Beowulf Questions (answered)

The Fight with Grendel

1. Beowulf's preparations for his battle with Grendel differ from normal heroes in poetry in that he shed his armor instead of putting more on because he planned to fight Grendel with his bare hands instead of with a sword and such.

2. When Grendel enters Heorot, he immediately begins to eat the sleeping soldiers as he did many times before. Instead of eating Beowulf, Grendel is surprised with a fight as Beowulf never fell asleep and Grendel wasn't initially able to escape Beowulf's tight grasp. Despite Beowulf's death grip, Grendel managed to escape, but not without leaving his arm behind.

Celebration of Heorot

1. Sigemund was a great hero who slayed a horrible dragon that was a keeper of a treasure chest that hr won by slaying him. The treasure won by Sigemund symbolizes the gold rewards that Beowulf earned from the ring-giver, King Hrothgar. Sigemund's story is told to celebrate Beowulf and compare both of their heroic acts. Heremod is known as an evil Danish king who turns against his own people. This clearly resembles the reverse of Beowulf’s characteristic and by comparing and contrasting Beowulf to two different kings, the narrator indicates that Beowulf will be king later in the story.

2. Hrothgar responds to Beowulf's deed by celebrating him and pronouncing him as both a son and man that will never be forgotten. Hrothgar then goes on to give Beowulf many gifts, including a sword. Since Beowulf was successful in his attempt to save the Danes, Unferth doesn't have much to say to him as he has become much more humble. 

2. Beowulf sinks into the water for a few hours before he enters the mere.

3. He prepares for the battle by telling Hrothgar what he desires just incase he dies. Beowulf takes his ring-marked blade sword.

4. When Beowulf enters the mere, Grendel's mother grabs him but his armor defended him. It's surprising that it take half a day to get down there but those monsters have each other.

5. The sword breaks while Beowulf trys to strike Grendel's mother.

BEOWULF AND GRENDEL'S MOTHER

[Another Attack]

1. Grendel's mother came to Heorot to take her son's claw. It was out of anger and vengeance, not exactly similar to Grendel's reason.

2. Hrothgar's response was asking Beowulf to go to her lair and kill her, too. She had killed Hrothgar's best friend.

3. The mere (her lair) was an underwater lair under a dark lake. It had an eerie feel and was described as being very dark. 

[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother]

1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond (if he should die) in a caring way for his own men that he should leave behind.

(Further Celebration) #2,3

2. Hrothgar tells Beowulf an important story about how someone good with deeds and intentions can just as quickly turn bad. Heremod let greed take him over and that led to his ultimate demise. Hrothgar wants Beowulf to know not to let the praise he is receiving go to his head.

3. Beowuld gives Unferth the sword before he leaves.

(Beowulf Returns Home) #1,2

1. Hrothgar is worried Beowulf may become too arrogant and be unable to fight successfully if these small battle victories get to his head.

2. Hygd is Geat’s queen. She is a good queen where as Modthryth is a bad, evil queen.

2. The dragon is angry because someone stole its treasure even though the man only took the cup because he was scared by the dragon. The treasure was put there by a lord who had lost all of his friends and family. 

3. He destroyed everything as he searched for the thief. 

4. Beowulf thinks he is being punished for something he has done.  He decides to order a new shield and fight the dragon with only a few people. 

5. Hygelac died fighting a monster and after Beowulf swam through the ocean with 30 sets of armor. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the chance to become king but he declined and decided to advise Heardred. 

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?

- Beowulf reports to Hygelac because he knows that the wedding could cause problems with the family. Beowulf expects the wedding to recreate family tension and violence and Hygelac to not like the idea. We would expect this from Beowulf because he likes to stop situations before they occur and likes to plan for the problem If it can't be fixed.

4.How does Beowulf report about his own adventures? Does he report accurately?

-Beowulf reports about his own adventures as slightly exaggerated, but mostly accurate in the ways they are told.

5.What does Beowulf do with the treasure he was given? What does Hygelac give him?

-What Beowulf does with the treasures he is given is he offers them to his Lord and gives it to other people also. What Hygelac gives Beowulf is land, a large house, and the sword of the Geats.

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?

-Part 2 takes place fifty years later. The king that have died in the mean while are King Hygelac and King Heardred. The danger that now exists Is a dragon.

[Celebration at Heorot

 

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? The singer sings the story of Finn during the feast. Basically, in the story Finn, Lord of the Frisians, marries Hildeburgh, a Dane, to end a feud between the two tribes. The idea was to use the bride to ensure that the families wouldn’t feud anymore but obviously this was a bad idea. The Frisians killed Hildeburgh’s brother when he came to visit her. Finn was also eventually killed out of revenge.
4.	When the feasting resumes, what does Wealhtheow ask Hrothgar not to do? .Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give the throne to Beowulf, but to trust in his biological son’s abilities to rule as king.  She believes that the throne should stay in the bloodline
5.	Wealhtheow gives Beowulf a large, broad necklace. What later happens to it? What does Wealhtheow ask Beowulf to do? It is foreshadowed that Beowulf gives the necklace to his uncle Hygelac, who wears it until he dies in battle.  She also asks Beowulf to guide and protect her children, but not to take the throne from them when Hrothgar dies.
6.	Why do so many men remain in the beer hall to sleep? Why is it a mistake?

            So many men remain in the beer hall to sleep because they believe it is as safe as it once was now that Grendel is dead.  This is a mistake because Grendel’s mother        comes to the hall for revenge for her son.  She takes one of Hrothgar’s esteemed men             and the arm of Grendel back to her cave.

In compilation with the usual group 👌 Shout out to those people for making life easier.