·        Beowulf by an unknown author is a heroic epic written in alliterative verse.

·        It was written in approximately 1,000 A.D.

·        It is written in Old English but has been translated many times in many different languages.

·        A third person narrator tells the story about Pagan times (not Muslim, Christian, or Jewish)

·        The tone is a combination of doom and enthusiasm.

·        The story is set around 500 A.D. The earlier section of Beowulf talks about things that have happened much earlier.

·        The beginning of the poem talks of the funeral of Shield Sheafson who is a relative of Hrothgar which foreshadows the death of Grendel. 

·        The characters talk about things that have happened while the narrator often foreshadows and talks about things of the future.

·        There are really three separate books within the story – Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, with Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.  Each of these separate books ends with a funeral. 

·        The mead hall was the center of the action.  It was the place where soldiers could kick back and relax. 

·        Epic heroes become the society that they are a part of. 

·        As our section opens, the poet is singing songs about the creation of things.

·        A moor is a broad open area of land that is poorly drained and contains patches of bogs.

·        The Geats are Germanic (an ancestor of those speaking German) people of southern Sweden who were conquered by the Swedes in the 6^th century.

·        A Dane is a person from Denmark.

·        Grendel taking over Herot Hall is one of the main central conflicts and part of the rising action of the entire poem.

·        The creation of Grendel is an allusion to the Bible and the story of Cain and Abel.  Cain murdered Abel over a sacrifice. 

·        Grendel’s murder of the men in the hall was somewhat premeditated.  The fact that Grendel thought about what the men would do shows that the monster was smart.  Also, Grendel struck at night

·        Hrothgar is the King of Denmark and moans the death and destruction that Grendel causes to Hrothgar’s great warriors. 

·        Grendel came back for the rest of the men, but all had fled. 

·        Herot Hall stood vacant for twelve years.

·        In all of Grendel’s vicious acts, Grendel never once touched Hrothgar’s throne because he felt it was protected by God. 

·        Lines 79-89 are included to show how desperately the Danes needed a hero like Beowulf.

·        Ironically, Hrothgar can’t help but hope that even the Devil himself could help to defeat one of his own. 

·        It appears that the writer doesn’t approve of these “heather” vows

·        Chivalry is the sum of all of the qualities of a knight – courtesy, generosity, valor and dexterity in arms.  It is the code of honor followed by knights.

·        The mail shirt worn by Beowulf was composed up of as many as 20,000 iron rings welded shut.  It was the main form of body armor until the 14^th century.

·        Beowulf’s uncle was the strongest of all the Geats.  In lines 109 -116, we see how Beowulf displays the heroic qualities of noble heritage, unsurpassed strength, strong leadership, and the ability to make quick decisions.

·        Beowulf decides to take a ship to see if he could help the Danes in any way.  

·        His fellow countrymen (the Geats) supported him.

·        Hrothgar has heard of Beowulf and considers what he heard to be a good omen. 

·        Beowulf is believed to be the right man for the job because he has killed many enemies, chased giants away from the earth, and fought monsters in the ocean. 

·        Beowulf’s tone when speaking to Hrothgar is one of respect and praise for Hrothgar’s kingdom.

·        Beowulf asks permission to fight Grendel using only the men that he has brought with him and his bare hands.

·        Beowulf does not want to have an unfair advantage over Grendel who does not use weapons.  This is a show of bravery and respect for Hrothgar who has lost many men to the monstor.

·        Beowulf believes that fate will determine whether he wins or loses. 

·        He says that Hrothgar will not have to worry about a funeral for Beowulf if he loses because there will not be a body left to bury. 

·        In line 191-207 Hrothgar might be pointing out that Beowulf is returning a favor to the Danes and Hrothgar. 

·        In lines 191-224, we see the differences in Hrothgar who was once a noble man but now appears to be old and weak.  His grief shows that he was a compassionate ruler. 

·        Once the deal was made, men from both sides drank and celebrated Beowulf.

·        Unferth spoke to Hrothgar about a swimming match with Beowulf and Brecca.  In a way, Unferth seemed jealous and talked about how Beowulf was encouraged not to swim, but was too prideful and boastful to listen.

·        Unferth challenged Beowulf’s bravery as he lost the swimming battle with Brecca.  Beowulf struggles for seven days just to survive. 

·        Beowulf tries to explain that he and Brecca were just young and foolish, and that he was swimming for any particular cause, he was simply swimming for a competition.

·        Beowulf says that he tried to stay close to Brecca because he was not as good of a swimmer this is an example of the hero characteristic of compassion and bravery.

·        His mail shirt saved him death during the competition as he had to fight a monster while out to sea.  In all, Beowulf killed nine animals.

·        As Beowulf describes the battle with the monsters, his does so in in a very nonchalant manner as if this battle was no big deal.

·        A motif is a common recurring theme or idea.  In Beowulf, a challenge made to a hero by an inferior person is a common motif is an epic poem.  This builds suspense as Beowulf questions whether or not Beowulf can win.

·        In epic poems, having a big feast is a recurring element that happens before going into battle. 

·        Beowulf suggests that Grendel might not attack if Unferth and the Danes were strong enough to fight him.

·        Beowulf has the final say when he tells Unferth that he is destined for hell because he killed his brothers.

·        In lines 364 -370, Beowulf shows dedication and bravery vowing to honor the Danes or die trying.

·        Hrogthgar promises Beowulf wealth and riches when he arrives successful

 

The Battle with Grendel

·        In lines 391-395 we see how Grendel is the opposite of an epic hero when we read about him coming from God’s hatred.

