Acknowledgements:
Also I have to thank Breanna Timmons, Whitney Houg, Sarah Stevens, Rachel Nolan, and Connor Albright who put in a great deal of work and were amazing group members!
Also, please ignore the random highlights, BlogSpot can be a pain to work with.
BEOWULF AND GRENDEL (lines 1-1250, pp. 32-60)| [Prologue: The Rise of the Danish Nation] (lines 1-85, pp. 33-34) Breanna Timmons | |
| 1. | Realize that this prologue introduces the Danes, not Beowulf or his people the Geats. What was unusual about the way Shield came to be ruler of the Danes? What was his funeral like? What relation is Hrothgar to Shield? |
| [Heorot is Attacked] (lines 86-188, pp. 34-36) Breanna Timmons | |
| 1. | What magnificent work did Hrothgar undertake? Who attacked it, and with what result? How long did the attacks last? What was the response of the Danes? |
| [The Hero Comes to Heorot] (lines 189-490, pp. 36-42) Breanna Timmons | |
| 1. | What does Beowulf do when he hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel? |
| 2. | Whom do the Geats first meet when they arrive in Denmark? What does he do, and what do they do? |
| 3. | They next meet Hrothgar's herald. Who is he? What does he tell them? What does he tell Hrothgar? What does Hrothgar respond? Are you surprised that Hrothgar knows Beowulf so well? |
| 4. | What does Beowulf tell Hrothgar when he enters? What did Hrothgar do for Beowulf's father? |
| [Feast at Heorot] (lines 491-661, pp. 42-46) Breanna Timmons | |
| 1. | What does Unferth accuse Beowulf of? How does Beowulf answer him? How is this episode relevant to the poem as a whole? What does Beowulf accuse Unferth of? |
| 2. | What is Queen Wealhtheow doing during the feasting? |
| [The Fight with Grendel] (lines 662-835, pp. 46-49) Amara Sharp | |
| 1. | Heroic poetry normally has a scene in which the hero arms for battle. What is different about Beowulf's preparations for his fight with Grendel? -Seeing as Beowulf actually unarms himself for battle actually goes against the norms for epics, which removes the element of having an extended scene in which Beowulf prepares himself for battle. Personally I feel that by having Beowulf actually remove his armor and say he will fight honestly and fairly and let God decide the outcome, actually provides a great look into the culture and times in which Beowulf was written. By not having Beowulf 'suit up' the author(s) give the modern reader the impression that strength and honor are the only armor and weapons one needs to do great things. |
| 2. | What happens when Grendel enters Heorot? How does Beowulf fight with him? What happens when Grendel tries to leave? Does Grendel escape? What does he leave behind? |
| -As Grendel enters Heorot he again snatches one of the sleeping warriors and begins to devour him. After finishing off one warrior Grendel goes to eat Beowulf next, but is surprised by Beowulf's strength and determination. Beowulf manages to get Grendel in a strong hold and begins to kill Grendel. As Grendel realizes his end is near he cries out and attempts to escape, but not before Beowulf manages to rip of Grendel's arm as Grendel wriggles free and runs past the other warriors who try in vain to rip him open with their swords. As Grendel runs out of Heorot and to his cave in the swamp it is revealed that not only did Beowulf survive but he managed to rip off Grendel's arm/shoulder and Beowulf and the other warriors learn that Grendel's skin cannot be damaged by swords. | |
| [Celebration at Heorot] (lines 836-1250, pp. 49-60) Amara Sharp | |
| 1. | When the Danes and Geats return from following Grendel's tracks to the mere, someone sings in Beowulf's presence, comparing him to Sigemund and saying that he was not like Heremod (lines 883-914). How is Beowulf like Sigemund? How is he not like Heremod? (Be alert for inserted stories such as this one. Beowulf contains many of them, most much more complex that this one.) -Sigemund is apparently a hero such as Beowulf who managed to defeat many tribes of giants and also best a dragon. And like Beowulf, Sigemund became a legend known for his deeds of courage, bravery, and strength. But unlike Heremod, a man of war, Beowulf is not solely interested in the glory that comes with great deeds and the physical rewards that could come (gold, kingdoms). Beowulf fights and does these great deeds for the benefit of his own honor and for the admiration of his men. |
| 2. | How does Hrothgar respond to Beowulf's deed? What does he offer to do for him? What does Unferth have to say now? -Hrothgar is ecstatic at the news of Grendel's destruction and is completely ready to hand over his entire kingdom to Beowulf after his death. In fact Hrothgar proclaims and accepts Beowulf as his son and promises to give him much treasure, even though it would not fully repay the deed that Beowulf did. Unferth, who prior to Beowulf's battle with Grendel openly challenged Beowulf's claims of all his feats, stays silently in the corner, now having nothing to say. |
