When planning to do all these questions we( Lizbeth, Rocio, Michelle,
Socorro, Rosa, and Ruth) decided to go about it as a group assignment
using the internet to communicate. When one couldn't figure out an
answer we all helped each other find/understand it. However, I knew I'd
be busy this weekend and decided to go ahead and do majority of the
questions Friday night and then the rest with the group Sunday.
[Prologue:
The Rise of the Danish Nation] (Lines 1-85, pp. 33-34)
1. Realize that this prologue introduces the Danes,
not Beowulf or his people the Geats. What was unusual about the way Shield came
to be ruler of the Danes? What was his funeral like? What relation is Hrothgar
to Shield?
-Unlike Hrothgar, Shield became king because he had
the ability to take down the enemies. Hrothgar became king through wealth. When
Shield died the Danes buried him and his treasures in the sea. Hrothgar happens
to be Shield’s grandson
[Heorot is Attacked] (lines 86-188, pp.
34-36)
1.
Grendel, the monster, attached thirty warriors while they were asleep and ran
home with their bodies for a couple of nights. This devastated the Danes and
the sorrow soon spread overseas.
-What
magnificent work did Hrothgar undertake? Who attacked it, and with what result?
How long did the attacks last? What was the response of the Danes?
[The Hero Comes to Heorot] (Lines 189-490, pp. 36-42)
1. What
does Beowulf do when he hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel?
-When
Beowulf hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel, he immediately rounded up a
boat and his bravest men to go were there help was needed. (Denmark)
2. Whom
do the Geats first meet when they arrive in Denmark? What does he do, and what
do they do?
-When the
Geats first arrive in Denmark, the meet Hrothgar’s lieutenant who was
patrolling along the cliffs. He questioned the Geats to figure out why they
were there and warned them no one passes without permission or a password/sign.
They then replied they were there to save the Danes from the monster.
3. They next meet Hrothgar's herald. Who is he?
What does he tell them? What does he tell Hrothgar? What does Hrothgar respond?
Are you surprised that Hrothgar knows Beowulf so well?
-Hrothgar's herald interrogates the Geats about
where they've come from and what they're doing. He's impressed by their mighty
appearance. Hrothgar is thrilled the men are there to help which is strange
because he doesn’t know them to well yet is letting them on the land.
4. What
does Beowulf tell Hrothgar when he enters? What did Hrothgar do for Beowulf's
father?
-Beowulf
tells Hrothgar that his men follow Higlac. (King of Geats) Hrothgar knew
Beowulf’s father because he was a famous soldier known as a leader of men.
[Feast at Heorot] (Lines 491-661, pp.
42-46)
1. What does Unferth accuse Beowulf of? How does
Beowulf answer him? How is this episode relevant to the poem as a whole? What
does Beowulf accuse Unferth of?
-Unferth accuses Beowulf of losing a swimming match
and will once again have to have defeat with Grendel. Beowulf retaliates by
accusing Unferth of drunkenness and describes what happen in the swimming
match. This is relevant because Unferth may indeed be correct; Beowulf would
have met defeat again if it wasn’t for Wiglaf.
2. What is Queen Wealhtheow doing during the
feasting?
-At the feast she offers drinks to all the men
present. She distributes food and drink, and also strives for goodwill and
peace.
[The Fight with Grendel] (Lines 662-835,
pp. 46-49)
1. Heroic
poetry normally has a scene in which the hero arms for battle. What is
different about Beowulf's preparations for his fight with Grendel?
-Beowulf
prepares for battle differently than any other heroic poetry scene. He doesn’t
do much preparing. He is more anxious to get rid of the monster. He was
prepared however to fight without a sword.
2. What
happens when Grendel enters Heorot? How does Beowulf fight with him? What
happens when Grendel tries to leave? Does Grendel escape? What does he leave
behind?
-When Grendel
enters Heorot, he became furious searching for the warriors until he found them
and kills one Geat. While fighting the monster, Beowulf uses his bare hands. Grendel
does escape, however; he somehow managed to leave behind his arm.
