Genre
Anglo-Saxon Literature
Setting and Context
Anglo-Saxon England during the reign of King Ethelred, with the threat of Viking invasion looming
Narrator and Point of View
Third person narrator firmly on the side of and therefore from the perspective of the English
Tone and Mood
Threatening yet inspirational
Protagonist and Antagonist
Byrhtnoth is the protagonist, the Vikings the antagonists
Major Conflict
This entire work is about the conflict that ensues after the Vikings come ashore and attempt to overwhelm the English and take the kingdom.
Climax
Godric leads his troops into the danger after his commander Byrhtnoth is killed
Foreshadowing
Byrhtnoth allows the Vikings to come ashore, foreshadowing the heavy losses the Anglo Saxons will take as his tactical error has made the battle much easier for the Vikings
Understatement
There are no examples of understatement
Allusions
There are allusions to prior battles in this writing
Imagery
The imagery is all centered around images of war and bloodshed
Paradox
Although looked upon as the leader Byrhtnoth's prowess in a battle is so much better than his prowess when strategizing one. This paradox is evident when he fails to capitalize on the penning in of the Vikings on the island and instead allows them onto the mainland here they are much more difficult to fight
Parallelism
This writing parallels most of the writings of the time that were preoccupied with the threat of invasion and rallying the people to support the King
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The Vikings is the term applied to the people of Nordic descent
Personification
No examples of personification
