Beowulf Questions
Check out the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation guide on this website:
http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/pronunciation.html
1) Why is Heorot being terrorized by Grendel? Who is Grendel, and where do he and his mother
live? What might they be, symbolically? Do you have sympathy for them?
2) Explain how Hrothgar’s kingdom might be different from that of Shield, the one good king who
united the Danes, allowing the fabulous mead hall of Heorot to be built. What happens to Heorot
later on? How does this happen?
3) Examine Beowulf’s approach to Heorot, the banquet between and after the battles, and the
departure. What do you notice? Look at the imagery, the symbolism, the roles the minor
characters play, and the balance of action between the arrival of the hero and his departure. Note
the heroic boasts! Who are your two favorite minor characters? Why?
4) Examine both battles. How does Beowulf show his mettle in fighting each of the beasts? What’s
he fighting for? How does Hrothgar reward him? Compare Hrothgar to Heremod and other
leaders. (Note the hilt of the sword that kills Grendel’s mom.)
5) What ties did Beowulf’s father have with Hrothgar? What happens to Beowulf in the fifty years
that drip past, as swiftly as spring melts away winter’s water ropes? What does he do?
6) Explain what happens to Beowulf at the end of the epic: Why is there a dragon marauding? What
happens when Beowulf, Wiglaf and the others go off to fight it? How is the dragon slain? How
does Beowulf die?
7) What are some comparisons you can make between this battle, and the previous ones?
8) Examine the monsters in the text: Give a character description, with references from the text for
Grendel, his mother, and the magnificent dragon. Does the text reflect ANY sympathy for these
creatures? Why?
9) What does Wiglaf predict will happen to Geatland? Why?
10) How does Beowulf reflect on his own life? Quote from the text. Will his kingdom remain strong
after he dies? What do you think makes him a hero?
11) What is the message conveyed by the treasure hoard? Explain why you believe this. What
philosophical mistake does Beowulf make regarding the treasure? What happens to it?
12) What do you think is the “epic question” at the heart of Beowulf? In the episodes, the battles, and
overall in the background of the poem’s account of tribal relationships, what seems to take place,
again and again?
13) Compose an epic boast that outdoes Unferth’s! It must contain kennings, epithets, epic similes and
frequent alliterative lines, preferably in trochaic tetrameter.
Beowulf History
History of the Geats:
Hrethel dies miserably after his second son Haethcyn (accidentally) shoots and kills the eldest
son, Herebeald with an arrow. The Swedes threaten, seeing a weakness in the kingdom after Hrethel
dies, and the Geats attack them at home. Ongentheow, an old warrior, valiantly fights to save his
queen and kingdom. He kills Haethcyn. Wulf, a thane of Hygelac, attacks him, but he fights back,
even though wounded. Wulf’s brother Eofor then kills him. Eofor is rewarded with marriage to
Hygelac’s daughter.
Hygelac rules until he ruthlessly attacks Frisians (Hetware, Hugas and Merovingian Franks)
and dies. Beowulf, the convoy of materiel, swims to him with 30 suits of armor, and proceeds to win
the day. However, he swims back full of remorse, because Hygelac is dead. The torque he won from
Hrothgar is stolen by lowly Frisian soldiers.
Hygd doesn’t think her son, Heardred will be a good leader, and appoints Beowulf as his
regent.
In the meantime, the Swedes have a feud of their own. Heardred offers the sons of Ohthere,
Eanmund and Eadgils, asylum while their wicked uncle Onela deprives them of the throne. Onela
attacks and kills Heardred. Beowulf becomes ruler, and helps Eadgils overthrow Onela, who had been
married to Hrothgar’s sister, in an attempt to quell a feud.
The message: Tribute payments or brides don’t count as much as deeds. Geats and Danes are
allies by then. The Swede Onela doesn’t care.
Wiglaf’s father, Weohstan, is the one who kills Eanmund while he is an exile, (Why he kills
him is unknown) and his sword is the one that Wiglaf uses to wound the dragon: Onela allowed
Weohstan to keep it.
Beowulf’s own father, Ecgtheow, is an exile from Geatland after he kills Heatholaf, a member
of the Wylfing tribe. The Geats turn him out, fearing retribution, and Hrothgar takes him in, and pays
tribute to the Wylfings to settle the feud.
History of the Danes:
The epic begins with the magnificent burial of the King Shield, and the Danes, or Shieldings
adopt their name from him. As the epic states, “That was one good king.” He unites the tribes and
begins a glorious civilization that culminates in the magnificent tower of Heorot.
However, the Danes under Hrothgar become a bit too comfortable and so noisy that they are
attacked by Grendel. Did they lose their edge with civilization? They then resort to worship of pagan
gods, and their goose is really cooked. Although Hrothgar is presented as the emblem of a good
patriarchal king, you have to wonder why his kingdom has become victim to this inner evil force.
Now, they rely upon the goodness of strangers, to quote another emblem of a civilization declining,
Blanche DuBois.
Luckily for them, Beowulf (no Stanley Kowalski) comes to their rescue, basically to rid their
kingdom of evil and also to make a name for himself, a tribute to the archaic or heroic age.
