British Literature 

 

In early British literature, speech is not just a form of communication but a tool of power, identity, and survival. Through carefully crafted words, leaders affirm authority, heroes establish honor, and deceivers gain advantage. This project examines how Beowulf and The Faerie Queene reveal the central role of rhetoric in shaping personal and political destinies.

 

"When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel." (Beowulf, lines 677-678)

Beowulf: The Power of Speech and Boasting

In Beowulf, speech is central to establishing a hero’s reputation. Characters use formal boasts, known as flyting, to assert their bravery and win social honor. Beowulf himself makes bold speeches about his past victories to gain the trust of Hrothgar and his people. These speeches are more than personal bragging—they function as verbal contracts, pledging the hero to action. In a society without written contracts, a man's spoken word became his bond. Boasting was expected, not seen as arrogance, because it allowed heroes to publicly stake their claims to greatness and hold themselves accountable to their communities. Rhetoric in Beowulf thus becomes a way of building trust, inspiring followers, and solidifying social hierarchies.

                    "When it comes to fighting, I count

                                 myself as dangerous

              any day as Grendel." (Beowulf, lines 677-678)

The Faerie Queene: Language, Deception, and Power

In Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, speech is often a tool for deception and manipulation. Characters like Duessa use rhetoric to craft false appearances, tricking others into misjudging morality and virtue. The Redcrosse Knight is frequently misled by characters whose persuasive words disguise their true intentions. Unlike Beowulf, where speech is tied to honor, The Faerie Queene is frequently tied to illusion and moral danger. Spenser’s Renaissance audience would have been acutely aware of the dangers of deceitful rhetoric in politics and religion. Thus, the poem shows how language can create false realities, highlighting both the power and peril of rhetoric in shaping human understanding.

 

"Fayre words deceive the eyes of men, and make them blinde." (The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto I)

Speech and Power Across Time: Comparing Beowulf and The Faerie Queene

In Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, speech is often a tool for deception and manipulation. Characters like Duessa use rhetoric to craft false appearances, tricking others into misjudging morality and virtue. The Redcrosse Knight is frequently misled by characters whose persuasive words disguise their true intentions. Unlike Beowulf, where speech is tied to honor, in The Faerie Queene it is frequently tied to illusion and moral danger. Spenser’s Renaissance audience would have been acutely aware of the dangers of deceitful rhetoric in politics and religion. Thus, the poem shows how language can create false realities, highlighting both the power and peril of rhetoric in shaping human understanding.

"Fayre words deceive the eyes of men, and make them blinde." (The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto I)

 

Together, these texts show that mastering language was always a key to survival and power—whether used to inspire loyalty or to deceive.

Bibliography

 

Chance, Jane. The Mythic Hero in Beowulf. University of Toronto Press, 1980.

Hamilton, A. C. The Faerie Queene: A Reader’s Guide. Syracuse University Press, 1999.

Greenfield, Stanley B. “The Hero and the Theme of Boasting in Beowulf.” Speculum, vol. 41, no. 2, 1966, pp. 275–287. JSTOR.

 

Website written by Matilda Fischer