Questions
Beowulf
1. Grendel represents the devil, or hell in a personified manifestation. Grendel is brutal,
careless, a general sinner, and a cannibal. Grendel represents what can only be described
as what everybody fears -- something that doesn’t feel.
2. Beowulf fights Grendel, the absolute antiquity of evil, with his own hands. Beowulf is
strong, handsome, fierce, and noble -- where as Grendel is all that but the complete
opposite. Beowulf demolishes Grendel with his body, and does so with ease.
3. I felt a sense of pity, but also was rather pleased with him being wounded. I assume that
the poet was intending for us to feel a conflicted amount of compassion for Grendel.
Lines 356 to 342: “The battle was over, Beowulf | Had been granted now glory: Grendel
escaped, | But wounded as he was could flee to his den, | His miserable hole at the bottom
of the marsh, | Only to die, to wait for the end | Of all his days.”
4. Beowulf discusses his allegiance to the lord numerous times throughout the poem, as well
as discusses his allegiance to the king. Beowulf also proves his love of glory by
murdering a harrowing beast with said beasts own arm, and also constantly boasts his
glory. Finally, Beowulf proves his belief in the inevitability of fate by once again trusting
that he could kill the un-killable with his bare hands.
Sir Gawain
1. “My head, if it falls , won’t talk in my hands” is a quote from Sir Gawain in retaliation to
the “green man”, which is an attempt at providing confidence -- when in reality Sir
Gawain has absolute fear in his heart.
2. Gawain immediately pulls the “green man” to a stop, stating that their deal was a single
slice -- and that the “Green man” had already provided said slice. I frankly can not find
any evidence that Gawain is brave, outside of his unhindered admittance to sleeping with
the “Green mans” wife.
3. The green knight believes very heavily in the chivalric code and knighthood, going as far
as to pimp his own wife out to prove that Gawain is bad at following said rules.