However, the rest of the history of the Danes is a part of the epic question of Beowulf, and it is
presented through the Sigemund Lay, the Finnsburg Lay, and in the comment Beowulf later makes to
Hygelac and Hygd, regarding the marriage of Freawaru to Ingels.
Sigemund’s Lay: Danish History
Siegmund is also the hero from Wagner’s Die Walkure, one of the operas that make up his
massive operatic cycle, Der Ring Des Nibelungen. His operas are from the German epic poem,
Nibelungenlied, written down in Middle German around 1200. Clearly the stories were kicking about
before then, as always. Wagner’s massive tetralogy includes Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried,
and Gotterdammerung. Siegmund is the father of the ubermensch, Siegfried. This is the product of
Siemund and his twin sister, Sieglinde!
Here, Sigemund slays a dragon without Fitela (also his son and nephew). He takes the entire
treasure, and at the end of the lay, he is one who is able to gain power after the evil King Heremod’s
power declines. (Heremod preceded the noble king Shield, who unites the Danes and begins a glorious
kingdom.) It says, “the waves of his grief had beaten him down, made him a burden, a source of
anxiety to his own nobles.” (900+) and he is betrayed in Juteland. He is contrasted with Beowulf, who
will not let power corrupt him. Heremod is also described as one who killed his own, and refused to
dole out treasure.
However, everyone in the audience also knows that Sigemund will later be killed in a fight
with another dragon, because his sword fails him, and that connection with Beowulf acts as a
foreboding. Later on, Beowulf also will let the attack of the dragon depress him, “anxieity and gloom
confused his brain” (2339+) The lay provides a foreshadowing for the second half of the poem.
The Finnsburg Lay: Danish History
Long before Heremod, the Danish princess Hildeburgh was married to Finn, the king of the
Frisians, allied with Jutes. (See map) The woman was given in marriage as an attempt to quell a feud
between the Danes and the Frisians. It doesn’t work out. While Hildeburgh’s brother, Hnaef is
visiting his sister, the Frisians attack the Danes in the night and kill Hnaef and Hildeburgh’s son. The
surviving Danes, lead by Hengest, force Finn to accept a compromise: The Danes will be given
quarter provided they become followers of Finn, and are treated the same as the rest of the Frisians. Of
course this is an uneasy peace. When spring comes around, and the son of Hunlaf places a famous
sword across his knees, Hengest takes vengeance. Finn is slain and Hildeburg is taken back home
again.
Beowulf fears that the marriage of Freawaru to Ingeld (2060+) will not prevent the feud from
fomenting between the Danes and the Heathobards. (See map) Those who heard this epic would know
that after Hrothgar’s death, his cruel nephew, Hrothulf, will kill Hrothgar’s sons and take over. The
feud with Ingeld will ignite, and while the Heathobards will be destroyed, so too, will Heorot be
burned to the ground.
The message of the lay, again, is that brides don’t count as much as one’s deeds or actions and
civilization is destroyed as a result of evil and betrayal.
Beowulf’s own end will come about from a betrayal, of his own thanes: Twelve, including
Beowulf go to fight the dragon, and ten of them abandon Beowulf in his hour of need. The number
twelve has been discussed as a possible reference to the disciples, inversely comparing Wiglaf to
Peter. It’s a bit of a stretch, except in the coincidence of numbers, but numerical symbols flow that
way. (Note, they start off with thirteen: the Judas being the slave who started the whole mess, who
leads them to the dragon’s bower!)
BEOWULF BARBIE*
Check out this website for ideas from folks who live like Anglo-Saxons for research:
http://www.regia.org/main.htm 
PART I: Perform parts of the epic poem, Beowulf, using music, dance, dolls, clay figures, stuffed animals,
cardboard cutouts, puppets or other puppet-type figures. Recent innovations have included computer games,
live-action films and claymation. Your production also must have a set and costumes for the characters.
Length: 10 minutes.
REQUIREMENTS: You will form groups of two or three students, each of whom will choose an assigned
role. (You may also work individually.) From a hat you will choose a section from Beowulf, and your group
will then follow the rubrics below to create a rendition of the section to delight and amuse your classmates and
teacher. You will be judged on the overall quality of the performance, and individually, according to your role.
ROLES:
THE WRITER/S: Using direct quotes from the poem or composing original tetrameter verse, the writer will
create a script to cover the main action of the scene. The writer will also provide a short prologue and an
epilogue to explain the action before and after the chapter that is presented. The script must be handed in, and
should not exceed four typed pages. You should also explain how your scene connects to the epic question.
25
Prologue and Epilogue: Accurate description of action immediately prior to and after this chapter
to explain to the audience what will be presented.
50
Script: Use kennings, epithets and at least one epic simile! The script should not be more than
four typed pages using adaptations of text into dialogue and narration to present the main action of
the chapter. The script should try to adhere to the alliterative tetrameter of the poem where
possible – with some variations. If you are doing a modern adaptation, you must somehow convert
the dialogue into modern, alliterative verse.
