Beowulf Questions

Prologue: Rise of the Danish Nation
1.  His rise to leader was unusual because he came from a lonely, poor background.  After he dies, his body is placed on a boat which is then sent out to sea, with valuable items such as weapons and gems.  Scyld is Hrothgar's grandson.

Heorot is Attacked
1.  Hrothgar started to build a large hall in which he can have feasts with guests.  Grendel attacks the hall, killing 30 men and taking their bodies.  He continues to attack like this for 12 years.  The Danes respond to the attacks by praying to their gods.  Another depiction of pagans as heathens; these prayers do nothing since they are not to the Christian god.

The Hero Comes to Heorot
1.  After hearing about the issues Hrothgar was having with Grendel, Beowulf sets out from across the sea to help stop Grendel.
2.  When they first reach Denmark the men meet a watchman.  He challenges them, thinking they may be enemies.  They explain that they came to fight Grendel and he lets them through.
3.  Hrothgar's herald is named Wulfgar.  He asks Beowulf and the men a few questions about why they're there and then tells them he'll go inform Hrothgar.  He tells Hrothgar they've arrived and Hrothgar tells him to welcome them warmly and respectfully.  It's not surprising that he knows Beowulf, because he knew Beowulf's father.
4.  Beowulf greets Hrothgar respectfully and then goes on to boastfully list his many accomplishments.  Hrothgar had helped Beowulf's father settle a long feud.

Feast at Heorot
1.  Unferth accuses Beowulf of losing a swimming race to another man named Breca, and suggests Beowulf will not be able to defeat Grendel.  This us relevant because it provides readers with background on Beowulf's character and enforces his status as a boastful epic hero.  Beowulf then accuses Unferth of being a coward who has killed his brothers.
2.  Queen Wealhtheow acts as a server for the men, bringing them food and drink.  She greets them welcomingly.

The Fight with Grendel
1.  Beowulf's preparation is different in that he does not want to use any weapons against Grendel.  He rests in preparation for the fight.
2.  When Grendel enters Heorot he heads for the hall intent on killing anyone inside.  Beowulf is awoken and fights Grendel with no weapons.  When Grendel tries to retreat, Beowulf keeps attacking.  Grendel escapes but leaves behind his severed arm.

Celebration at Heorot
1.  Beowulf is like Sigemond in that they both share the "hero" characteristics.  Sigemund made many accomplishments and killed many enemies, just as Beowulf has.  Beowulf is unlike Heremod, a king, who is portrayed as a coward who oppresed his people.
2.  Hrothgar responds to Beowulf's actions by praising and thanking him.  He then says that he'd like Beowulf to be his son.  Unferth doesn't say anything, since Beowulf followed through on his boast.
3.  The story of Finn begins with a murder that sets off a feud.  Eventually, Finn is killed.  The story says quite a bit about the wisdom of using a woman as a bartering tool in battle.
4.  Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to disrespect their guests or to treat them poorly, but to warmly welcome them.
5.  Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to be a compassionate leader and treat his men well after she gives him the necklace.  The necklace is later acquired by looters.
6.  Many men sleep in the hall because they feasted the night before and ended up black out drunk.  This is a mistake because they are too cocky and confident in their safety.  Grendel's mother attacks that night.

Beowulf and Grendel's Mother
1.  Grendel's mother does not come to Heorot for the same reason as Grendel.  Grendel came just for the sake of killing, while his mother came to avenge her son.
2.  Grendel's mother killed a famed soldier who was one of Hrothgar's favorites.  Hrothgar responds angrily and asks Beowulf to track down the monster.
3.  The mere is a swampy, monster ridden hell on earth.  It is described as a place of evil that invokes fear and anxiety.

Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother
1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond without hesitation and to go hunt down the monster.  He says he will gladly go, but he also asks Hrothgar to come with him.  Hrothgar agrees and they set out on the hunt.
2.  Before Beowulf enters the mere, sea serpents are seen.  Beowulf kills one and then proceeds to get ready for battle.
3.  Beowulf prepares very casually; he is not nervous about facing the monster.  He puts on light armor and a helmet.  He takes Unferth's sword with him, again displaying that he is more honorable/powerful than Unferth, who is again called a coward who fears battle.
4.  When Beowulf enters the mere, he swims for a day until Grendel's mother drags him under the water and brings him to her home.  This home is strange because it is a hall (complete with a roof) in the mere.  There is no water inside.  Beowulf even sees a fire.
5.  Unferth's sword is useless against Grendel's mother, so Beowulf throws it aside and fights bare handed.
6.  Beowulf escapes this situation narrowly, as his armor protects him from the sword.  The poem gives credit to the heavens for Beowulf's escape.
7.  Beowulf kills Grendel's mother with a giant sword he sees in the hall- a sword that only Beowulf (the only human that is) was strong enough to handle.  After Grendel's mother is killed Beowulf finds Grendel's body and defiles it, removing Grendel's head.  The giant sword blade melts because of the monster blood on it.  Beowulf takes the hilt and Grendel's head with him when he exits the hall.
8.  When Beowulf returns to the surface his men are there to meet him, but some people who had been on the shore had thought him dead and left.  His men did not expect him to return.

