Beowulf

1. Beowulf Review

2. Hrothgar • King of the Danes • Built his mead hall – Hall of the Hart – Heorot • Hart – stag was a symbol of Germanic kingship. • Pun – Hart – Heart – king loved his people • Page 11 -Lines 54-55 – Comitatus; king shared all he had with loyal thanes • Alliteration – “h” lines 54-55 hall rose high and horn-gabled, holding its place – image of heaven. Mead hall given heavenly respect, honor

3. COMITATUS • Comitatus is the basic idea that everyone protects the king at all costs even if it means a warrior giving up his own life. • If a king is killed, the warriors must avenge the death of the king or they can no longer serve as warriors for the next king. • Notice how there is the motif of eating, sleeping, dying all the way through the text, and all of it is done as a "team" even to the passing of the cup uniting the group of warriors. • They stayed in the meadhall while the king slept in an adjoining "apartment" so they could constantly protect him.

4. Grendel • Evil spirit • Darkness • Seed of Cain • Cain murders his brother Abel and is driven into the wilderness by God. Legend states that his offspring included monsters, cannibalistic trolls, elves, goblins. • Nature is diabolical from a Christian point of view. • Dwells in the outer darkness • Norse mythology – draugar – animated corpses; roam about at night wreaking vengeance. Supernaturally strong and invulnerable; has a mother called a ketta, or “she-cat” who is more monstrous than the son. • Poet refers to the paganistic idea of monsters, and the like with the Christian story of Cain and Abel

5. Grendel- alliteration of his character Page 11---Line 63 -“w” (wicked) Lines 70 – 73 – “b”, “m”, and “g”; (blood; monsters; goblins; giants ( “etans” cannibal-like trolls) – battle with God Lines 75-86 “ • “w” – weary; “f” – fierce; “g” – gore; “d” - death • Physical ugliness of Grendel = ugliness of man without God….Attack paganistic beliefs • Evil of Grendel = evil of Satan -- difference Satan takes our soul with deceit; Grendel devours our temporal life • Attacks for twelve years

6. EPIC HERO • The most important element is the hero. The hero of an epic is a human being with characteristics a society admires and often wishes to emulate. • The hero is male, attractive, and unusually strong and able. • He is a trained soldier or warrior and believes in and follows the code of honor for which he is willing to sacrifice his life. • He fights for the noble cause: those who cannot defend themselves, usually women and children; the preservation of a society; honor; and the noble way of life.

7. EPIC HERO • The hero is considered better in most respects than the common man. • However, the hero is also in many ways the same as the ordinary man. • He has the same longings and desires as any man might have: the desire to be beloved and respected by his own people; the desire for some degree of wealth or material comfort; the desire for a family with children, especially sons like himself; the desire to stand out above his fellow human beings in some way; the desire not to being shame to himself or his family in any way. • The hero also hopes that the divine will favor him and his cause.

8. EPIC HERO • The Epic Hero is a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society. • An epic hero is superhuman. He is braver, stronger, smarter, and cleverer than an ordinary person • The epic hero is on a quest for something of great value to him or to his people • The villains who try to keep the hero from his quest are usually uglier, more evil, and more cunning than anyone we know in ordinary life

9. The Coming of Beowulf • Epic characteristics – lines 133 – 134 • Kenning – line 136 – swan-road = ocean • Lines 145 – 161  • Beowulf and his men are coming to “save the Danes” • Simile – line 154  • Line 168 • Hrothgar’s thane on watch • Line 180 • Beowulf is recognized as an epic hero • Line 192

10. Epic Hero • Beowulf speaks • Long-winded speeches – epic hero characteristic • Remembers Hrothgar’s kindness to his father • Personification • Page 14 • Line 224 • Boar was sacred to the Norse god Frey, a desperate fighter • Germanic tribesmen used the boar’s head as a magical decoration for their helmets • Line 234 • Guard may be a Christian Dane

11. Beowulf Epic Hero Characteristics L 283 – Hrothgar knows Beowulf, through his father; Hrothgar had saved Beowulf’s father years ago, by paying his “wergild”. • He recognizes Beowulf as an epic hero – “his hand-grip has thirty men’s strength. God, in His mercy, has sent him to save us”-- Some hint of Hrothgar’s possible Christian beliefs.  • Page 17 – 18--Beowulf Tells Hrothgar of his mighty feats…He is here to save them – Not arrogant; factual as to his capabilities. Lines 320-347.

