1. “Hrothgar… resolved to build a hall
that would hold his mighty band and reach
higher toward Heaven than anything that
had ever been known to the sons of man.”
2. “A powerful monster, lying down in
the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
as day after day the music rang loud in the
hall”
3. “The monster stirred, that demon, the
fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors,
the wild marshes and made his home in a
hell, not hell, but earth”
4. “Then, when darkness had dropped,
Grendel went up to Herot… found them
sprawled in sleep…. he slipped through
the door and there in the silence snatched
up thirty men, smashed them…”
5. Beowulf talks to Hrothgar
6. “Grendel snatched at the first Geat he
came to, ripped him apart, cut his body to
bits with powerful jaws, drank the blood
from his veins and bolted him down,
hands and feet”
7. “Then he stepped to another still body,
clutched Beowulf with his claws… and
was instantly seized himself, claws bent
back as Beowulf leaned up on his arm.”
8. “Down the aisles the battle swept,
angry and wild.”
9. “Beowulf’s band had jumped from
their beds, ancestral swords raised and
ready…. They could hack at Grendel from
every side… but their points could not
hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron
could not scratch at his skin”
10. “He twisted in pain, and the bleeding
sinews deep in his shoulder snapped,
muscle and bone split and broke.”
11. “Grendel escaped, but wounded as he
was he could flee to his den”
12. “No Dane doubted the victory, for the
proof, hanging high from the rafters where
Beowulf had hung it was the monster’s
arm, claw and shoulder and all”
13. “They gaped with no sense of
sorrow… went tracing his bloody
footprints… to the edge of the
lake…”
14. The people celebrate; the women
carry drinks around the tables…
15. “Grendel’s Mother, living in the
murky cold lake…. Seeking vengeance …
kills Hrothgar’s closest friend”
16. “Beowulf … leaped into the lake…”
17. Beowulf and Grendel’s mother fight:
18. Beowulf takes down the sword
19. Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother and
beheads Grendel.
20. Beowulf as King of the Geats:
21. “a dragon awoke from its darkness…
[he] slept in a huge stone tower, with a
hidden path beneath… [guarding] ancient
treasure, the pagan jewels and gold..
22. A man stole “a gem-studded cup, and
fled”
23. The dragon attacks the nearby towns,
burning them:
24. Beowulf confronts the dragon:
25. Wiglaf comes to Beowulf’s assistance
26. Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon
27. Wiglaf brings the treasure to show the
dying Beowulf
28. Beowulf transfers command to
Wiglaf
29. Beowulf’s funeral pyre
30. The burial/ the tower
QUESTIONS:
1. What motivates Beowulf to go help out Hrothgar?
2. Why doesn't Hrothgar reject Beowulf's offer?
3. What affect has Grendel had on Hrothgar's people?
4. What could be the reason that the hall was left empty for 12 years? Why not 10?
5. Why does the fight between Grendel and Beowulf occur INSIDE the hall? Why didn't
Beowulf wait for him outside? Think of the symbolism.
6. Why is it Grendel's ARM that gets torn off? Why didn't the battle consist of some other
body part/ stabbing etc? Why barehanded?
7. What significance can you find for the fact that the battle with Grendel's mother occurs in
a cave under water?
8. Why does Beowulf need a giant's sword to kill Grendel's mother?
9. What motivations might Beowulf have had for seeking out Grendel's body? Think of at
least three reasons.
10. In what ways does Beowulf change from when he fought Grendel and his mom to when
he fought the dragon?
11. Do you think Wiglaf will make a good king? Better, perhaps than Beowulf? Why?
12. What qualities make Beowulf a true Anglo Saxon hero?
13. Would he be considered a hero today? Explain.
14. No one is perfect, not even Beowulf. Based on the first 2/3 of the text, what failings/
shortcomings do you find in Beowulf (the person)?
15. Find the numbered things in the text. Is there any kind of repetition or pattern? If so, what
meaning might those numbers have? (e.g. Grendel grabs 30 men...)
16. Why do you think so much space in Beowulf is devoted to his funeral?
17. What importance do circles have in Beowulf? Find as many as you can, not just physical
circles like rings, but anything circular or looping. Explain the symbolic value, and
briefly explain how that meaning is important in 2-3 of the situations.
18. What might the monster symbolize?
19. What might the monster’s mother symbolize?
20. What might the lake symbolize?
21. Why is it important that the women take the drinks around to all the men?
22. What does the dragon symbolize?
23. What might the stolen cup symbolize?
24. Why can’t Beowulf win against the dragon alone?
25. Find examples of places where the Christian scribe added little touches of Christianity.
26. Contrast Grendel’s home to Hrothgar’s castle.
27. What role does boasting play?