For this assignment I worked alone. I normally would of went and did it with a group but I did it Thursday night because I was going camping and wouldn't have Internet access durring the weekend. It took a while because the questions were very in depth about details and I had to find the answers by reading an online source translator. These questions helped me understand the overall sorry better.
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?- The unusual thing about his death is he dies at the time he was told he would. For Shields funeral they place him in a vessel and send it into the sea, like he asked. Shield is the great grandfather of Hrothgar.
1.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?
-Hrothgar builds the hall or Heorot for his army. After a celebration while all the men are asleep the Grendel comes and kills everyone in their sleep. The attacks continued for 12 years. The Danes were unsure of what to do since they couldn't stop the anger of the Grendel.
1. What does Beowulf do when he hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel?
-When Beowulf hears of Hrothgar's sorrow he gathers 14 of his bravest men to take sail to help the Danes.
2. Whom do the Geats first meet when they arrive in Denmark? What does he do, and what do they do?
-They come across the watchman when they first arrive in Denmark. The watchman asks who they are and to prove to him that they are not just pirates, or spies. Beowulf tells him his name and the task they wish to accomplish and help the Danes.
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?
-He is the Danish king. He tells them the horrors of Grendel and that it wont be easy. Beowulf states that he isn't scared. Hrothgar knows Beowulf from their youth which is mentioned in the prologue.
4.What does Beowulf tell Hrothgar when he enters? What did Hrothgar do for Beowulf's father?
-Hrothgar tells them of the horrors that Grendel has been causing for the Danes. He helped Beowulfs father by helping end a feud he once was in. Hrothgar says that Beowulf can now repay him.
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 not being strong, because he once lost a swimming match. It shows how Beowulf is reluctant to keep his name and title as being fearless and strong. Beowulf accuses unferth of drunkenness and killing his own brother.
2. What is Queen Wealhtheow doing during the feasting?
-The Queen is in the hall and takes a goblet around for everyone to drink, she thanks god for sending Beowulf and his men.
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?
-He sets all his armor aside because he considers himself as dangerous as Grendel.
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?
-Grendel begins killing and eating some of the Geat men, Beowulf observes and then starts to attack when Grendel goes for him. Beowulf uses his strength to wrestle with Grendel. Grendel gets scared and tries to leave but Beowulf rips off the monsters arm. Grendel does escape back to his lair but only to die down there. He leaves behind his arm.
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.)
-They sing because they are happy that he defeated Grendel. Beowulf is like Sigmund because he didn't give up and he did what he said he would do.
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 gives Beowulf many extravagant gifts and tells him his name will live forever.Unferth disclaims the weakness he claimed Beowulf to have.
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?
-You can marry into a tribe and therefore somewhat fix things between tribes.
4.When the feasting resumes, what does Wealhtheow ask Hrothgar not to do?
-Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give Beowulf the thrown to the danish kingdom.
5.Wealhtheow gives Beowulf a large, broad necklace. What later happens to it? What does Wealhtheow ask Beowulf to do?
-Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to look after her sons after Hrothgar dies. Beowulf puts it on his vessel.
6.Why do so many men remain in the beer hall to sleep? Why is it a mistake?
- They don't believe that there is any more danger. It is a mistake because they are wrong that there isn't any danger left. Grendel has a mother, who is looking for revenge.
1.Why has Grendel's mother come to Heorot? Is it the same reason Grendel had?
-She has come to kill the people who had taken her sons life. She is going for vengeance not just for slaughter.
2.What is Hrothgar's response? Whom has Grendel's mother killed?
-He is in sorrow when he kills some of the people closest to him. He offers Beowulf more treasures if he can slay this monster as well.
3.What sort of place is the mere?
-The mere is the lair for Grendel and his mother. It is under the lake but it is very hot and the water is like fire. There is a lot of creatures in this lake at the bottom, which is why no man has ever gotten close to going near it.
