PowerPoint Presentation

CELEBRATION AT HEOROT

RationaleTo show the reestablishment of Heorot as a symbol of unityTo present how the storytelling of the scope is foretelling of Beowulfs fate

Celebration at Heorot

Heorot once again becomes a place of celebration.The scop compares Beowulf to Sigemund and contrasts him to Heremod.

Celebration at Heorot

Hrothgar builds stronger diplomatic ties by claiming Beowulf to be a part of his family.

Order and harmony is restored to the Danes, but the poet hints of a future betrayal.

Celebration at Heorot

Gold and gifts are given as a public acknowledgement of valor.

Celebration at Heorot

Hildeburh acts as a peace-weaver.

The Finnsburg Episode foreshadows Grendels mothers attack and shows the Germanic custom of wergild.

Celebration at Heorot

Wealhtheow cements the bond between Hrothgar and Beowulf, and extends it into the next generation.Concept of wyrd (fate)Looming danger in two ways: Grendels mothers revenge and Hrothulfs betrayalThe golden torque is given as a symbol of the bond of loyalty between the Danes and Beowulf.

Celebration at HeorotMen vs monsterStories told by the scopeA greater evil still has to be defeatedReligion dualityHeavenly Shepherd (929)Lord of Ages (944)Burial ritual (1107-1114)Foretelling a doomed future Betrayal (1018)Death is inescapable

Another AttackGrendels Mother attacks Heorot

The Revenge of Grendels Mother

Just as Grendels slaughter of Hrothgars men requires avenging, so does Beowulfs slaying of Grendel.

Wer-gild

Cultural Imperativeif certain things happen, your culture expectsyou do take certain actions

Justifications of Grendels Mothers Revenge1) as a mother, she is taking revenge on those who harmed her son2)her revenge is consistent with actions that Beowulf and his men would take if one of their number were killed in an attack

Beowulf to HrothgarWise sir, do not grieve. It is always betterto avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.For every one of us, living in this worldmeans waiting for our end. Let whoever canwin glory before death. When a warrior is gone,that will be his best and only bulwark. (13841389)

King HrothgarBeowulf

Fight with Grendels MotherChristian Allegory behind the fightDuality of Grendels mothers character

Beowulf got ready, Beowulf arms for thedonned his war-gear, indifferent to death; underwater fighthis mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mailwould soon meet with the menace underwater.It would keep the bone-cage of his body safe:no enemy's clasp could crush him in it,no vicious armlock choke his life out.To guard his head he had a glittering helmetthat was due to be muddied on the mere bottom and blurred in the upswirl. It was of beaten gold,princely headgear hooped and haspedby a weapon-smith who had worked wondersin days gone by and adorned it with boar-shapes;since then it had resisted every sword.And another item lent by Unferthat that moment of need was of no small importance:the brehon handed him a hilted weapon,a rare and ancient sword named Hrunting.The iron blade with its ill-boding patternshad been tempered in blood. (Line 1442-1460)

Distinction between the fight of Beowulf aand GrendelBeowulf gets into battle with enemies whose power gradually increases. 15

Line 1497-1505 Quickly the one who haunted those waters, Beowulf is capturedwho had scavenged and gone her gluttonous rounds for a hundred seasons, sensed a human observing her outlandish lair from above.So she lunged and clutched and managed to catch himin her brutal grip; but his body, for all that,remained unscathed: the mesh of the chain-mailsaved him on the outside. Her savage talonsfailed to rip the web of his warshirt.Line 1522-1528 But he soon found His sword fails to dohis battle-torch extinguished: the shining blade amagerefused to bite. It spared her and failedthe man in his need. It had gone through manyhand-to-hand fights, had hewed the armourand helmets of the doomed, but here at lastthe fabulous powers of that heirloom failed.Line 1536-1549 Then the prince of War-Geats, warming to this fightwith Grendel's mother, gripped her shoulderand laid about him in a battle frenzy:1540 he pitched his killer opponent to the floorbut she rose quickly and retaliated,grappled him tightly in her grim embrace.The sure-footed fighter felt daunted,the strongest of warriors stumbled and fell.1545 So she pounced upon him and pulled outa broad, whetted knife: now she would avengeher only child. But the mesh of chain-mailon Beowulf's shoulder shielded his life,turned the edge and tip of the blade.Christian Allegory:Beowulf swims to hell and he fights against evil embodied by Grendels mother. Concept of duality in the character of Grendels motherboth a hero and a monsterGrendels mother as an archetype of Great Mother and Terrible Mother

Then he saw a blade that boded well,a sword in her armory, an ancient heirloomfrom the days of the giants, an ideal weapon,i56o one that any warrior would envy,but so huge and heavy of itselfonly Beowulf could wield it in a battle.So the Shieldings' hero hard-pressed and enraged,took a firm hold of the hilt and swung1565 the blade in an arc, a resolute blowthat bit deep into her neck-boneand severed it entirely, toppling the doomedhouse of her flesh; she fell to the floor.God grant Beowulf help through the vision of a sword. He kills the devil and light from heaven fills in the dark place as a blessing.

Grendels mother living and dying by the sword is a symbolism of a monstro-heroic act.

A light appeared and the place brightenedthe way the sky does when heaven's candleis shining clearly.

1617 Then away he swam, the one who had survivedthe fall of his enemies, flailing to the surface.1620 The wide water, the waves and pools,were no longer infested once the wandering fiendlet go of her life and this unreliable world.The seafarers' leader made for land,resolutely swimming, delighted with his prize,1625 the mighty load he was lugging to the surface.His thanes advanced in a troop to meet hi.thanking God and taking great delight1629 in seeing their prince back safe and sound.Beowulf represents Jesuss descent to hell and return to life in the resurrection.

ConclusionGrendels mother is both a hero and a monsterChristian allegory is evident in Beowulfs battle scene with Grendels motherBibliographyhttp://beoshewulf.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/angelina-jolie-as-grendels-mother.jpghttp://faculty.nmu.edu/kkendall/HS%20101/ordeal%20cold%20water.jpgunsigneddesign.com/LT_AntiquePaper/Full/LT_AntiquePaper_07.jpghttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/section6.rhtmlhttp://www.gradesaver.com/beowulf/study-guide/section5/Ides, Aglcwif: Thats No Monster, Thats My Wife!Uncovering the Origins of Grendels Mother by Jennifer SmithPetra Prochzkov Female Characters in Beowulf (Brno, April 2007)