25
Overall Performance.
THE ART DIRECTORS/SETS/COSTUMES/PROPS: Responsible for finding or making the puppets, sets,
costumes, and providing props.
20
Creative characters that show characterization attributes. (At least one detail.)
20
Accuracy of costumes. (At least 3 details.)
20
Creative and accurate sets. (At least 3 details.)
15
Introduction to explain the details of set and costumes, with citations to the text to justify design.
25
Overall Performance.
http://vimeo.com/8282427 (Project from 2010)
THE ACTORS AND PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: The actors will perform the script and the narration
convincingly and with much art. The lines must be delivered with some sense of quality, whether memorized or
not. You may have to perform more than one part. If this is the case, you must work with the Art Director to
find a way to quickly make the transition.
The producer/director is responsible for blocking and timing, and for general good delivery of the lines of
dialogue in alliterative tetrameter—or something like metered poetry. It is also up to you to make a production
schedule, to crack the whip, and to make sure the production goes forth as planned, on time, on budget.
25
Clear reading or presentation of lines
25
Artistic and emotive acting
15
Good blocking
10
Production happens as scheduled
25
Overall Performance.
PART II: EXPLANATION OF TEXT
100
a.
b.
c.
d.
Write a response for each of the following topics, as evident in the scene from the epic that your group
presented. Each topic should be about one paragraph in length. Please list the members of your group.
Citations (with page numbers) should be included in your discussions of each topic.
Evidence of conventions of an epic poem or epic hero
Evidence for Judeo-Christian and/or pagan references
Evidence to depict historic or social aspects of the era (zeitgeist)
Explain how your section of the text reinforces the epic question of Beowulf.
SCENES BE CONSIDERED FOR PRODUCTIONS
The Burial of Scyld
The Approach to Herorot
Unferth Taunts Beowulf
Beowulf Slays Grendel
Thane Hall Celebration
Beowulf and Grendel’s Mom
Beowulf, Wiglaf and the Dragon
After Beowulf’s Death and his Funeral
*NOTE: When I first thought up this project, I had in mind the old-style Barbie dolls, whose heads and arms popped off, and could be
popped back on without noticeable damage. For me and many of my friends, this apparent immunity to violence was another one of
Barbie’s peculiar attributes. She mocked us, didn’t she? She dared to be annihilated, and we couldn’t even destroy her! I recently
realized that this is no longer true. Today, the heads and limbs are NOT removable, and if you break them, they cannot be mended. It
seems Barbie’s passive-aggressive tendencies have been modified by design: Destroy her, and she will NOT come back for more. In the
new millennium, Barbie won’t be toyed with.
Beowulf Epic Question
For Sarah Weinberger. Not at all a silly question. Not an easy one, either.
Beowulf's battles against the monsters represent battles against various symbolic aspects of the forces
that might take down a civilization:
Grendel and his mother represent aspects of the heroic/pagan world, but also aspects of savagery, the
wilderness that overtook England after the fall of the Roman Empire. There were real beasts, real
wolves in the forests that people had to fear. The savagery is not only on the outside, however.
Beowulf, in his fight against these beastly creatures who are, nonetheless, human, is also fighting a
kind of darkness within. The Danes, after all, don't behave much better than Grendel and his mother,
and in many ways it seems, Grendel and his mother are more justified in their brutality. This 'inner"
savagery can also bring a civilization down.
The dragon, on the other hand, is an emblem of the pagan world and, through a Judeo-Christian prism,
becomes the emblem for Satan. Saint George, the Christian patron saint of England, is usually
portrayed as killing a dragon. Saint Patrick of Ireland is known for killing snakes. These are conflated
to represent Satan in the Garden of Eden, but also are emblematic of the pagan faith (Norse or Celtic)
that exists as Christianity makes its way into England from 600 onward.
The magnificent dragon, however, and the cursed gold it harbors, becomes a temptation to Beowulf.
He also suffers from excessive pride as, elderly though he is, he is determined to kill this creature
himself.
His thanes abandon him with the exception of Wiglaf, who although comes to his aid and survives the
wrath of the dragon, is the only one of the Geats left standing when Beowulf dies. As they bury
Beowulf, Wiglaf will report to us that the Swedes are waiting on the ramparts, ready to take over. The
mighty kingdom of Beowulf has come to an end. This civilization has come to a close, with only
Wiglaf left as the righteous man.
This idea of waxing and waning of civilization is common in myths from Mesopotamia and Greece -including the story of Jesus of Nazareth, who is crucified. Although he is resurrected, and opens the
possibility of Heaven to all who believe, Christians still await the Second Coming (the Parousia) for
the dead to be raised and for this to happen. (For Jews and Muslims, this is Judgment Day.)
As the poet of Beowulf witnessed around him the fallen architecture of the Roman Empire, and the
new light of civilization rising, he (or she) composed this epic poem perhaps as a reminder that all
civilizations rise and fall, brought down by forces both within and without. In this you can formulate
the epic question for this work.
Have a peaceful -- as stress-less as possible.... holiday!