bird with breast of foam,
till in season due, on the second day,
the curved prow such course had run
that sailors now could see the land,
sea-cliffs shining, steep high hills,
headlands broad. Their haven was found,
their journey ended.
Here, the narrator paints a detailed picture of the scene. As the boat embarks, the sand mixes with the “churning” sea and the sailors glitter in their “bright array” of weapons and armor. The narrator invokes various senses, including sight and sound. The whistling winds “bark like a bird” and batter the “breast of foam” on the surface of the water. When they reach their destination, the warriors see “sea-cliffs shining, steep high hills / headlands broad.” Here, the narrator’s imagery is lush and detailed, marking the beginning of their journey as an important moment in the narrative.
Beowulf vs. Grendel (Lines 702–836)
Explanation and Analysis—The Scene of the Battle:
The narrator uses both imagery and hyperbole to depict the frenzied scene in which Grendel attacks the mead-hall Heorot:
Angry were both
those savage hall-guards: the house resounded.
Wonder it was the wine-hall firm
in the strain of their struggle stood, to earth
the fair house fell not; too fast it was
within and without by its iron bands
craftily clamped; though there crashed from sill
many a mead-bench—men have told me—
gay with gold, where the grim foes wrestled.
So well had weened the wisest Scyldings
that not ever at all might any man
that bone-decked, brave house break asunder,
crush by craft,—unless clasp of fire
in smoke engulfed it. Again uprose din redoubled.
Here, the imagery is sharp and focused, drawing from multiple senses, including sight and sound. The narrator notes the long, noisy “din” that fills the hall, the shaking of the building’s walls, and the benches that crash as they are flung during the climactic fight between Grendel and Beowulf. The narrator also uses hyperbole, claiming that it was a “wonder” that the hall did not collapse entirely during the course of the fight, but later acknowledging that the well-made building would “not ever” actually fall unless by fire. The narration in this scene, then, with its vivid imagery and hyperbolic language, emphasizes the scale of this momentous fight.
