Beowulfstudy Guide

Student Name______Date______Period______Extra Points______

BeowulfStudy Guide

Disclaimer: Students, be aware that for every unanswered question 5 points will be deducted. The scoring is not based off of the number of questions; it is based off whether you complete the answer to the question. Questions will be assigned to certain students; therefore, you MUST know which question belongs to you. If you are called on to answer that question, you will lose a 5 point deduction if the answer is incorrect. However, if another student answers his/her question incorrect, you can gain your 5 points back.

Absences: If you are absent, it is your sole responsibility to come to tutorials to complete this packet. Just because you are not in attendance does not mean you do not have to answer these questions. You are still responsible in making up any missed questions you have missed. You are obligated to read the poem on your own time. I purposely have placed this reading on my website for easy access. There should be no excuse as to why this poem is not read during a students’ absence.

I, ______, understand that if I am absent from school at any time during this assignment, it is my obligation to complete any missed section of this study guide on my own time or during tutorials. I also understand that for every question left unanswered, 5 points will be deducted per question unanswered.

Video: Clash of the Gods History Channel”

1. What is the oldest story in the English language?
   
2. What is Grendel’s rage turned into?
   
3. What does Denmark need?
   
4. What is Beowulf’s culture like?
   
5. What does Beowulf’s power(s) consist of?
   
6. What type of story is the “legend of Beowulf?”
   
7. Who “created” the story of Beowulf?
   
8. Where does the action of the story actually take place?
   
9. The poem itself was written in?
   
10. What took “root” at the time of the “writing” of Beowulf?
    
11. The poem reflects what type of “deep” background?
    
12. Who is Beowulf’s first “nemesis?”
    
13. Whom is Grendel a descendant from?
    
14. According to the “Old Testament,” was considered mankind’s first what?
    
15. What does Grendel inherit from Cain?
    
16. Why is Grendel jealous of the men in Herot Hall?
    
17. How long does Grendel hold Denmark under siege?
    
18. How many men does Grendel kill at a time?
    
19. Who is it that Grendel DOES NOT harm?
    
20. Who does the king think he has on his side?
    
21. Where is Beowulf descended from?
    
22. What kind of reputation does Beowulf have?
    
23. To achieve everlasting glory what must Beowulf do?
    
24. What cannot hurt Grendel? Why?
    
25. What is the “Reality” of the battle between Grendel and Beowulf?
    
26. What do experts theorize?
    
27. What weapon does Beowulf use to fight Grendel?
    
28. What were burials like in the Ancient Norse world?
    
29. What happened in 1939?
    
30. What is the richest grave in England?
    
31. What have archeologists discovered in the Danish countryside?
    
32. How large was this hall?
    
33. What does “Herot” mean?
    
34. Who is the actual king of the “Hall in Herot?”
    
35. Who is the second of Beowulf’s monstrous enemies?
    
36. What is Grendel’s mother only goal?
    
37. Where do Grendel and his mother live?
    
38. What do the serpents represent in the real world?
    
39. Does Grendel’s mother have a name?
    
40. Why is she so much more dangerous than Grendel?
    
41. What does Beowulf use to kill Grendel’s mother?
    
42. What does the death of Grendel’s mother represent in the real world?
    
43. What happened in the British Isles around 600 A.D.?
    
44. What did Pope Gregory tell Augustan to do to all the Anglo Saxon pagan churches in the 6th century?
    
45. What does the story of Beowulf tend to hold onto?
    
46. What did the Christians do to re-cast Beowulf as?
    
47. After Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother where does he return to?
    
48. What is the truth about Lake Vanern in 530 A.D.?
    
49. Is there any evidence of a real hero during this time period?
    
50. What do dragon’s represent?
    
51. What does the slave take from the dragon’s cave?
    
52. What is the dragon’s favorite item?
    
