Beowulf Study Questions and Study Guide
Mechanics
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What is alliteration? Give one example using lines from the poem.
What is assonance? Give one example using lines from the poem.
What is a kenning? Provide an example from the poem.
What is an epic and what elements must it have to be classified in the genre?
What are some of the qualities of an epic hero?
Which qualities of an epic hero does Beowulf possess? Give examples from the
text.
Reading Questions
1. What prompts Beowulf to journey to Denmark?
2. Who is the King of Denmark?
3. How many men went with Beowulf on his journey?
4. Describe Grendel. From whom is he descended? Why is this important to his
character?
5. Why does he terrorize Heorot and for how long does he do so?
6. What is Grendel unable to touch in Heorot and why?
7. What does Hrothgar promise Beowulf if he can get rid of Grendel?
8. Who is Unferth and what sort of character is he in the story?
9. Give 2 examples of Christian insertions into the poem added by the anonymous
monk(s) to save the story from destruction as a pagan document.
10. What is the purpose of boasting in the Norse culture using Beowulf as an
example?
11. How does Beowulf defeat Grendel and why was the way in which he fought the
monster important?
12. Using Queen Wealtheow as an example, what was the purpose of a noble
woman in the Norse civilization?
13. Why does Wealtheow ask Beowulf to protect her sons and what does she give
him to do so?
14. Name a few of the gifts Beowulf receives from Hrothgar for killing Grendel.
15. Why does Grendel’s mother come to Heorot?
16. What does she do there?
17. How do Beowulf and his soldiers know that one of Hrothgar’s men has been
killed by Grendel’s mother? Name the man who was killed and describe his
relationship to Hrothgar.
18. How does Beowulf kill Grendel’s mother?
19. What is superhuman (and fairly unbelievable) about how Beowulf accomplishes
this feat? What trophy does Beowulf bring back to Hrothgar? Why?
Beowulf Additional Study Guide questions
20. How did Beowulf become king of the Geats and how long did he reign?
21. The dragon hoarded a treasure it found in an open barrow. How did the treasure
come to be where it was? For how long did the dragon guard it peacefully?
22. How is this treasure different from all other treasures in the story?
23. What happened that caused the dragon to go on a rampage?
24. What did the dragon destroy that caused Beowulf anguish?
25. Describe Beowulf’s equipment and strategy to fight the dragon.
26. Provide details of the fight between the dragon and Beowulf.
27. What happened to the warriors Beowulf brought to witness the fight when it
appeared the dragon might win?
28. Who is Wiglaf and what does he do to elicit help for the king?
29. How is Beowulf injured in the fight? How does he kill the dragon?
30. What does Beowulf ask Wiglaf to do for him? What final gifts does he give
Wiglaf?
31. When Beowulf dies, what predictions are made about the fate of the Geat
people?
32. What happened to the dragon’s treasure?
33. Describe Beowulf’s funeral.
34. How does the story of Beowulf’s death and funeral provide commentary on the
culture of the early Norse people? What values identified in the story are
relevant today?