Test Review: Anglo-Saxon elegies & “Beowulf”
The test will consist of 40 multiple choice questions with 3 short answer questions
ANGLO-SAXON ELEGIES: Review "The Seafarer," "The Wanderer," and "The Wife's Lament"
From "The Seafarer," what can we see that Anglo-Saxon seafaring involved
What feelings does the sea inspire in the seafarer?
In "The Wanderer," what causes the wanderer to go into exile?
Think of the ideas presented in "The Wanderer." What messages does it most clearly convey?
In "The Wife's Lament," why is the wife unhappy?
BEOWULF
By writing that Grendel was "Conceived of a pair of those monsters born of Cain," the author wants the reader to
Examine this excerpt from "Beowulf" and be able to deduce the following:
Now Grendel and I are called
160 Together, and I've come. Grant me, then,
Lord and protector of this noble place,
A single request! I have come so far,
Oh shelterer of warriors and your people's loved friend,
That this one favor you should not refuse me
165
That I, alone and with the help of my men,
May purge all evil from this hall. I have heard,
Too, that the monster's scorn of men
Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none.
Nor will I. My lord Higlac
170
Might think less of me if I let my sword
Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid
Behind some broad linden shield: My hands
Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life
Against the monster. God must decide
175
Who will be given to death's cold grip.
Grendel's plan, I think, will be
What it has been before, to invade this hall
And gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can,
he can. And I think, if my time will have come,
180
There'll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to prepare
For its grave: Grendel will carry our bloody
Flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones,
And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls
Of his den. No, I expect no Danes
185
Will fret about sewing our shrouds, if he wins.
And if death does take me, send the hammered
Mail of my armor to Higlac, return
The inheritance I had from Hrethel, and he
From Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must!"
What does the author want to show us about the hero Beowulf?
How brave Beowulf is.
Examine what Beowulf states about what will be the outcome if Grendel wins the fight.
What will be the fate of he and his Geats warriors?
There will be nothing left of the Geats to bury.
What is Beowulf's purpose in saying this is?
He is showing how much the battle will be a matter of life and death.
Beowulf would consider it a favor if
Hrothgar lets the Geats fight Grendel without interference from the Danes.
Examine this excerpt from "Beowulf" and be able to deduce the following
80
[Grendel] Killing as often as he could, coming
Alone, bloodthirsty and horrible. Though he lived
In Herot, when the night hid him, he never
Dared to touch King Hrothgar's glorious
Throne, protected by God--God
85
Whose love Grendel could not know. Hrothgar's
Heart was bent. The best and most noble
Of his council debated remedies, sat
In secret sessions, talking of terror
And wondering what the bravest of warriors could do.
90
And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods,
Made heathen vows, hoping for Hell's
Support, the Devil's guidance in driving
Their affliction off. That was their way,
And the heathen's only hope, Hell
95
Always in their hearts, knowing neither God
Nor His passing as He walks through our world, the Lord
Of Heaven and earth; their ears could not hear
His praise nor know His glory. Let them
Beware, those who are thrust into danger,
100
Clutched at by trouble, yet can carry no solace
In their hearts, cannot hope to be better! Hail
To those who will rise to God, drop off
Their dead bodies, and seek our Father's peace!
When the Beowulf writer set down these lines, and added Christian elements (redaction), he wanted to show:
Grendel never touches "King Hrothgar's glorious throne" because:
In this passage Hrothgrar’s throne is a symbol of:
Epic heroes possess the what characteristics?
How can the reader tell that Beowulf is a legendary story?
What does this line from Beowulf mean?
the monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws
In Beowulf, Wiglaf thinks he and his comrades should help Beowulf fight the dragon because
In Beowulf when the dying Beowulf gives Wiglaf his gold necklace, the gesture means that
In Beowulf, why is it ironic that after his death the Geats build a tower to memorialize Beowulf?
Ideas to think about:



Many epics contain elements of the supernatural. Name three examples of supernatural forces at work
in Beowulf.
Does Beowulf's status as legendary hero suggest that Anglo-Saxons glorified violence? How would
you explain and support your answer?
Which character in Beowulf might be the hero of a sequel? Why?
Be able to identify the use of the literary terms
Alliteration, kenning, personification, assonance, caesura, elegy, assonance, lyric poem, epic,
legendary hero
Know the people, places, settings, etc involved in Beowulf
Test Review: Anglo-Saxon elegies & “Beowulf”
The test will consist of 40 multiple choice questions with 3 short answer questions
ANGLO-SAXON ELEGIES: Review "The Seafarer," "The Wanderer," and "The Wife's Lament"
From "The Seafarer," what can we see that Anglo-Saxon seafaring involved
It involved danger and isolation.
What feelings does the sea inspire in the seafarer?
It inspires a mixture of eagerness, longing, fear, and remembered wretchedness.