Further Celebration at Heorot
1.  Beowulf gives Hrothgar the old sword hilt that is all that remains of the weapon he killed Grendel's mother with.
2.  Hrothgar uses the story about Heremod to remind Beowulf to always treat his men respectfully and be a kind ruler.  He tells the Heremod story to provide a contrast to this; Heremod did not care about helping his people of sharing weslth with those below him.  He even killed his old companions eventually.  Hrothgar wants to tell Beowulf that even though he has made great accomplishments, he should not forget the importance of his people.
3.  Beowolf gives a sword to Unferth as he leaves.

Beowulf Returns Home
1.  Hrothgar predicts that he will meet Beowulf again.  He predicts that Beowulf will live long and be respected by his people.
2.  Hygd is the queen of Higelac.  She is unlike Modthryth in that she is level headed and intelligent,  while Modthryth is full of anger and bloodthirsty.
3.  Hrothgar wants to marry his daughter to Ingeld for political reasons.  It will bring peace between the Danes and Ingeld's people.  Beowulf expects this attempt at peace to fail and he thinks Ingeld will be the cause.  Hrothgar's daughter may be used for information.  This is a new side to Beowulf.  It shows his devotion to his friends and tells the reader that he is not as self-centered as he sometimes seems.
4.  Beowulf's account of the events is truthful but embellished.  He does not hold back from retelling his great achievements.
5.  Beowulf takes the necklace Wealhtheow gave him and gives it to Queen Hygd.  Hygelac gives Beowulf gold and land.

Beowulf and the Dragon

The Dragon Wakes
1.  Part two takes place over fifty years later.  The kings Higelac and Heardred died during this time.  Danger now exists in the form of a dragon, which replaces Grendel and his family as an antagonist.
2.  The dragon is angry because someone stole his treasure.  The man stole all the cup in order to give it to his superior. The treasure came to be there originally because of men who got it through war.
3.  That night the dragon burns Beowulf's hometown.
4.  Beowulf thinks his hometown was burnt because god was angry with him.  He orders a new shield made of metal because he knew the dragon's fire would easily destroy his wooden one.  Beowulf is going to battle the dragon alone.  Beowulf is an old man now and will not escape this battle alive.
5.  Hygelac was killed in battle.  After he died, Beowulf went and fought the rest of the battle.  When he returns home, Queen Hygd gives Beowulf treasures and asks him to be king after Higelac.  Beowulf does not accept this offer.
6.  Heardred was killed by Ohthere's sons.  Beowulf planned to avenge him by killing Ohthere.
7.  Beowulf takes eleven men with him to meet the dragon.
8.  Herebald was killed accidentally by an arrow one of his brothers shot.  This destroys his King Hrethal's (Herebald's father's) hope.  He dies in sadness, perhaps committed suicide: "he gave up glee, God-light elected."  After Hrethal's death the Swedes and Geats become enemies again and fight with each other.  Haethcyn was killed in a battle that resulted from this.  Beowulf gets revenge for Higelac's death by killing Daeghrefn, who is some sort of knight.

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon
1.  Beowulf tells his men not to interfere and that only he can kill the dragon.  He wants them to wait until the battle is over.
2.  When Beowulf and the dragon first start fighting Beowulf's sword is not powerful enough to have an effect.  Beowulf is nearly overpowered by the dragon's flames.  His companions run off into the forest and abandon Beowulf.  Wiglaf is different in that he refuses to abandon Beowulf; he reminds the other men of what Beowulf has done for them and tells them that Beowulf needs them.  He then goes into the dragon's lair to help Beowulf.
3.  The second time Beowulf fights the dragon his sword again fails and he is again overpowered.  Beowulf is badly hurt by the dragon's poison but he and Wiglaf successfully kill the dragon together.
4.  As Beowulf is dying he asks Wiglaf to bring the treasure to him so that he can see it.  Beowulf is very happy when he sees the gold; it allows him to die peacefully.  Beowulf wants to be buried on a majestic grave hill and have a tower/monument built in his honor.

Beowulf's Funeral
1.  The companions return in disgrace, ashamed that they had abandoned Beowulf.  Wiglaf goes off on them for abandoning Beowulf and tells them that Beowulf might still be alive if they had not left.  He predicts that in the future they will go broke be cast out by society when people find out they abandoned Beowulf.
2.  The messenger tells the city that Beowulf has died.  He also says that this death will lead to attacks from enemies who will use it to their advantage.  When Haethcyn was killed, Ravenswood was attacked and destroyed overnight by Scylfings.  The next morning Ongentheow is killed.
     The messenger says that the gold should be destroyed and that it would be shameful to display it now.  The speech ends with an image of a raven telling an eagle how he and a wolf ate the dead.
3.  Wiglaf tells the crowd about Beowulf's death and his last request and asks the people to help build a pyre.
4.  The dragon is pushed over the edge and into the water, where he floats away.
5.  During the funeral Beowulf's body is burned on the pyre.  After the funeral a grave hill is built just as Beowulf wanted.  The people remember and respect Beowulf, and place valuables near his grave.
6.  In the last three lines the Geats praise Beowulf as being a benevolent ruler.  He is described as being a good king.  These are not the words one would expect with Beowulf's military background.  Cutting off Grendel's head was not very "gentle" or "winning of manner."  But this is not what the last few lines are referring to.  They are speaking about Beowulf's time as a king; from the perspective of his subjects he was a great ruler.  During the time period,  destroying "evil" was seen as heroic and gentle, even if it was done brutally.