English 12 / English 12 Honors

Beowulf ReviewTest on Thursday, February 6, 2018

CFA – Wednesday, February 5, 2018

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The story opens as a celebratory

noise from King Hrothgar’s mead hall,

Herot, angers Grendel, the hellish

monster who lurks in the darkness.

The Wrath of Grendel

The Wrath of Grendel

Grendel, born from evil, slips into the mead hall and kills many men

Hrothgar mourns the losses and Grendel continues his nightly attacks

Thus, Herot “stayed deserted for years…” (12 winters)

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The Coming of Beowulf

Beowulf, the strongest of the GEATS, crosses the sea with his men from Sweden (land of the Geats) to Denmark

Beowulf convinces (my father is famous warrior, Egetho, etc.) the Danish watchman to take him to Hrothgar

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The Coming of Beowulf

Before King Hrothgar, Beowulf boasts of

his background and accomplishments,

then tells him he intends to kill Grendel

with his bare hands.

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The Battle with Grendel

That night, Beowulf and his men stay in Herot.

Grendel lurks inside and kills a Geat; then, he meets his match in Beowulf who rips off the monster’s arm and hangs it from the rafters.

Grendel escapes, but is mortally wounded.

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The Battle with Grendel

The Danes and the Geats celebrate Beowulf’s victory

But…

Grendel’s mother comes that night seeking revenge. She kills Hrothgar’s friend and takes back her son’s claw.

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The Monsters’ Lair

Grendel and his mother live in a

hellish lake.

Of course, Beowulf goes there to kill

the female beast.

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The Battle with Grendel’s Mother

Beowulf leaps into the lake and sinks for hours (superhuman powers)

Grendel’s mother’s claws have no effect on Beowulf (his divine mail shirt protects him) so she carries him to her underground home

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The Battle with Grendel’s Mother

Beowulf tries to kill her with his sword, Hrunting, but her enchanted skin cannot be pierced.

Fortunately, a sword appears that was forged by giant.

Beowulf takes the magic sword and uses his supernatural strength to strike the she-beast dead.

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The Battle with Grendel’s Mother

The Danes see the lake water churn with blood and think Beowulf is dead, so they head home.

But the loyal Geats wait…

Meanwhile, Beowulf finds Grendel’s body and cuts off his head. He and the Geats carry it back to Herot as a trophy.

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The Last Battle

Beowulf is honored by Hrothgar, then

returns to Geatland where he rules

as king for 50 years.

Now an old man, a dragon menaces

his kingdom.

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The Last Battle

Beowulf tells his people that he will fight the

fire-breathing dragon using his armor,

without shame, since he will fight to the

death if necessary.

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The Last Battle

Beowulf and the dragon face off, but

Beowulf’s weapons fail him and he

realizes he is going to die.

All the Geats run away, except Wiglaf.

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The Last Battle

Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon, but

Beowulf is mortally wounded.

Beowulf asks Wiglaf to bring him the

treasure that the dragon was guarding.

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The Spoils

Wiglaf brings Beowulf the gold and treasure just as Beowulf is about to die.

Beowulf gives Wiglaf his necklace, helmet, rings, mail shirt, as signs that Wiglaf will be the new king.

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The Farewell

The Geats build the tower and mourn and praise their perished leader.

Beowulf asks Wiglaf to build a towering tomb to honor him.

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The Farewell

Beowulf lives on in memory and history…because he is the epic hero!

He embodies the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture of bravery, strength, leadership, good reputation, loyalty to king, and the belief that goodness will always triumph over evil!

EPIC is

• a long narrative poem about a hero, who exemplifies

the culture.

• It is told in an elevated style.

• It normally includes a quest or a series of trials.

• Often, the hero will descend into the underworld (like

Odysseus, Achilles). Note that Beowulf descends into

an underworld of his own, when he travels to the lair of

Grendel’s mother.

EPIC HERO

• Normally a male of high birth (i.e., noble/royal/divine)

• Often has superhuman powers, and

• Exemplifies the cultural values of his community.

• He goes on quests.

• He tends to conquer things or people or lands.

Two Additions to Study Guide

1. ELEGY / ELEGIAC

• An elegy is a poem about loss

• It can be about loss of a person, of youth, of

innocence, of a country, of a battle, or a way of life.

• Elegiac means sorrowful, sad, depressed, mournful

Two Additions to Study Guide

2. ALLUSION

• An allusion is simply a reference to a text, film, work of

art, historical figure or event that is outside the world of

the story.

• Most allusions in English literature are either to the

Bible or to Greek or Roman mythology.

• We see Biblical allusions in Beowulf when Grendel is

said to be descended from Cain and when the lake is

referred to as a “lake of fire.”

Alliteration

• The repetition of consonant sounds in the first part of

words

• Peter Piper picked a peck of … Alliteration

Assonance

• The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

• She eats rice and beans

• Tom saw Mom at the mall. Dad was bad and sad.

• She beats Lisa to the beach.

Kenning

• A two-word metaphor used in Anglo-Saxon poetry

• Examples from Beowulf include the following:

• The Whale Road, the Swan Road, Battle sweat,

• Day’s Candle, Evening Candle,

• Modern examples include “gas guzzler.”

Take a closer look:

“Hrothgar’s wise men had

fashioned Herot / To last

forever.”