The Four Funerals in "Beowulf" and the Structure of the Poem

The old English poem "Beowulf" begins and ends with funerals and includes the third as a digression part of the way through. Now, for the first time, a fourth funeral—hitherto disguised as poetic imagery—is identified from archaeological evidence. A detailed analysis of the four funerals establishes their thematic and structural importance, revealing them as pillars around which the poem is built.