from Beowulf
Translated by Burton Raffel
Pupil’s Edition page 20
Comprehension and Recall
1. Before Beowulf arrives, the survivors of Grendel’s attacks are those who leave the hall before nightfall.
2. Unferth challenges Beowulf because Unferth is jealous of Beowulf’s fame and courage.
3. When Grendel realizes Beowulf’s strength, he tries to flee.
4. Beowulf’s men are of no help to him because their weapons are useless.
5. Beowulf uses his hands to kill Grendel.
Comprehension and Recall
6. Beowulf slays Grendel to save Hrothgar and the Danes from the monster.
7. During the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is driven on mainly by a desire for glory.
8. The main reason that Beowulf cuts off Grendel’s head is a desire for revenge.
9. As he is dying Beowulf express a desire for respect and pride in his ability to protect his people.
10. Wiglaf makes an eloquent speech about the virtues of loyalty and bravery.
The Epic Hero
y The epic hero is usually a person of high social status who reflects the ideals of his people. Through physical strength, skill as a warrior, nobility of character, and quick wits, the epic hero almost always defeats his enemies be they human or demonic. The hero is rarely modest, and boasting is almost a ritual in epics.
11. As an epic hero Beowulf embodies the ideals of Anglo‐
Saxon society.
12. When Beowulf berates Unferth for killing his own brothers he reveals that he has the ethics (morals) of an epic hero.
Alliteration and Kennings
y Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in words close to one another. Anglo‐Saxon poetry is often called alliterative poetry because it is unified by alliteration instead of rhyme.
y The kenning, a specialized metaphor of compound words, is a common feature of Anglo‐Saxon poetry.
13. The following quotation from Beowulf contains alliteration: “The ancient blade broke, bit …, drew blood”
14. The following quotation from Beowulf contains a kenning: “And all at once the greedy she‐wolf …”
Vocabulary
15. cries of grief – laments
20. tendons – sinews
16. payment to compensate for 21. journey made to a place of religious interest – pilgrimage
wrongdoing – reparation
17. peace – solace
22. disgusting ‐ loathsome
18. highly annoyed ‐ vexed
23. shadowy ‐ murky
19. punishment in return for an injury – reprisal
24. stretched tight ‐ taut
Written Response – At least one of these will be on your test!
a. What challenges of Anglo‐Saxon life are represented by the monsters Beowulf fights? On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph in which you answer the question drawing on your knowledge of Anglo‐Saxon society and on the imagery associated with the monsters in the selection. Support your ideas with at least two references to Anglo‐Saxon life or Beowulf
The monsters may represent enemies from other lands. Warfare was a constant condition of Anglo‐Saxon life. The monsters’ ferociousness and ruthlessness suggest the violence of marauding warriors. The monsters’ carnage might symbolize the brevity of life in Anglo‐Saxon times—war, disease, and an extraordinarily harsh environment caused many people to die young. The warriors of Anglo‐Saxon times, like the monsters, were ruthless, destroying almost everything and everyone they encountered. Similarly, Grendel commits wholesale slaughter at Herot, delighting in the blood he spills; Grendel’s mother takes savage revenge, invading Herot and killing Hrothgar’s best friend; and the dragon, furious because someone stole its jeweled cup, lays waste to all the land of the Geats. Each monster is relentless, merciless, and vicious—like an invading warrior.
Written Response – At least one of these will be on your test!
b. Identify which scene (Beowulf vs. Grendel, Beowulf vs. Grendel’s mother, Beowulf and his men vs. the Dragon) involves both internal and external conflict, and explain how both elements of conflict are present.
Elements of both internal and external conflict are present in the scene in which Beowulf and his men go to slay the dragon. The external conflict is fairly obvious—Beowulf is going to fight the dragon that has been terrorizing his people and burning their homes. The internal conflicts, there are 3, are not as obvious. Beowulf is struggling with himself; he is old and weary and knows that this is probably the battle in which he will die, victorious or not. His reputation is at stake. His men are struggling with their fear of death, of the dragon, and at the moment of crisis, they not only fail to rush to his aid, they run for their lives. Wiglaf, one of the men, is struggling with fear, too, but he does not run, he stands there, “miserable, remembering, as a good man must, what kinship should mean.” His loyalty and inner resources enable him to assist the king in killing the dragon, which Beowulf could not have accomplished alone.
Written Response – At least one of these will be on your test!
c. Think about what Beowulf’s words and deeds suggests about traditional Anglo‐Saxon values. Then, in a paragraph identify three of these values. Quote lines that support your choices, or explain what Beowulf says or does to demonstrate these values or to suggest their importance to the Anglo‐Saxons.
Your answers should indicate an understanding of the prompt and at least three of the following:
y Compassion: “. . . he’d go to that famous king, / Would sail across the sea to Hrothgar, / Now when help was needed.” (lines 95–97)
y Courage: “So Beowulf / Chose the mightiest men he could find, / The bravest and best . . .” (lines 101–102)
y Gratitude: “And then / They gave thanks to God for their easy crossing.” (line 124)
y Responsibility: “My people have said, the wisest, most knowing / And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ / Great King.” (lines 228–230)
y Strength: “They have seen my strength for themselves . . .” (line 230)
y Bowing to fate: “Fate will unwind as it must!” (line 268)
Remember y It is much better to study for short periods of time throughout the week than to study a long time the night before the test.