Poetic Devices in BeowulfThere is a small variety of poetic devices used in the composition of the poem Beowulf, and they are repeated many times. Old English Beowulf poetry is distinguished primarily by its extensive use of all literacy, or repetition of the initial sounds of words. In the original manuscript version of the poem, alliteration is used in almost every verse (or two half-lines); in modern translations of the poem this is not the case. In lines 4 and 5 of the poem we find: Oft Scyld Scefing sceapena preatummonegum maegpum meodo-setla ofteah The repetition of the “s” sound in line 4 and the “m” sound in line 5 illustrate alliteration, and this occurs throughout the poem. , offering the listener what the rhyme of modern poetry offers: an aesthetic sense of rightness or pleasure. The Old English poet “tied” the two half-lines together through their emphasized alliteration (Chickering 4). Each line of poetry ideally contains four main accents, two on either side of a strong medial caesura, or pause. “At least one of the two stressed swords in the first half-line, and usually both, begin with the same sound as the first stressed word in the second half-line” (Donaldson 67). Such accentuated alliterative linking has created hundreds of pairs that are used again and again, such as halig/heofon saint/sky, dryhten/dugud lord/troop, fyren/feond sin/enemy. The pairs do not have to be complementary, but can instead be contrasting, such as eadig/happy ear/miserable and wearm/warm winter/winter. These dictional contrasts provide the listener with additional pleasure by surprising their expectations. The al...... middle of paper ...... overflowing sorrow for Herebeald (2444-64)The poetic devices used in this classic poem are not very varied, but in fact considerable in their repetition.BIBLIOGRAPHYChickering , Howell D.. Beowulf A bilingual edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977. Donaldson, E. Talbot. “Old English Prosody and Caedmon’s Hymn.” Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph F. Tuso. New York, WWNorton and Co.: 1975.Magoun, Frances P. “Oral-formular character of Anglo-Saxon narrative poetry”. In TheBeowulf Poet, edited by Donald K. Fry. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Tharaud, Barry. “Anglo-Saxon Language and Traditions in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.