53. What does the dragon do when he realizes his favorite item is missing?
    
54. Who is one of the young warriors that goes with Beowulf to battle?
    
55. The reality is the dragon is mythologies ultimate?
    
56. In the Christian tradition what do dragon’s represent?
    
57. Before Christian traditions the dragon represented the embodiment of?
    
58. What is one theory where dragon’s MIGHT have really come from?
    
59. What is the dragon’s Achilles heel?
    
60. Why does Beowulf give everything to Wiglaf?
    
61. Who becomes the new hero?
    
62. What does Beowulf’s death represent?
    
63. What begins at Beowulf’s funeral?
    
64. Is Beowulf a real person?
    

PowerPoint Presentation

1. Viking Misconceptions

1. Vikings were not ______and ______.

1. Average male height was considered ______; women’s height______.

1. Vikings weapon of choice was?

1. What type of helmets did Vikings wear?

1. What were the negative aspects of Daily Life?

1. What does the term “Viking” mean?

1. What would Vikings do with the silver they looted?

1. What is “Bezerker?”

1. What is the story about?
   
2. Who controlled England in the 5th century?
   
3. Who and in what century composed the poem, Beowulf?
   
4. What is a scop?
   
5. When did the Vikings invade?
   
6. Who becomes the king of Wessex?
   
7. How did Danelaw come to be?
   

1. When is the earliest date recorded for the Beowulf manuscript?
   
2. When is it believed to be composed?
   
3. Give example(s) of Anglo-Saxon society?
   

1. Give two examples of Anglo-Saxon values?
   
2. What are the roles of women?
   

1. What was religion like during the Anglo-Saxon time period?
   

1. What are the traits of an epic hero?
   

1. What is an epic?
   
2. What is an epic hero?

Prologue

1. What is suggested by the opening line, “We’ve heard of Danish heroes, / Ancient kings…”?

1. How does a young future king ensure that warriors will support him once he is ruler?

1. What is the predominant poetic device used in the Prologue and to what effect? Why would the Beowulf poet employ a device like this so noticeably?

1. What are the practices associated with a Viking funeral?

Chapter 1: Grendel Attacks the Danes

1. What is the function of Herot?

1. From lines 85-114 in Beowulf, evaluate the change in tone that occurs after the first two lines.
   
2. In lines 100-114, a theme is present. Based on the history that is has been given on the background of Beowulf what type of person do you believe told this story and why?
   

1. Homework: What does Grendel’s name mean in Norse? Legend and Very terrible to look upon.

1. From who is Grendel descended?
   
2. What evidence of Christianity is there in this largely pagan poem?

1. How does the poem blend Christian and pagan myth?

Chapter 2

1. What has Grendel done to the warriors, after it has become dark?
   
2. In lines 115-125, what type of “symbolic external conflict” is present between the Danes and Grendel?
   
3. What does the scene look like when Hrothgar faces the morning after Grendel’s first attack in lines 126-134?
   
4. What does “twelve winters” mean?
   
5. Who is Hrothgar?
   
6. How does the news of Grendel’s attack spread to other lands?
   
7. Describe and detail the “kenning” that is present in line 159.
   
8. What do lines 165-169 tell you about the status of a king in Anglo-Saxon tradition?
   

Chapter 3 – The Coming of Beowulf

1. What are the adjectives the poet uses to describe the “agony” afflicting Hrothgar and his people (lines 189-193)?
   
2. In lines 194-209, the journey undertaken by Beowulf and his men could best be characterized as –
   
3. How many men did Beowulf bring with him on this journey?
   
4. Find the alliteration on page 214-249. Next point out (identify) the repeated initial consonants as well as point out the two words that sound stressed.
   

1. What is personified in line 214 and why does the personification make sense?
   
2. Hyphenated Compounds. Read and identify all the hyphenated-compounds in lines214-249.

1. A simile is present in line 218, what two things are compared and explain the comparison.
   
2. Why do you suppose the watchman is holding a spear when the Geats land?
   
3. Why do you think it is so important in epics for people to know the names of the hero’s and the names of their fathers?
   

