Individual words can dramatically affect the possible interpretations of a text and so it is important to consider how a word might shift in meaning
depending on its context or its relation to other words. Even a focus on a single word can be important in understanding the meaning behind the
passage or the text. By looking it up in the Oxford English Dictionary —- through the website
( https://www.oed.com/) one can discover the history and the layers of meaning hidden in each word. In two pages, discuss how the specified word
affects the meaning of the text as a whole.
Question : In the opening of Beowulf the author describes Scyld Scefing – and his time as a ruler. The opening paragraph ends with the evocative
“þæt wæs gód cyning!” – “That was a good king!” Using the OED – look up the word “cyning” and, in a short essay, try to examine what meanings of
the word does the author wish to evoke in the text. What sort of example does Scyld provide? Try to look both to the text and to the discussion in
class on the authorship and history of the Beowulf Epic
Sample Solution