In "The Wanderer," what causes the wanderer to go into exile?
He goes into exile because of the death of his lord.
Think of the ideas presented in "The Wanderer." What messages does it most clearly convey?
People need a sense of belonging.
In "The Wife's Lament," why is the wife unhappy?
Her husband has sent her into exile.
BEOWULF
By writing that Grendel was "Conceived of a pair of those monsters born of Cain," the author wants the reader to
Associate Grendel with foul murder
Examine this excerpt from "Beowulf" and be able to deduce the following:
Now Grendel and I are called
160 Together, and I've come. Grant me, then,
Lord and protector of this noble place,
A single request! I have come so far,
Oh shelterer of warriors and your people's loved friend,
That this one favor you should not refuse me
165
That I, alone and with the help of my men,
May purge all evil from this hall. I have heard,
Too, that the monster's scorn of men
Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none.
Nor will I. My lord Higlac
170
Might think less of me if I let my sword
Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid
Behind some broad linden shield: My hands
Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life
Against the monster. God must decide
175
Who will be given to death's cold grip.
Grendel's plan, I think, will be
What it has been before, to invade this hall
And gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can,
he can. And I think, if my time will have come,
180
There'll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to prepare
For its grave: Grendel will carry our bloody
Flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones,
185
And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls
Of his den. No, I expect no Danes
Will fret about sewing our shrouds, if he wins.
And if death does take me, send the hammered
Mail of my armor to Higlac, return
The inheritance I had from Hrethel, and he
From Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must!"
What does the author want to show us about the hero Beowulf?
How brave Beowulf is.
Examine what Beowulf states about what will be the outcome if Grendel wins the fight.
What will be the fate of he and his Geats warriors?
There will be nothing left of the Geats to bury.
What is Beowulf's purpose in saying this is?
He is showing how much the battle will be a matter of life and death.
Beowulf would consider it a favor if
Hrothgar lets the Geats fight Grendel without interference from the Danes.
Examine this excerpt from "Beowulf" and be able to deduce the following
80
[Grendel] Killing as often as he could, coming
Alone, bloodthirsty and horrible. Though he lived
In Herot, when the night hid him, he never
Dared to touch King Hrothgar's glorious
Throne, protected by God--God
85
Whose love Grendel could not know. Hrothgar's
Heart was bent. The best and most noble
Of his council debated remedies, sat
In secret sessions, talking of terror
And wondering what the bravest of warriors could do.
90
And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods,
Made heathen vows, hoping for Hell's
Support, the Devil's guidance in driving
Their affliction off. That was their way,
And the heathen's only hope, Hell
95
Always in their hearts, knowing neither God
Nor His passing as He walks through our world, the Lord
Of Heaven and earth; their ears could not hear
His praise nor know His glory. Let them
Beware, those who are thrust into danger,
100
Clutched at by trouble, yet can carry no solace
In their hearts, cannot hope to be better! Hail
To those who will rise to God, drop off
Their dead bodies, and seek our Father's peace!
When the Beowulf writer set down these lines, and added Christian elements (redaction), he wanted to show:
That the pagan religious beliefs of the Danes are foolish and useless
Grendel never touches "King Hrothgar's glorious throne" because:
It is protected by God
In this passage Hrothgrar’s throne is a symbol of:
The new Christian faith of the Danes.
Epic heroes possess the what characteristics?
superior strength, high morals, battles with monsters that embody dark destructive powers
How can the reader tell that Beowulf is a legendary story?
The hero is described as someone greater than all other men
What does this line from Beowulf mean?
the monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws
He has intelligence.
In Beowulf, Wiglaf thinks he and his comrades should help Beowulf fight the dragon because
In the past they had promised to repay Beowulf’s kindness with their lives.
In Beowulf when the dying Beowulf gives Wiglaf his gold necklace, the gesture means that
Beowulf is passing on the rulership of Geatland to Wiglaf.
In Beowulf, why is it ironic that after his death the Geats build a tower to memorialize Beowulf?
Most of the Geats had deserted him in battle.
Ideas to think about:



Many epics contain elements of the supernatural. Name three examples of supernatural forces at work
in Beowulf.
Does Beowulf's status as legendary hero suggest that Anglo-Saxons glorified violence? How would
you explain and support your answer?
Which character in Beowulf might be the hero of a sequel? Why?
Be able to identify the use of the literary terms on the board (redaction, alliteration, kenning,
personification, etc.)
Know the meanings of the vocabulary words on the board (remedies, solace, etc.)
Review your DGP and be able to identify an appositive phrase:
Example — [appositive phrase in bold and the noun it renames is underlined]
“ . . . sailors / Have brought us stories of Herot, the best / Of all mead-halls, deserted and useless . . .”
“. . . A deer, / Hunted through the woods by packs of hounds, / A stag with great horns,
though driven through the forest / From faraway places, prefers to die / On those shores, . . .”