[Celebration at Heorot] (Lines 836-1250,
pp. 49-60)
1.When the Danes and Geats return from following Grendel's tracks to the mere,
someone sings in Beowulf's presence, comparing him to Sigemund and saying that
he was not like Heremod (lines 883-914). How is Beowulf like Sigemund? How is
he not like Heremod? (Be alert for inserted stories such as this one. Beowulf
contains many of them, most much more complex that this one.)
-Beowulf is like Sigemund because he too killed many
monsters and was considered a great hero. Unlike Beowulf, Heremod didn't
protect his people that is why they are different.
2. How does Hrothgar respond to Beowulf's
deed? What does he offer to do for him? What does Unferth have to say now?
-Hrothgar responds by
making a speech and thanking Beowulf for killing the monster that haunted him.
He claims to now love Beowulf like a son and provide him with wealth and glory.
Unferth stayed silent as everyone saw the proof of Beowulf's power.
3. The singer sings of Finn during the feasting
(lines 1070-1158). The exact details of the Finn story are not clear, but in
general, what happens? What does it suggest about the wisdom of using a woman
as bride to heal enmity between tribes?
-It mentions someone getting slaughtered so I'm guessing that he was killed. It
also states 'her land' in the poem so I'm guessing they use women as a way of
sharing land or taking it over?
5. Wealhtheow gives Beowulf a large, broad
necklace. What later happens to it? What does Wealhtheow ask Beowulf to do?
-Later, Beowulf gives the necklace to his uncle
Hygelac, who wore it when he died in battle. Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to be good
to her sons, friendly and respectful to their king.
6. Why do so many men remain in the beer hall to
sleep? Why is it a mistake?
- They are there to guard and protect in case of
danger. It's a mistake because Grendel's Mother comes for revenge and takes one
of the men plus her son's arm.
BEOWULF AND GRENDEL'S MOTHER (lines
1251-2199, pp. 60-79)
[Another Attack] (lines 1251-1382, pp.
60-62)
1.Why has
Grendel's mother come to Heorot? Is it the same reason Grendel had?
-Grendel’s
mother comes to Heorot to seek revenge and take her sons claw back.
2. What is
Hrothgar's response? Whom has Grendel's mother killed?
-Hrothgar was
thankful that the Danes grief ended and the arm hanging was proof of victory.
He hoped that Beowulf can stop Grendel’s mother from destructing his town
again. Grendel’s mother killed Hrothgar’s closest friend
3.What sort of place is the mere?
-The mere is was under the water. It was full of
mud, water, and dark.
[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother] (Lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68)
1. How
does Beowulf tell Hrothgar to respond?
-Beowulf
agrees to fight again for the Danes. He feels it is an honor and the last
battle made him a bit more confident to do it.
2. What
happens at the mere before Beowulf enters it?
Before
Beowulf enters the mere, he sinks for hours going down in the water.
3. How
does Beowulf prepare for the battle? What sword does he take with him?
-Beowulf
prepared for battle by telling Hrothgar what his wishes are if he may die.
Beowulf took his ring-marked blade.
4. What happens when Beowulf enters the mere? What is surprising
about where Grendel and his mother live in the mere?
-When he finally lands, Grendel’s mother grabs him, but his armor
protects him. To me its not surprising that the monsters live in a dark place,
however; it is surprising that it takes half a day to get down there.
5. What happens to the sword Beowulf borrowed from
Unferth?
-Beowulf
strikes at Grendel’s mother with the
borrowed sword, Hrunting, but the blade has no effect and breaks
6. At one point Beowulf is on the floor, with
Grendel's mother sitting on him and drawing her knife. How does Beowulf escape?
-Beowulf escapes Grendel’s mother by having the
strength and faith to defeat her and using his strength to get off the ground.
7. How does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother? What
weapon does he use? What happens when she dies? What does Beowulf take with him
from her home? What happens to the sword he used to kill her?
-Beowulf drew a sword he seen hanging on her wall to
cut right through her neck and break all her bones. After her death the light shone very bright.