| 3. | The singer sings of Finn during the feasting (lines 1070-1158). The exact details of the Finn story are not clear, but in general, what happens? What does it suggest about the wisdom of using a woman as bride to heal enmity between tribes? -Saying that the exact details of the Finn story are not clear, is complete understatement. But I was able to pull from the story of Finn is that Finn was a warrior (perhaps even leader) that raided villages. On one such raid he happened upon Hnaef who's daughter had lost her husband, son and brother. Finn had also lost a good portion of his army and in order to avoid further conflict with Hnaef, agrees to marry his daughter, which suggesting that the bond of marriage (and possibly of love) can unite enemies and heal old wounds. |
| 4. | When the feasting resumes, what does Wealhtheow ask Hrothgar not to do? -While the feasting continues Wealtheow asks Hrothgar to not neglect their children and their inheritance by giving the kingdom to Beowulf. |
| 5. | Wealhtheow gives Beowulf a large, broad necklace. What later happens to it? What does Wealhtheow ask Beowulf to do? -Wealtheow asks Beowulf to help her sons should they ever need it. |
| 6. | Why do so many men remain in the beer hall to sleep? Why is it a mistake? -The drunken men fall asleep in the hall after a night of feasting and drinking, thinking it is safe to sleep and reside in the hall now that Grendel is dead and the danger is past. But in the night it becomes clear that this move of arrogance was a mistake as Grendel's mother enters Heorot in order to enact revenge. |
| [Another Attack] (lines 1251-1382, pp. 60-62) Amara Sharp | |
| 1. | Why has Grendel's mother come to Heorot? Is it the same reason Grendel had? -Unlike Grendel, GM (Grendel's Mother) enters Heorot to seek revenge for the death of her son, while her son decided to enter Heorot to kill without reason. |
| 2. | What is Hrothgar's response? Whom has Grendel's mother killed? -Hrothgar is outraged that GM exists and, deeply saddened that GM has killed Hrothgar's close friend Aeschere. And like his earlier promise to Beowulf, Hrothgar promises to repay him if he is able to kill GM. |
| 3. | What sort of place is the mere? -The mere is a violent dark place full of danger and horrors. The mere expands for miles upon miles and is covered in a thick mist that even contains lakes on fire. |
| [Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother] (lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68) Whitney Houg | |
| 1. | How does Beowulf tell Hrothgar to respond? -He tells Hrothgar to respond as though a blood feud has been started. He told him that he should be revengeful and not feel sorrow. Beowulf tells him that killing Grendel’s mother is the only way to truly avenge Aeschere. |
| 2. | What happens at the mere before Beowulf enters it? -Beowulf and his men kill a sea monster in the water, and then Hrothgar and his men find Aeschere’s severed head on the shore. Hrothgar now is completely for Beowulf killing Grendel’s mother. |
| 3. | How does Beowulf prepare for the battle? What sword does he take with him? -He put on his new armor from Hrothgar. Unferth, the man who doubted Beowulf’s abilities, gives Beowulf his sword called, Hrunting, to fight with. |
| 4. | What happens when Beowulf enters the mere? What is surprising about where Grendel and his mother live in the mere? -Grendel’s mother grabs him and pulls him down as other monsters are trying to attack him. They do no harm to him, because of his armor. It’s surprising where Grendel and his mother live because it takes half a day to arrive there. |
| 5. | What happens to the sword Beowulf borrowed from Unferth? -As Beowulf strikes Grendel's mother, the sword borrowed from Unferth breaks. |
| 6. | At one point Beowulf is on the floor, with Grendel's mother sitting on him and drawing her knife. How does Beowulf escape? -Beowulf’s armor saves him from the knife Grendel’s mother has. He was able to use his strength to throw Grendel’s mother off of himself. |
| 7. | How does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother? What weapon does he use? What happens when she dies? What does Beowulf take with him from her home? What happens to the sword he used to kill her? -Beowulf uses the sword of Eotens, that was forged by giants long ago, and cuts the mother’s throat. Beowulf brings the decapitated head home for vengeance of those killed by Grendel. Beowulf's sword melts from the Grendel's mother’s acidic blood leaving only the hilt. |
| 8. | What happens when Beowulf returns to the surface? Did his men expect him to return? -Beowulf swims back to the surface safely, but none of his men are there because they doubted his ability to beat Grendel’s mother. |
| [Further Celebration at Heorot] (lines 1651-1798, pp. 68-71) Sarah Stevens | |
| 1. | What does Beowulf give to Hrothgar? |
| 2. | What message does Hrothgar have for Beowulf? What and why does he tell us about Heremod? Why and how did Heremod die? What lesson does Hrothgar teach with the Heremod example? |
