Causality and Beowulf Foreshadowing

The Insufficient Use of Foreshadowing in Beowulf Foreshadowing can be useful in certain situations, the presentation in Beowulf was insufficient in ways of stifling creativity, cutting suspense, and diverting attention away from current events. Through out this paper, it will be proved that the use of foreshadowing was not useful and therefore insufficient. The use of foreshadowing can have a way of making a piece of writing less creative and exciting. The beginning of this poem starts off with a funeral that seems to foreshadow the death of Beowulf and gives the reader a huge clue as to what is going to happen. Another example is this quote, “But fate, that night, intended/ Grendel to gnaw the broken bones/ Of his last human/ Supper” (33: 309). This line causes the reader to expect what is about to happen and changes a possibly creative line into something that gives the rest of the scene away, therefore losing the interest of the reader. “And Beowulf uttered his final boast: I’ve/ never known fear, as a youth I fought/ in endless battles. I am old, now,/ But I will fight again/ Seek fame still” (44: 626). This line from the piece is obvious in its intent, it means that Beowulf is heading into his last battle and will die before the battle is over. It does not take much inferring to decide what is going to happen at the end of the poem. The reader becomes disinterested in what the play is saying at that moment and could possibly miss something important. The would be suspense that could make the piece quite interesting and keep the reader wanting more is lost because of the use of foreshadowing in Beowulf. The use of foreshadowing kills the climaxes of the poem by ruining the most suspenseful parts and giving away what will happen at the end before it really starts. As stated in the quote above “But fate, that/ Night, intended/ Grendel to gnaw the bones of his last human supper” (33: 309). This would be a very suspenseful part in the play if this line