Beowulf

Characters and plot

• Describe how you see the relationships between the warriors and their lord in Beowulf.

• What qualities should a king possess?

• Who is Scyld? Where does he come from? Where does he go? What does he do? Why does the poem begin here, rather than with Hrothgar and Grendel?

• Who is Beowulf? Describe Beowulf's character. How do you compare him with Hrothgar as the king?  How do you contrast the young and old Beowulf? Prepare quotes from the text.

• Evaluate whether Beowulf is an Epic Hero.

• Discuss whether Beowulf fulfills the Anglo-Saxon Earthly Virtues. They are: Bravery, Loyalty, Generosity, Friendship.

• Discuss whether Wiglaf / Hrothgar is an Epic Hero and fulfills the Anglo-Saxon Earthly Virtues.

• Who is Unferth, and why is he so hostile to Beowulf? Why is he allowed to speak that way?

• What significance does "treasure" have to kings and warriors?  In Beowulf's last speeches, he will again touch on the importance of treasure. Why is treasure important?

• What is the status of gold and gift-giving in the poem? Who gives gifts, who receives them, and why? Are the modern concepts of wealth, payment, monetary worth and greed appropriate for the world of Beowulf?

• Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, Grendel’s mother – what do the female characters in Beowulf do? Do they offer alternatives perspectives on the heroic world (so seemingly centered around male action) of the poem? Discuss Wealthow’s position in society.

Christian and Pagan elements

• Give some examples of the Christian elements in Beowulf. Find passages in which it is clear that the monks who transcribed the tale added their own Christian viewpoint to the story. What biblical events are mentioned, and who mentions them? How do the characters see their relationship to God (or the gods)?

• Give some examples of the pagan (non-Christian) elements in Beowulf. What specifically pagan practices (sacrifice, burial, augury, etc.) are described?

• Which influence is stronger in Beowulf, the pagan or the Christian?

• Look at the religious references in the poem: what are the names for God? Why would a Christian author write a poem about a pagan hero?

• Does the heroic code expressed in Beowulf conflict with a Christian sensibility?

Two worlds in Beowulf:

• Building of Heoroth – centre of heroic world; its things – weapons (named), pieces of furniture, decorations; Trace the history of the hall Heorot – why was it built, what happened within its walls, how and by whom was it destroyed?

• Grendel’s home and way to it.

Heroic feasts as a ritual action:

• Feast of Hrothgar;

• Feast in the Geats’ place (1975);

• Feast of the Frisians;

• Following a feast or a happy event, the poet always foretells a disaster or a war and vice versa.   What do you think about the purpose of this arrangement?

Models of behavior:

• guests sit according to their position;

• king gives gifts (1192—1201);

• queen appears (614—630, 1980—1983);

• songs and what songs were about (89—98, 497, 867—880, 1063—1070), (150—160);

• притча Хродгара о губительной силе власти (1724);

• oral battle: словесный поединок (from 500).

Battles of Beowulf. Rituals. Narration.

• Battle with Grendel, feast of Grendel in Heoroth – destroying the world;

• Battle with Grehndel’s mother;

• Last battle of Beowulf. Where does the dragon come from? Why does he attack the Geats? Is the dragon a greater or lesser threat than Grendel? Why does Beowulf go to fight him?

• Does Beowulf's funeral remind you of anything at the beginning of the poem?

• When Beowulf dies, does he go to Heaven?

• Choose a dichotomy that is present throughout the poem and explain its significance to each of the three battles.

Example: good/evil – clearly, Beowulf fights for good and Grendel, his mother and the dragon for evil. Are you sure that the dragon really fights for evil? What symbols, allusions and images connect Beowulf with good and his opponents with evil?

Other ideas are: light/dark, heaven/hell, powerful/weak, brave/fearful.

• What are some of the differences between the poet’s world and that of the characters in the poem? What are the continuities between these worlds? Is there irony in our vision of this past age? How does the poet create a distance between the characters and himself – and how does he express their own sense of a distant past?

• Why are there so many stories-within-the-story in the poem? What is the relation between these so-called “digressions” and the main narrative in Beowulf?

Genre

Think why «Beowulf» is close / not close to:

• a fairy-tale;

• chronicle

• Mixture of different historical epochs showing stability of heroic world;

• Time perspective.

• Is Beowulf an epic? What sort of social order produces “epic” poetry? What values does the poem promote, and how does it promote them? What sorts of conflicts with or resistances to the ideology of epic can be expressed? What sorts are found within the poem itself?

Poetic features

• Alliterative poem

Bore it bitterly he who bided in darkness [b]

Twelve-winters' time torture suffered [t]

Soul-crushing sorrow not seldom in private [s]

Sat the king in his council, conference held they [k]

Heard in his home: of heroes then living, [h]

Give your own examples of alliteration.

• Give at least two example of each synecdoche, metonymy, and litotes from the text of the poem. Point out at least three kennings in the text.

Charming sounds of Old English: Prologue to “Beowulf” with video and subtitles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L7VTH8ii_8

Enjoy the song dedicated to “Beowulf” and Old English Poetry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiBaSqO7n9U&feature=youtu.be

Have some fun and watch “Beowulf in 2 1/2 minutes” project:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/579570