Beowulf is a story-length epic poem
which utilizes the devices of poetry. Your question assumes there is a significant use
of cacophony in the passage you've given. Cacophony is harsh, unpleasant sounds;I would
make the case that there is no significant use of cacophony in this passage.
Alliteration (the repetition of initial sounds) is clearly present; however, most of the
alliteration is euphonic (pleasant-sounding) and not
cacophonic.
Most of the alliteration (and actually
consonance, as well) involves the use of these letters: d, h ,l ,m, n, f,
b, and s. These are generally softer and more euphonic,
as evidenced in the following lines.
firm held in hand: nor helmet
minded
nor harness of mail, whom that horror seized.
Haste was hers;
she would hie afar
and save her life when the liegemen saw
her.
In contrast,
cacophony can be heard in the k or ch sounds,
as in the following three disconnected lines scattered throughout the
passage:
crested, with keen blade carves
amain....
whom she killed on his couch, a clansman
famous,...
with his clansmen, came where the king
abode....
In a passage of
more than thirty-five lines, only a few of them are cacophonic, making this passage
significantly more pleasant-sounding than harsh-sounding.
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