Beowulf beheaded Grendel and took it with him and half of what was left of the
sword. (The other half was in Grendel’s mother)
8. What happens when Beowulf returns to the
surface? Did his men expect him to return?
-When Beowulf returns from the surface nobody is there. They all had
suspected that Grendel’s mother had killed him.
[Further
Celebration at Heorot] (Lines 1651-1798,
pp. 68-71)
1. What does Beowulf give to Hrothgar?
-Beowulf
gives Hrothgar the sword of the giants, the one he used to defeat the
beasts.
2. What message does Hrothgar have for Beowulf? What and why does he tell us
about Heremod? Why and how did Heremod die? What lesson does Hrothgar teach
with the Heremod example?
-Hrothgar
tells Beowolf to seek virtue since Heremod was opposite in
personality and became too proud. He died because he didn't see the
signs the Gods were giving him. Hrothgar's lesson teaches to keep
your pride in check or else things will fail and the person will fall
as a result of it.
[Beowulf Returns Home] (Lines 1799-2199, pp. 71-79)
1. What future does Hrothgar predict for Beowulf?
-A
good future since he's strong in both body and mind.
2. Who is Hygd and why is she not like Modthryth?
-Hygd
is Hygelac's wife, she isn't like Modthryth mainly because Modthyrth
would have any man killed for looking at her in the face and that's
not how the queen now acts.
3. Beowulf reports to Hygelac that Hrothgar may marry his daughter Freawaru to
Ingeld. Why does he plan to do that? What does Beowulf expect the result will
be? (Remember the Finn story, lines 1070-1158.) How does Beowulf think the
peace will be broken? Is this the type of report we expected from the hero
Beowulf, or are we seeing a new side of him?
-
He expects for the wedding to go bad since there's a possibility that
someone might remember about the old feud and revive the violence. I
would expect something like this coming from Beowulf since he has
seen and been through a lot. The fact that he's gained knowledge
about others and their ways doesn't surprise this comment coming from
him.
4. How does Beowulf report about his own adventures? Does he report accurately
-How
I remember it, it does seem pretty accurate. Maybe he exaggerated on
some parts but that's only because the story is being repeated and
not everything is going to be exact.
5. What does Beowulf do with the treasure he was given? What does Hygelac give
him?
-Beowulf
offers his treasures to his Lord as a form of respect, but also gives
other treasures away to other people. Hygelac gives the most
glorious sword of the Geats to Beowulf, some land and a huge house.
BEOWULF AND THE DRAGON (lines 2200-3182,
pp. 79-99)
[The Dragon Wakes] (lines 2200-2509, pp. 79-86)
1.How much later does Part 2 take place? What kings have died in the meanwhile?
What danger now exists?
-It
was fifty years later and sadly King Hygelac and King Heardred have
died. A dragon now causes danger among Beowulf's land.
2. Why is the dragon angry? Why did the man take a cup? How did the treasure
come to be there in the first place? (The speech of the lone survivor, the one
who put the gold in the barrow, is in a typically Old English elegiac tone.
-The
dragon's angry because someone stole its treasure though the man only
took the cup because he was startled by the dragon and ran. The
treasure was left there by an ancient Lord who had lost everything
(companions) but the treasure itself.
3. What did the dragon destroy that evening?
-He
destroyed everything in sight as he searched for the thief.
4. Why does Beowulf think his home was burnt? Why does he order a new shield?
How will he fight this battle? What will happen to him?
-Beowulf
thinks that the Gods were punishing him for something he had done. He
orders a new shield because he has decided to go up against the
dragon but fight with only a few men by his side.
5. How did Hygelac die? (The description in lines 2354-2379 begins one of
several versions of Geatish history and Hygelac's death we will get.) What did
Beowulf do after Hygelac's death? What happened when he returned home? Did he
accept Hygd's offer to become king?
-Hygelac
died going up against a monster and after Beowulf swam through the
sea wearing 30 sets of armor. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf to become
king but instead he assisted and advised Heardred.