| 3. | What does Beowulf give to Unferth as he leaves? |
| [Beowulf Returns Home] (lines 1799-2199, pp. 71-79) Sarah Stevens | |
| 1. | What future does Hrothgar predict for Beowulf? |
| 2. | Who is Hygd and why is she not like Modthryth? |
| 3. | Beowulf reports to Hygelac that Hrothgar may marry his daughter Freawaru to Ingeld. Why does he plan to do that? What does Beowulf expect the result will be? (Remember the Finn story, lines 1070-1158.) How does Beowulf think the peace will be broken? Is this the type of report we expected from the hero Beowulf, or are we seeing a new side of him? |
| 4. | How does Beowulf report about his own adventures? Does he report accurately? |
| 5. | What does Beowulf do with the treasure he was given? What does Hygelac give him? |
| [The Dragon Wakes] (lines 2200-2509, pp. 79-86) Rachel Nolan | |
| 1. | How much later does Part 2 take place? What kings have died in the meanwhile? What danger now exists? -Part 2 takes places 50 years later. King Hygelac and his son Heardred have both died. The danger that now exists is the dragon that is attacking the kingdom. |
| 2. | Why is the dragon angry? Why did the man take a cup? How did the treasure come to be there in the first place? (The speech of the lone survivor, the one who put the gold in the barrow, is in a typically Old English elegiac tone.) -The dragon is angry because a man stole a cup from his treasure. The man stole the cup from the treasure to honor his lord. The treasure was there because ancient people hid it there. |
| 3. | What did the dragon destroy that evening? -The dragon destroyed buildings and homes in the kingdom. |
| 4. | Why does Beowulf think his home was burnt? Why does he order a new shield? How will he fight this battle? What will happen to him? -Beowulf thinks his home was burnt because he did something to anger god. He orders a new iron shield so that it can’t be burned like his old wood one would be against the dragon. Beowulf plans to fight this battle until the death. |
| 5. | How did Hygelac die? (The description in lines 2354-2379 begins one of several versions of Geatish history and Hygelac's death we will get.) What did Beowulf do after Hygelac's death? What happened when he returned home? Did he accept Hygd's offer to become king? -Hygelac was killed by the Frankish king in a battle. Beowulf killed the Frankish king and refused to become king in loyalty to his cousin. |
| 6. | What happened to Hygelac's son Heardred? (That's the story in lines 2380-2390.) How did Beowulf plan to revenge Heardred's death (lines 2391-2396)? -Heardred was killed by the Swedish. Beowulf planed on revenge by befriending the man that killed Heardred. |
| 7. | How many men accompany Beowulf as he goes to meet the dragon? -Eleven men accompany Beowulf to meet the dragon. |
| 8. | What happened to Hygelac's oldest brother Herebeald? Who killed him? What did this do to his father King Hrethel? (This passage, lines 2425-2509, is the second account of Geatish history and of the death of Hygelac.) What happened between the Swedes and Geats after Hrethel's death? What happened to Haethcyn? How die Beowulf revenge Hygelac's death? |
| -Herebeald was killed by Heathcyn (the younger brother). King Hrethel went into a depression and then died. After Hrethel’s death the Swedes and Geats continued having their conflicts. Heathcyn died and Beowulf revenged Hygelac’s death by killing a lot of the Swedes. | |
| [Beowulf Attacks the Dragon] (lines 2510-2820, pp. 86-92) Connor Albright | |
| 1. | What does Beowulf tell his companions to do? |
| 2. | What happens the first time Beowulf and the dragon fight? What do his companions do? How is Wiglaf different? What does he tell the others? What does he then do? |
| 3. | What happens the second time Beowulf meets the dragon? What happens to Beowulf? Who kills the dragon? |
| 4. | What does the dying Beowulf ask Wiglaf to do? What happens when Beowulf sees the gold? How does Beowulf want to be buried? |
| [Beowulf's Funeral] (lines 2821-3182, pp. 92-99) Connor Albright | |
| 1. | What happens when the companions return? What does Wiglaf say to him? What does he expect will happen in the future? |
| 2. | What does the messenger tell the city? (This passage, lines 2900-3027, is the third account of the history of the Geats and the death of Hygelac. These are the enemies that will attack the Geats when they learn of Beowulf's death.) What happened overnight in Ravenswood after Ongentheow killed Haethcyn? What happened the next morning? What happened to Ongentheow? What does the messenger say to do with the gold? What is the final image (animal) of the messenger's speech? |
| 3. | What does Wiglaf tell the crowd that comes to see the dragon and Beowulf? |
| 4. | What happens to the dragon? |
| 5. | What happens during and after the funeral celebration? |
| 6. | What did the Geats say about Beowulf in the last three lines of the poem? Are these the terms one would expect to be used to describe a military hero? |
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