Chapter 4

1. In Beowulf’s reply to the watchman in lines 260-285– employs what type of appeal? (Logical, Ethical or Emotional)

1. In lines 258 and 259 takes an interesting turn of phrase. Explain what these two lines mean.
   
2. What does Beowulf mean in lines 278 and 279?
   
3. Are lines 232, 233, 295, 306 and 307 “syntactically parallel” to the other in the context in which it appears?
   
4. A synecdoche simply means that the poet is making a substitution of a part for a whole. Describe the synecdoche in line 296 and its meaning.
   
5. Draw the scene/images in lines 308-315. What is this hall named? (25 points will be deducted if the drawing is not completely accurate)
   

Chapter 6: The Arrival of the Hero

1. Who is Wulfgar?

1. What is significant about (1) the request that Beowulf and his men leave their weapons and armor outside when they enter Herot and (2) their willingness to do so.

(1)

(2)

1. What do we learn of Beowulf’s ancestry, heritage, and previous connection to Hrothgar’s court?

1. In lines 399-455, Beowulf is boasting of his conquests – why do you suppose he is boasting? Is it to brag about himself?
   
2. What type of sentence is lines 403-404: periodic, loose, compound, cumulative, balanced?
   
3. How do lines 445-455 express Beowulf’s characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon life?
   
4. What does Beowulf request should be done with his armor and weaponry in case he doesn’t succeed in his battle against Grendel? What piece does he specifically mention? Why is this one special?

1. Why do you suppose Beowulf is not motivated to seek a confrontation with Grendel in lines 407-455?
   
2. Homework: Find out where the origin of the word “shroud” comes from. What does its meaning change to in Middle English?
   

Chapter 7

1. What is a likely reason for beginning this chapter with the phrasing identical to the previous chapter?

1. What previous services did Hrothgar provide to Beowulf’s father? How does this history alter the nature of Beowulf’s quest?

1. How did Hrothgar become King of the Danes?

Chapter 8: Unferth’s Challenge

1. What do Unferth’s words expressing his doubt about Beowulf’s fight with the sea monsters reveal about his character?

1. Are we to see Beowulf as excessively boastful? Why or Why not?

Chapter 9

1. How, finally, does Beowulf succeed in silencing Unferth, who had questioned Beowulf’s swimming feat and battle with the sea-monsters?

1. What is Wealhtheow’s role in Hrothgar’s court?

Chapter 11: The Battle with Grendel

1. In lines 720-723, describe Grendel’s opening the door to Herot, what type of element is it? Metaphor, allusion, foreshadowing, hyperbole, or personification?
   
2. The references to Grendel’s eyes in lines 725-727, do what?
   
3. Identify the personification from lines 720-750 and explain its meaning.
   
4. Identify the foreshadowing present in lines 734-736 and suggest what event is being foreshadowed.
   
5. Explain the metaphor in lines 744-745? What does it mean to the warriors?
   
6. In lines 789-790, Anglo-Saxon heroes are larger than life, how does this poet apply this quality to Beowulf?
   

Chapter 12

1. In what lines is Beowulf’s victory?
   
2. A “caesura” is an obvious pause in a line of poetry. It is normally found near the middle of a line, with two stressed syllables before and two after, creating a strong rhythm. In line 822, indicate where the caesura is located.
   
3. What is the point in hanging Grendel’s arm in the rafters of the Herot? Is it necessary to hang Grendel’s arm? What purpose does it serve? Is such a thing worthy of a hero, or is it a symbol of pride?
   