12. More…. • Beowulf will kill Grendel with his bare hands; he has that much confidence in his own strength. • Line 345 - 361….Beowulf demonstrates Christian beliefs in God mixed with pagan beliefs in the Fates….It may be his “fate” to die, but it will be God’s will for him to live or die. 

13. Unferth • Page 18 – 19 --Unferth – Hrothgar’s “favorite” at the time; very jealous of the “new kid” Beowulf. Discussion of swim match that Beowulf lost • Lines 410 - 457  • Beowulf admits losing the match, but it was because of the monsters in the sea that he had to destroy, thus protecting future sailors from the creatures of the sea. Attacks Unferth’s loyalty, in that he committed the most heinous crime of “fratricide” ; he will surely be condemned to Hell for killing his brother and breaking the code of comitatus.

14. Beowulf vs Grendel • Image of Grendel – hated by God; pure evil • Weapons can not harm Grendel. Beowulf tears Grendel’s arm off at the shoulder and hangs it from the rafters. Grendel escapes, though he is mortally wounded. Celebration in Herot. Grendel’s retreat to the lake is traced, boiling with Grendel’s blood. Hrothgar praises Beowulf. Beowulf wishes he had been able to kill Grendel in the hall and keep the monster from escaping.

15. Grendel’s Home • Page 22 – Lines 656 – 665 – Image of Grendel’s home = HELL • Page 23 Lines 718-719 • Unferth’s attitude has changed; more humble; understands the greatness of Beowulf •  Lines 744-755 • Hrothgar’s promise – comitatus – rewards beyond belief to Beowulf for his bravery and killing of Grendel

16. Mommy’s Coming • Page 28 - 30 • Grendel’s mother comes to Herot to avenge Grendel. She kills Aescher, Hrothgar’s long time friend. Beowulf again agrees to avenge Aescher’s death. At the lake, Aescher’s severed head is on the rock. Unferth gives Beowulf his sword, Hrunting, and Beowulf dives into the lake after Grendel’s mom. Grendel’s mom is also impervious to weapons. Hrunting is useless. Beowulf finds a sword made by giants. He kill Grendel’s mom with it and severs Grendel’s head.

17. Man vs Woman • Page 28 • Lines 797 – 799 – foreshadowing; thane will die –Aeschere • Lines 820 – 825 – poet’s discussion on the weakness of women shown through the fact that Grendel’s mom can only snatch one thane and run away. • Page 29; Mom’s home: Pit of Hell – Lines 875-884; animals would rather die than drink from the lake.

18. Battle #2 Over • Page 32 - Hrothgar believes that Beowulf is dead; goes home. Beowulf’s men stay by the lake, hoping and waiting. • Lines 1095-1098 Beowulf rises from “the dead”. Holding the monster’s head and the precious hilt blazing with gems; blade dissolved. Super strength of epic hero. •  Lines 1130 – 1140 -- Hrunting was of no use; Beowulf remains silent about it. Thanks to God for showing him the giant’s sword and helping him kill mom.

19. Christianity & 50 years later • Gives credit to God and humility  • Beowulf offers the magic sword’s hilt to Hrothgar; Hrothgar warns Beowulf against pride and selfishness. Beowulf and his men go home. • Page 37 – 42--Beowulf now king of the Geats – 50 years later • Servant steals gold chalice from treasure being guarded by dragon. • Dragon looks for the servant, can’t find him; wants revenge; begins to destroy Geatland.

20. Contrast Reasons • Think of the different reasons that Grendel kills and the dragon kills. Is either of them right? Wrong? • Page 38 – lines1393 – reference to the dragon being a “worm”. The image of a snake is one of evil and Satan. A worm is a problem, but not necessarily evil. The poet calls the dragon a worm several times to make this point.

21. Last Battle • Line 1436 -1438 – Beowulf prepares for battle; shield must be of metal, because fire will destroy a wooden shield. • Page 39 – Lines 1470 – 1474 - Beowulf realizes that he will probably die, because he is so old; but, still maintains epic hero qualities and the sense of comitatus. 

22. Death of Beowulf • Page 40 – Wiglaf – only thane who truly follows comitatus. Stays with Beowulf through fight and death of dragon. All other thanes run for the forests – cowards. This will come back to haunt them; their refusal to follow code of comitatus will follow their descendants. • Page 44-45 – Beowulf dies; Wiglaf is now king; Beowulf has no heir, gives ring as sign of rule of the land to Wiglaf.  Wiglaf admonishes the Geats for their desertion of Beowulf. In honor of their king, the Geats build a pyre for Beowulf.