Beowulf Discussion Questions

Intro:

1. Who is Hrothgar – King of the Danes

2. What is Herot – a hall, where the king would feast with his Comitatus
3. Who is Grendel and what is he doing: A monster, a descendant of Cain who
attacks Herot, and takes away the men for dinner.
4. Who is Beowulf and why is he at Herot? – Famous Geat (Swedish/Viking),
comes to defeat Grendel for the king. He promises he will kill him

Part 1:

1. Grendel comes to Herot, what does he do?

a. Eats a soldier sleeping there, then grabs at Beowulf
2. How does Beowulf fight Grendel?
a. He grabs him in a great bear hug, squeezes the life out of him,
3. Beowulf is an epic hero, an archetype. What is Grendel an archetype of?
a. A typical villain: filled with hate, lives in darkness, attacks in the night etc.
4. Where does Grendel live – why is this important?
a. In the woods, in a marsh, the evil and mysterious lived in the woods.
5. Where, if anywhere do you see Christian influences in the work?

6. Find a Kenning part 1: an alliteration

Part 2:

1. We find out why Beowulf killed Grendel like he did – why?

a. Grendel had put a spell on the men’s weapons, that no blade could kill
him. (Spell on the swords in Lord of the Rings, they turn blue when an orc
is near)
2. How does Beowulf kill Grendel
a. Tears of his arm, Grendel slinks away to die in the woods, in his lake.
3. As the battle ends, what happens to remind us he is an Epic Hero?
a. He fulfilled his promise and rescued the Danish people from evil.
4. What do they do with Grendel’s arm? Why?
a. Hung it from the rafters of Herot
b. It was proof that Beowulf killed Grendel, anyone who saw it would
remember Beowulf and his deeds.
5. It was important to the early English people that heard Beowulf sung that they
were remembered, like Beowulf would be now that the arm is hanging up. Why?
a. To be remembered, there was no life after death so this is how you could
be remembered, and Beowulf was
Part 3:
1. Do they find Grendel’s body?
a. No, just Bloody water, they assume it has gone back to Hell
2. What do the men do on their way back to Herot?
a. Begin already telling the stories of Beowulf’s Bravery!
3. Why is this important?
a. Hi story and his name will live on

4. How are we always adding to Beowulf’s status as an epic hero?

a. Princes and Kings come to celebrate with him

Part 4:
1. Tell me about the Imagery in part 4
a. Associations of death and darkness, the unknown, reminds us of our
natural fear of the unknown (dark, ghosts, death, deep water, etc)
2. What does Hrothgar ask Beowulf to do?
a. Find and kill Grendel’s mother, save the Danes again

Part 5:
1. Why mention the name of the sword?
a. Swords were an important status symbol – named and passed on from
father to son. (Think of Lord of the Rings, the importance of the swords,
especially in the books, comes from this era)
2. Where does Beowulf find Grendel’s mom? How does he get there?
a. Swims with superhuman ability
3. Why add that to the story (the swimming ability)
a. He is even more of an epic hero now
4. “A brilliant light burns all around him” line 201 – what is all this about
a. it protects him, nothing can hurt him – could be a Christian or Viking
pagan element
5. A fight ensues, what does he learn about his sword?
a. Like Grendel, she has cast a spell that no sword can hurt him
6. He doesn’t even get mad, it just makes him want to kill her more, why?
a. He wants the fame – why? – Important to have a famous name to live
on!!!
7. They fight, what happens?
a. She stabs at him, but his mail shirt helped him EXPLAIN WHAT MAIL
IS.
8. Christian elements here?
a. Last 5 lines especially! – baptism before battle in his swim
Part 6:
1. What weapon does he choose and why?
a. A sword made by the Giants (before the Gods) and this would kill her, it
didn’t count for the curse
2. 255, the brilliant light – what do you make of that?
a. Christian element, shining light of God on Beowulf
3. What does he take from the lair?
a. Grendel’s head: proof he is definitely dead. We see this in many legends –
can you think of any?

Interlude: Pics, tell the story

1. What happened to Beowulf when he gets back to Sweden?

a. Becomes King
2. How long has it been?
a. 50 years
3. Why does Beowulf return to the Danes?
a. A man had stolen a cup from a Dragon, and the Dragon is running amok,
Beowulf must kill the Dragon
4. What do we know about Dragons?
a. They Hoard Gold – seen as a sin among the Vikings – why?
b. The Viking believed a King must share his wealth with his Comitatus
5. Why is this last trip to kill the Dragon so tempting?
a. Beowulf would get the Gold the dragon has.
Part 7:
1. Beowulf talks to his men and talks about Fate, why, what does he say?
a. He realizes whatever happens between him and the Dragon “will turn out
as fate” line 285
b. Unlike our ideas of fate, the Vikings believed you could change it, that a
Great warrior made his fate….Beowulf sees himself this way.
2. A pattern of attacking the monster’s alone: why do that?
a. The importance of an individual’s battle against evil, self sacrifice, brave
like an epic hero should be (he’s an epic hero after all, not an epic team)
3. There are a lot of onomatopoeia’s in this section: what is it and show me one
a. A word that fills in for a sound: burst – 305 rumble – 317 – slashed – 337
b. WHY? – it was a story told and sang, good to hear, enhanced the story

4. What themes or reoccurring events do you see in this battle that we also saw in his
other 2 battles?
a. Beowulf is roused to fury
b. The blade didn’t hurt the monster
c. The sword is named and almost a character in itself

Part 8:

1. Why is it soooo bad that his men run?

 a. As his Comitatus, they were to stand by him no matter what, yet they
leave his side.
2. What is Wiglaf’s main argument to stay with Beowulf – what does it say about
the Viking men?
a. He is their lord, the leader of their Comitatus and they made an oath to
stand by him
b. It is more honorable to die with your leader, than to leave his side when he
needs you
3. Where does Wiglaf go?
a. To see the treasure & report back- show’s Beowulf’s desire to do good for
his people
Part 9:

1. How does section 9 show a combination of Viking/Anglo Saxon and Christian

elements?
a. The prayer is said to God in line 411 – 415 = Christian
b. The funeral pyre and barrow are decidedly Saxon/Viking
2. What is Beowulf’s last wish?
a. Wants Wiglaf to take care of his people
3. What elements of en epic hero are beginning to show in Wiglaf?
a. his honor- he sticks to the code of honor – won’t leave his leader
b. bravery

Part 10:

1. What kind of poem within a poem is part 10?

a. An elegy- a poem of mourning
2. This elegy lists some qualities of Beowulf as an epic hero?
a. Preformed great deeds
b. Fair, gracious
c. Determined to be remembered
d. Took care of his people