Pre-Reading Notes

Beowulf

If you like action movies, you will probably like Beowulf.The hero has…

Amazing strengthCourageA ruthless villain (actually two)SuspenseSustained action

Am I going to like Beowulf?

The first English epicSelf-portrait of a cultureBeowulf himself…

Sword-wielding slayer of monstersUpholder of the rightWarrior-chieftain

Within the epic is recorded the dreams, aspiration, and fears of the culture

About Beowulf

Action takes place in 6th Century Scandinavia, the epic was originally told in Old English by Anglo-Saxons between 500-1100

Beowulf Story BackgroundBeowulf was a Geat (today a region in southern

Sweden)Aids Danish King Hrothgar against GrendelGrendel terrorized Hrothgar’s great banquet

hall (Mead Hall), Herot, for 12 yearsThis battle is the first of three mortal battles in

the poem

The Stuff of Legend

Oral TraditionTraveling minstrels called scops recited

poems as entertainmentPoems changed and grew as they were

passed from one scop to anotherBeowulf was told and retold for hundreds of

years11th Century it was written downGrew out of Scandinavian or Celtic folk tales

and specific details can be found in earlier tales

Forging an Epic

The poem creates a central reference for Anglo-Saxon culture by developing a unified tale and adding the influence of Christianity

An Anglo-Saxon could learn…Bravery and loyaltySpite and hatred are monstersHeroism conquers all

A Guide to Life

The only original manuscript of the complete 3,182-line poem is from Sir Robert Cotton’s collection of medieval manuscripts.

In 1731 the manuscript caught on fire and lost over 2000 letters from the edges

The Electronic Beowulf Project has preserved the manuscript electronically and it is available online

From Oral Tradition to Cyberspace

Theme: Good versus EvilEpic – a long narrative poem, sometimes developed

orally, that celebrates the deeds of a legendary or heroic figure.

One of the earliest forms of literatureHomer’s Iliad (Greek)Gilgamesh (Sumerian)

Common features:Hero battles forces that threaten the order of his worldStory is told in a serious manner, often in special, elevated

languageBeowulf specifically uses Anglo-Saxon literary devices

such as kennings and caesuras

The Epic

A larger than life character whose accomplishments are celebrated in traditional tales

Beowulf possesses:Boastful self-confidenceFeats of strengthVictories in battle

Beowulf upholds the values of his cultureLoyaltyBraveryHonor

Beowulf teaches us about the Anglo-Saxon view of the world

Legendary Hero

Pagan Anglo-Saxons held a strong belief in fateThey told grim tales of lives ruled by fateHumans struggled against monsters for their

place in the worldMissionaries converted Anglo-Saxons to

ChristianityTaught the Anglo-Saxons that human beings

had choices and their choices of good or evil were at the center of creation.

Beowulf reflects both pagan and Christian traditions

Background

Beowulf has long, involved sentencesIt will be necessary to paraphrase complex

passagesIdentify key details in a passage Then restate them in your own words

Reading Strategy

Reparation – something making up for a wrong or an injury

Solace – comfort; reliefPurge – purify; cleanseWrithing – making twisting or turning

motionsMassive – big and solid; bulkyLoathsome - disgusting

Vocabulary Development

The selection opens during an evening of celebration at Herot, the banquet hall of the Danish King Hrothgar. Outside in the darkness; however, lurks the murderous monster Grendel.

The Wrath of Grendel