Chapter 13

1. Line 861 is an example of a hyperbole. Explain why this kind of comment is appropriate for this type of poem.
   

Chapter 20

1. How do Grendel and his mother suggest a mixing of pagan and Christian traditions in the culture of the poem?

Chapter 22: The Battle with Grendel’s Mother

1. Why the term “greedy she-wolf” to describe Grendel’s mother?
   
2. Why do you suppose the poet chose to use the word “catch” in line 1509 and to whom does it refer?
   
3. Infer lines 1518-1520
4. Identify all the metaphors from lines1495-1550 used to describe Grendel’s mother?
   
5. Why do you suppose the poet gave her no name?
   
6. In lines 1542-1544 suggest that even Beowulf has his limits and he knows he is in real peril. What happens after Beowulf feels he has reached this low point?
   

Chapter 23

1. In lines 1557-1570 contains a situational irony. Describe that irony and explain why it is ironic.
   
2. What type of archetype does the sword made by giants represent?

1. Identify the type of archetypal symbolism in lines 1570-1572 and explain its meaning.

1. What type of archetype does the “light” represent?

1. What do the graybeards believe happened to Beowulf? Why?
   
2. In lines 1590-1604 the poet alludes to passage from the Christian Bible describing the death of Christ and the comments that onlookers are said to have made. Note the reference to blood, the feeling of hopelessness in the crowd, the time of day, and the departure of everyone but the hero’s friends. Why is this allusion appropriate?
   
3. There is a shift in lines 1600-1615 where does it occur?
   
4. What are the reasons Beowulf leaves behind the monsters’ treasures and takes ashore with him only Grendel’s head and the hilt of the magic sword?
   
5. In lines 1631-1650, demonstrates a characteristic of the epic that is the triumphal procession after the hero’s victory. Identify and describe the triumphal procession that takes place in these lines.
   

Chapter 31: The Last Battle

1. Describe how Beowulf becomes king of the Geats.
   

1. Describe what happened to those who held the dragon’s treasure.
   
2. How does the dragon react when it notices its cup has been stolen?
   

Chapter 33

1. What event is foreshadowed in lines 2341-2345?
   
2. Why doesn’t Beowulf fear the dragon?
   
3. Why does Beowulf refuse the crown offered him by Higlac’s widow?

1. When does Beowulf become king?

Chapter 35

1. What does Beowulf’s boast in lines 2511-2515 say about his character?

1. Why does Beowulf want to fight the dragon alone?
   
2. When does Beowulf realize he is losing the battle with the dragon? What does he do?
   
3. What do Beowulf’s followers do when they realize he’s losing?

Chapter 36: The Introduction of Wiglaf

1. Who is Wiglaf?

1. What type of tone does Wiglaf use towards Beowulf’s warriors and what does he say specifically?
   

Chapter 37: The Death of the Dragon

1. How is the dragon killed?
   

1. What request does Beowulf make at the end of Part 37?
   

Chapter 38: The Death of Beowulf

1. How is Beowulf killed?
   

1. Summarize Beowulf’s last words to Wiglaf.
   

Chapter 39:

1. What does Wiglaf say to the rest of Beowulf’s followers?
   

Chapter 42: Beowulf’s Wishes are Fulfilled

1. Describe the type(s) of allusion(s) present in chapter 42 and what lines these allusions can be found.

Chapter 43: Beowulf’ Funeral

1. Describe the type(s) of allusion(s) present in chapter 42 and what lines these allusions can be found. Why are these allusion(s) so significant?

Literary Elements
Title:Author:

Point of View (Circle One):First PersonOmniscientThird Person LimitedMultiple

Narrator:

Setting:
Time:Place:

Theme(s):

Character(s) (Major Characters & Short Description):
(Dynamic Character)
(Round Character)
(Static Character)
(Flat Character)

(Stock Character)
ProtagonistAntagonist
Plot:
Exposition:
Rising Action:
Climax:
Falling Action:
Resolution:
Conflict (& description of the conflict)
Internal Conflict:

External Conflict
Man vs ______:
Man vs ______:
Man vs ______:
Man vs ______:

Stylistic Devices