1.How does Beowulf tell Hrothgar to respond?
-Beowulf wants Hrothgar to send him and his men to fight Grendels mother and get rid of the monsters endangering the Danes.
2.What happens at the mere before Beowulf enters it?
-He and Unferth talk and he gives Unferth his sword.
3.How does Beowulf prepare for the battle? What sword does he take with him?
-He doesn't prepare for the battle because he is taken into the lair. He takes the sword that hasn't failed a man in battle but only because he couldn't give in to Unferth in time.
4.What happens when Beowulf enters the mere? What is surprising about where Grendel and his mother live in the mere?
-Beowulf is not burned by the lakes hot waters. Or attacked by the monsters in the lake.
5.What happens to the sword Beowulf borrowed from Unferth?
-He tosses it aside because it is useless against Grendels mother.
6.At one point Beowulf is on the floor, with Grendel's mother sitting on him and drawing her knife. How does Beowulf escape?
-The armor Beowulf wore wouldn't allow the end of the sword to penetrate him, allowing him to get free of her grip.
1.What does Beowulf give to Hrothgar?
-He gives Hrothgar the head of Grendels mother along with the sword used to cut it off.
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?
-That he will protect his people.Heremod died because of how unfair he was to the people. He teaches the lesson that Beowulf will Be a strong leader.
3.What does Beowulf give to Unferth as he leaves?
-He gives back the sword Unferth let him borrow when going to fight Grendels mother.
1.How much later does Part 2 take place? What kings have died in the meanwhile? What danger now exists?
-Part two takes place 50 Years later.Dragons are the new danger.
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 is angry because the cup is stolen from him.The man took the cup because he was poor and hungry.
3.What did the dragon destroy that evening?
-It scorches homes and villages on its rampage to find the goblet.
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?
-He thinks he might have done something wrong in the eyes of God. He orders a new shield to protect him from the hot flames of the dragon. He thinks that he is brave enough to only need the shield.
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 against the Fristians. Beowulf rejected the thrown because he respected hygelac.
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)?
-Heardred dies fighting the sweeds. He plans to avenge his death by promising to fight the dragon.
7.How many men accompany Beowulf as he goes to meet the dragon?
-His men bid him goodbye before he meets 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?
- Hygelac’s oldest brother Herebeald was killed by Haethcyn. War between the Swedes and Geats starts because the father is so devastated. Beowulf avenged Hygelacs death by killing Daeghrefn.
1.What does Beowulf tell his companions to do?
-He tells them to stay back as he fights the dragon. He is probably the only one who could kill 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?
-Beowulf is wounded after the first time they fight. Everyone leaves because of the dragon except for Wiglaf. He tells the others that they should stick by him in the time of need.
3.What happens the second time Beowulf meets the dragon? What happens to Beowulf? Who kills the dragon?
-The dragon happens to bite Beowulf's neck, Wiglaf goes to help him and kills the dragon, but the venom from the dragons bite kills Beowulf.
1.What happens when the companions return? What does Wiglaf say to him? What does he expect will happen in the future?
-Wiglaf is angry with them for not helping them in the time of need. He thinks that the Geats will be destroyed.
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 announces the news of Beowulf's death. The messenger states that the treasure was cursed, and that Beowulf was never greedy. The last image is of the Dragon.
3. What does Wiglaf tell the crowd that comes to see the dragon and Beowulf?
-Wiglaf tells the crowd how wonderful Beowulf was at fighting.
4.What happens to the dragon?
-They pushed it over the cliff into the oceans because it was evil and didn't need to be buried.
5.What happens during and after the funeral celebration?
-They celebrated Beowulf, but were very sad that he was gone.
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 said that he was a great man, and that no one was as deserving and great as him.I would expect this to be said of any hero because you think of them being brave and deserving of praise because they put their life in danger to save ours.
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 wants to be buried so everyone can celebrate him, which is what everyone does when it is his funeral.
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