Study Guide: Beowulf, Anglo-Saxons & Old English

Beowulf

  1. How does Beowulf slay Grendel? Why is the method important?
  2. What does Beowulf carry into battle with him when he fights Grendel’s mother? Which piece of his proves to be the most useful?
  1. Why does the author of Beowulf spend so much time setting up the genealogy of Hrothgar and Grendel? What are the respective genealogies?
  1. Why is Hrothgar considered a more charismatic leader than his fathers and grandfathers before him?
  1. What is the most important feat Beowulf completes for his people? What does it say about him as a leader?
  1. Who is Wiglaf and why is he important to the story of Beowulf?
  2. How does Beowulf die?
  3. What are the monsters in Beowulf symbols of?
  4. What is the hoarded treasure of the dragon a symbol of?
  5. Describe the burial rituals of Danes and Geats? What does it say about their cultural values?

Literary Focus: Epic Hero, Caesura, Alliteration, Kennings

  1. Be able to define and identify caesuras, alliteration, and kennings.
  2. What are the characteristics of the epic and of the epic hero cycle?
  3. How does Beowulf, the character, fit the epic hero cycle?
  4. How does Beowulf, the epic poem, fit the characteristics of the epic?
  5. How were epics passed from one generation to the next?

Literary History

  1. What are the period dates of the Anglo-Saxons?
  2. Who are the settlers and invaders of the British Isle shortly before, during and after the Anglo-Saxon period?
  1. What does each group contribute to the culture and society of the British people?
  2. What forces helped to unite the people of England? (one person, one religion)
  3. Who is the Venerable Bede and why is he important to the English People?
  4. What is fatalism?
  5. How did the Anglo-Saxons believe one could achieve immortality?
  6. What were the primary values of the Anglo-Saxons?
  7. Before the rise of Christianity, what was the dominant ideology? What gods were of utmost importance?
  1. What is the primary language of the Anglo-Saxon era? Who introduced it?
  2. What languages also influenced Old English? How?
  3. Who was in charge of remembering the stories, history and genealogy of the people?

Vocabulary

  1. Be able to define and use accurately the vocabulary words on your study guide.
  2. Understand the differences between pre-fixes, affixes, and suffixes.
  3. What is etymology?
  4. Be able to identify the language of origin of the following words: father, dismal, monster, king, sword, warrior, wife.

Essay Questions--50 points

Listed below are the potential essay questions for your Beowulf & Anglo-Saxons exam. You should gather your resources (novels, study guides, lecture notes), review texts, and even sketch out an outline as part of your prepared response for each essay. On the day of the exam, I will assign to you one essay at random. You will be allowed to use notes and/or the text to help you form your response. Please remember that because I am giving you the questions in advance and because it is open book and open note, I EXPECT HIGH QUALITY ESSAYS. That means you will have:

  • A thesis statement (which you will underline)
  • Clear topic sentences
  • Supportive quotations w/appropriate citations (2 per essay-minimum)
  • Explanations as to HOW those quotations support your point
  • A conclusion
  • Clear organization
  • Few to no grammatical mistakes

Genre Study: The Epic and its Hero

The Epic is an extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes of its epic hero, and it is written in a high style. To understand the genre and the patterns it follows, it is important to recognize and apply the traits of the epic and of the epic hero cycle to a literary work—in our case, Beowulf.

  1. Describe the characteristics of the Epic and how those characteristics apply to the story of Beowulf. Be sure to include specific referencesto the story to support each characteristic and explain how those examples fit those characteristics.
  1. Describe the Epic Hero Cycle and how it applies to the character of Beowulf. Be sure to include specific references to the story to support each part of the cycle, and explain how those examples fit those characteristics.

Symbolism in Literature

All epic heroes overcome powerful forces that arise from their particular ways of life. Modern heroes may conquer the unknowns of outer-space or bring food or medicine to hungry people. The Anglo-Saxon hero slew monsters. Of course, monsters exist only in fantasy. But a monster may be a symbol for some broader problem or challenge a society faces.

  1. What challenges of Anglo-Saxon life are represented by the monsters Beowulf faces? Address specifically what each monster (Grendel, Grendel’s Mother and the Dragon) in Beowulf may have represented. Use examples from the text and your knowledge of Anglo-Saxon life to support your answer.

Historical Influences

The early Britons were influenced by many peoples and cultures that invaded their lands. The Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes and Christians were all major influences of the resulting culture. However, in the epic of Beowulf, the most obvious examples of influence are the Anglo-Saxons and the Christians.

  1. Explain howthe Anglo-Saxons AND the Christians influence the epic of Beowulf. Then provide specific examples (minimum of 1 per influence) from the story that support your assertions, making sure to explain how your example showcases its specific influence.

Genre Study: The Epic and its Hero

The Epic is an extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes of its epic hero, and it is written in a high style. To understand the genre and the patterns it follows, it is important to recognize and apply the traits of the epic and of the epic hero cycle to a literary work—in our case, Beowulf.

  1. Describe the characteristics of the Epic and how those characteristics apply to the story of Beowulf. Be sure to include specific referencesto the story to support each characteristic and explain how those examples fit those characteristics.

Genre Study: The Epic and its Hero

The Epic is an extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes of its epic hero, and it is written in a high style. To understand the genre and the patterns it follows, it is important to recognize and apply the traits of the epic and of the epic hero cycle to a literary work—in our case, Beowulf.

  1. Describe the Epic Hero Cycle and how it applies to the character of Beowulf. Be sure to include specific references to the story to support each part of the cycle, and explain how those examples fit those characteristics.

Symbolism in Literature

All epic heroes overcome powerful forces that arise from their particular ways of life. Modern heroes may conquer the unknowns of outer-space or bring food or medicine to hungry people. The Anglo-Saxon hero slew monsters. Of course, monsters exist only in fantasy. But a monster may be a symbol for some broader problem or challenge a society faces.

  1. What challenges of Anglo-Saxon life are represented by the monsters Beowulf faces? Address specifically what each monster (Grendel, Grendel’s Mother and the Dragon) in Beowulf may have represented. Use examples from the text and your knowledge of Anglo-Saxon life to support your answer.

Historical Influences

The early Britons were influenced by many peoples and cultures that invaded their lands. The Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes and Christians were all major influences of the resulting culture. However, in the epic of Beowulf, the most obvious examples f influences are the Anglo-Saxons and the Christians.

  1. Explain howthe Anglo-Saxons AND the Christians influence the epic of Beowulf. Then provide specific examples (minimum of 1 per influence) from the story that support your assertions, making sure to explain how your example showcases its specific influence.