Characterization of Beowulf The dialogue, action, and motivation revolve around the characters in the poem (Abrams 32-33). The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate the types of characters present in the anonymously written Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, whether they are static or dynamic, flat or round, and whether represented through performance or narrative. At the beginning of the poem the reader is introduced, through the "tale" from the scop, to Scyld Scefing, ancestor of the Danish ruling dynasty:Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned enemies, from many tribes, the mead bench tore, frightening the accounts. Since before he was friendless, a foundling, fate has rewarded him: since he grew up under comfort, in wealth he prospered, until before him the people, both far and near, who lived along the whale path, listened to the his mandate, and gave him gifts: a good king he is! Scyld and his son Beowulf and the latter's son Healfdene are mentioned but are not characters in the poem. The very first character the reader encounters is Healfdene's son, Hrothgar, current king of the Danes: Hrothgar was given such glory of war, such honor in combat, that all his ki willingly obeyed him until he grew great his band of young companions. Hrothgar quickly develops into a well-rounded character as the narrator begins to present his temperament and motivations: it occurred to him to offer his henchmen an open hall, a master mead, more powerful than ever seen by the children of the earth, and within it, therefore, to old and young he would have assigned everything that the Lord had sent him, except only the land and the lives of his men. Generous-minded, Hrothgar desires only . ..... middle of the paper...... Beowulf. He is static, remaining steadfastly courageous at the hero's side. The author uses both showing and telling techniques to develop Wiglaf. This essay has presented the types of characters found by the reader in the anonymously written Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf – whether static or dynamic, flat or round, and whether portrayed through representation. or telling.WORKS CITEDBrams, MH A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.BEOWULF. From The Harvard Classics, volume 49. P. F. Collier & Son, 1910. Translated by Francis B. Gummere. http://wiretap.area.com/ftp.items/Library/Classic/beowulf.txtClark, George. "The hero and the theme." In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1997.