Study Guide

Anglo-Saxon/Old English Poetry

Honors English III Assessment

Warren Hills Regional High School

PART I: Beowulf Plot Comprehension

The entire Beowulf poem takes place in the region that is nowSweden/Denmark (Scandinavia).The monster, Grendel, dwelling down in the darkness is angered by the music inHerot (the mead hall), by the song of the poet retelling the history of the Danes, and by the sounds of rejoicing.Grendel is described as adescendant of the biblical character Cain, who was banished by God forcommitting the murder of his brother, Abel.Grendel finds Hrothgar’s men asleep inHerot. He snatches up thirty men,smashes them, and runs out with their bodies.Grendel hauntsHerot for 12 winters (12 years). Grendel does not attack Hrothgar because Hrothgar is protected by God. When Beowulf hears of the plight of the Danes and Hrothgar, Beowulf selects the bravest of soldiers in Geatland and travels across the seasto help. When he comes to Herot, Grendel tears the hinges off the door and is thrilled at the sight of the sleeping Geats—expecting to fill his belly with their meat. When Grendel reaches for Beowulf, Beowulf grabs Grendel and begins a hand-to-hand battle with him.Grendel had bewitched the weapons of Beowulf’s men; they are unable to hurt themonster. But Grendel is no match for Beowulf, who rips the monster’s arm from its socket andleaves Grendel mortally wounded, running back to his cave. When Grendel’s mother learns what happened to her son, she comes to Herot seeking revenge. Beowulf goes off to confront her. After Beowulf swims for hours through the lake to her cave, his weapons are useless against Grendel’s mother, so he engages in hand-to-hand combat with her. She almost succeeds in stabbing Beowulf but his chain mail saves him.Beowulf discovers a sword hanging on the wall of the cave and slices her neck through. After finding Grendel’s body, Beowulf cuts his head off. While Beowulf is fighting under the lake, Hrothgar’s men on the surface speak of Beowulf as a warrior who has died in battle. They have lost hope in his return. But he returns as a victor. As souvenirs of his victory, Beowulf takes Grendel’s head and the hilt of the “magnificent sword.”After being honored by Hrothgar, Beowulf and his fellow Geats return home, where he eventually becomes king. Beowulf rules Geatland for 50 years. At the end of his reign, Beowulf fights a dragon that is guarding precious treasure. Beowulf’s followers run for their lives as their leader takes on the dragon. Only Wiglaf, a brave soldier, helps Beowulf fight. After the fight, and with Beowulf lying on the ground mortally wounded, Beowulf thanks God for the opportunity to bring the dragon’s treasure to hispeople. As he dies, Beowulf asks that the Geats build him a tall tomb so that all sailors who pass byon the sea will know that a great man is buried there. In the end, twelve horsemen surround and ride around Beowulf’s monument, telling of Beowulf’s glory so that all will remember the great Geat warrior.

PART II: Extended Reading Analysis

Our textbook offers only excerpts of the Anglo-Saxon/Old English epic poem Beowulf. The test will contain a section from the original Beowulf story that was not in our textbook.This passage’s final paragraph will suggest that recent revelry in the mead-hall, Herot, has taken place during daylight hours. Skepticism about Beowulf’s sea adventure in the passage hints at the heroic trait and potential flaw called “reckless daring.” The words “sea-realm” and “whale-beast” are examples of the Anglo-Saxon literary convention known as a “kenning.” In the passage, Beowulf exhibits a combination of humility, bravado, contempt, and prudence, but not pathos because he does not show pity or sympathy. As it is used in the passage, the word “liegemen”most likely meanssubjects.

(over)

PART III: Historical Context

The original authors of the Anglo-Saxon/Old English poetry we studied in class wereunknown poets whose identities were lost 10 or more centuries ago.Anglo-Saxon/Old English, which is a version of the German language but is also the ancestor of modern English, became dominant in the area that we now call England in about 450 to 1100 C.E.After Anglo-Saxons began settling England, many converted toChristianity.Anglo-Saxon poetry is characterized primarily by alliteration, with no emphasis placed on end rhymes.The brief article by translator Seamus Heaney in your course textbook (pages 66-67) notes that scops (pronounced “shopes” or “shops”) shaped Old English poetry. According to Heaney, a scop isa poet from Anglo-Saxon days who created and wrote down poetry, an entertainer who performed poetry from memory for audiences, and a musician who chanted poetry, often to the accompaniment of a small harp. The Anglo-Saxon verse “The Seafarer,” “The Wanderer,” and “The Wife’s Lament” are lyric poems that mourn the loss of someone or something; such a poem is called an elegy.

PART IV: Literary Elements in Anglo-Saxon Verse

On the test, you will be asked to identify in “The Wife’s Lament” examples of caesuras, point-of-view, kennings, alliteration, and personification. You also must know that the repetition of vowel sounds in unrhymed, stressed syllables is called assonance; an example of assonance would be “batter these ramparts.” Be sure that you know the definitions of these literary terms and how to spell them. Use Page 17 of your course textbook to study these terms.

PART V: Evaluation… Short Essay

You will be asked to write a short essay (10 sentences or more) addressing the concept of cultural values in an Old English narrative epic. For examples, Anglo-Saxons in the area of the world that is now considered the British Isles valued heroes’ actions, fate over free will, Christianity, and good triumphing over evil. Try to remember such values, as well as parts of the Beowulf story that serve as examples of these values. Use the strategies we studied earlier this year (present-tense verbs, using words from the question, avoiding first-person and second-person references, etc.) in thoroughly answering a prompt; be sure to include a thesis statement (modeled on the essay prompt) early in your response. Make sure that when you refer to the epic Beowulf, you underline the title to show that it should be italicized; in contrast, when you refer to the warrior-hero Beowulf and not to the title of the epic (both are called Beowulf), you should not underline the name.