·        In regards to Anglo-Saxon culture, many poems show demonstrate courage over living a long life, feasting, storytelling and music, viewing life as fatal (even with Christianity), admiring strength over intelligence, and valuing  loyalty to the king.

·        When Grendel approaches Herot he is eager and enthused to attack the hall because it had been awhile since he had seen such a feast.

·        “Sheppard of evil” is a kenning in reference to Grendel.   A kenning is a metaphor that is made out of a compound noun – wave traveler is a boat;  raven harvest is a corpse; sleep of the sword is a kenning for death;  moons of the forehead is a kenning for eyes

·        Beowulf clutched Grendel and crushed his claws until they cracked. 

·        Grendel knew that Herot was not the same. He wanted to run, but couldn’t.

·        We know that Beowulf is stronger than the Danes because Grendel cannot rip him apart.

·        Rather than let Grendel run off, Beowulf knows that he must slay Grendel in order to properly protect the town.

·        The description of how the hall shook and rattled showed how tough the battle was.

·        Grendel has put a spell on all weapons so that the weapons cannot harm him.

·        The battle represents a battle between good and evil, and humanities and virtues verses hatred and darkness.

·        After defeating Grendel, Beowulf displayed his arm from the rafters of Herot.

·        Grendel sank down to the bottom of the lake (to his lair) where he bled to death.  The boiling water of the lake and the rising blood was meant to represent the fiery pits of hell.

·        As this chapter ends, Beowulf has shown that he is a true epic hero in the fact that he has kept his promise and achieved new glory.

·        Grendel’s mother arrives and retrieves Grendel’s arm from the rafters and takes Hrothgar’s closest friend. 

·        Right before Beowulf goes to the bottom of the lake, Beowulf is again promised wealth and riches if he is successful.

·          We are reminded that Beowulf is no ordinary man when he goes to the bottom of the lake which takes hours.  No ordinary man can do this.  Also he is covered in a protective light. 

·        Hrunting is the name of Beowulf’s sword.  Beowulf tried to behead her, but his sword was useless.

·        “The iron sang” is a metaphor used to describe the sound of Beowulf’s sword.

·        The climax of the poem takes place in the battle with Grendel’s mother where tension are very high.

·        She bit holes in his helmet which had not failed him in many years.

·        Just as it seemed that Beowulf would be defeated he overtook the monster and threw her to the floor. She overtook him again, she tried to use a sword on him, but his mail shirt dulled the blade. 

·        Beowulf then regained his superhuman strength and saw sword hanging on the wall that had been blessed with the magic of the giants.  The sword was so heavy that no ordinary man could lift it.

·        Beowulf stabbed Grendel’s mother through the neck with all his might.

·        After defeating Grendel’s mother, Beowulf used the bright light and his still angry heart to locate Grendel where with a single blow beheads him in honor of all the Danes who died in Herot Hall.

·        Violence is essential in creating a hero’s image because the hero is defined by his valor in battle.  The hero is celebrated for his ruthlessness and ability to destroy enemies.

 

Part Two – The Final Battle

·        Beowulf gives Hrothgar Grendel’s head and returns to Geatland where he becomes king.  Fifty winters go by.

·        Grendel must face his final challenge where he must face a dragon.

·        This dragon has a stash of gold and someone has stolen a jeweled cup from the pile which has angered the dragon.  The dragon is threatening Geatland.

·        The thief takes Beowulf and 11 warriors to the dragon’s lair.

·        In Beowulf’s last speech before his battle, Beowulf seems does not seem as confident or brash / reckless

·        Beowulf is willing to battle to the death in order to protect his people.  He no longer is fighting for glory or valor.  He now shows maturity and selflessness.

·        The dragon is an archetype.  A creature from the depths of earth who uses flames to dominate.

·        The dragon recognized the human voice and appeared from behind the rock.

·        Beowulf’s shield is not enough to protect him and fate denies him the victory.

·        The words “final day” in lines 723-725 foreshadow Beowulf’s fate.

·        Beowulf takes his sword to protect him from the dragon’s flames and venom.

·        Beouwlf’s heirloom sword has failed him for the first time – another example of fate abandoning him. 

·        Beowulf’s men see that Beowulf is losing and they fear for their lives because they have no chance.  They decide to run to the woods in hopes they will never be found.

·        Wiglaf, a well known warrior comes to the aid of Beowulf.

·        Wiglaf remembers all of the wealth that the king had given him.

·        All epic heroes have a fatal flaw that leads to their demise.  Beowulf’s flaw appears to be that he puts too much faith in the idea that his warriors will back him up.

·        Wiglaf appears to be replacing Beowulf as the epic hero even though he is not boastful.  He also gives a marvelous speech to try to get his companions to help out.

·        In Anglo-Saxon times, it was important to remember a person in the afterlife and give them a proper remembrance after death.

·        Beowulf and Wiglaf kill the dragon but Beowulf is fatally wounded.

·        Wiglaf finds the dragon’s riches.

·        The ultimate role of the epic hero is to leave something lasting to to his people.  Beowulf leaves his people wealth and selfless courage.

·        The death of Beowulf shows a passage of duties (to Wiglaf).

·        Beowulf gives Wiglaf a golden collar, a war shirt, and a gilded(highlighted or covered in gold) helmet

·        Beowulf asks that a barrow (a large mound placed over a burial site) be created that can be seen by far off ships.

·        The mound is made with Beowulf’s ashes and the dragon’s treasures. 

·        The oral tradition and the mead hall are two other motifs seen in the poem. 

·        The two most important themes are the differences between a good king and a good warrior and the search for identity.  Other themes include heroism, blood feuds, Pagan versus Christian beliefs, isolation and loneliness, duty and responsibility, and appearance and reality.