6. What happened to Hygelac's son Heardred? (That's the story in lines
2380-2390.) How did Beowulf plan to revenge Heardred's death (lines 2391-2396)?
-Hearded
was killed in battle after the Sweds came looking for the exciles,
but he avenged Heardred by killing Onela.
7. How many men accompany Beowulf as he goes to
meet the dragon?
-Fourteen of Beowulf’s bravest men accompany him to
fight the dragon.
8. What happened to Hygelac's oldest brother Herebeald? Who killed him? What
did this do to his father King Hrethel? (This passage, lines 2425-2509, is the
second account of Geatish history and of the death of Hygelac.) What happened
between the Swedes and Geats after Hrethel's death? What happened to Haethcyn?
How die Beowulf revenge Hygelac's death?
-His brother,
Heathcyn, accidentally killed Herebeald with an arrow which was a bad
scene for their father since he couldn't avenge the death. Then many
wars started between the Swedes and Geats and Haethcyn was killed in
combat. Beowulf fought by his side and was always in the front.
[Beowulf Attacks the Dragon] (Lines 2510-2820, pp. 86-92)
1. What does Beowulf tell his companions to do?
-Beowulf tells his companions to stay on top of the
barrow in safety, observing the fight rather than participating in it.
2. What happens the first time Beowulf and the
dragon fight? What do his companions do? How is Wiglaf different? What does he
tell the others? What does he then do?
-The first time Beowulf fights the dragon his
“brave” companions flee the scene. With the exception of Wiglaf. He reminded
the men they should have all repaid Beowulf then ran off to go help kill the
dragon
3. What happens the second time Beowulf meets the
dragon? What happens to Beowulf? Who kills the dragon?
-Beowulf’s sword fails
and makes him humiliated/ afraid for his life. The dragon hits Beowulf with
another blast of fire. Beowulf took the final swing but both men, Beowulf and
Wiglaf, killed the dragon.
4. What does the dying Beowulf ask Wiglaf to do? What
happens when Beowulf sees the gold? How does Beowulf want to be buried?
-Beowulf asks Wiglaf to get him the treasure so he may
see it. Then Beowulf thanks God for getting rid of the dragon.
He asks to be burned at the coastal headland and it be known as Beowulf’s
Barrow.
[Beowulf's Funeral] (Lines 2821-3182, pp. 92-99)
1. What happens when the companions return? What
does Wiglaf say to him? What does he expect will happen in the future?
-Wiglaf tells them that they will now lead a
shameful life, t would be better if they had died.
2. What does the messenger tell the city? (This passage, lines 2900-3027, is
the third account of the history of the Geats and the death of Hygelac. These
are the enemies that will attack the Geats when they learn of Beowulf's death.)
What happened overnight in Ravenswood after Ongentheow killed Haethcyn? What
happened the next morning? What happened to Ongentheow? What does the messenger
say to do with the gold? What is the final image (animal) of the messenger's
speech?
-The
messenger tells the city that Beowulf has been killed alongside the
dragon that lied dead too. He says chaos will emerge from this and
enemies will take advantage of their loss. Ongentheow's men
surrounded the Geats but then morning came and Hygelac's men saved
their kinsmen. Ongentheow was killed in battle and the men decide to
burn all the treasures with Beowulf's body. The final image (animal)
of the messanger's speech was a wolf.
3. What does Wiglaf tell the crowd that comes to see the dragon and Beowulf?
-To
build a memorial mound for Beowulf since he knew what he was getting
himself into but that didn't stop him from trying.
4. What happens to the dragon?
-It's
body was pushed off the cliff and into the sea.
5. What happens during and after the funeral celebration?
-During
the
funeral, Beowulf's body collapsed into the fire. They then build a
mound and buried the treasure within the mound, praising their Lord by
song.
6. What did the Geats say about Beowulf in the last three lines of the poem?
Are these the terms one would expect to be used to describe a military hero?
-They
mention his passing and how he excelled in his rule. For describing a
military hero, no since you're supposed to praise him through pride in
respect. Here, they glorified Beowulf through emotion and said he was
the most loving of all
kings
