BEOWULF

(assignment in
English)

SUBMITTED BY: Therese Martha C. Ramirez

GRADE & SECTION: 9 – MAHOGANY
TEACHER: MRS. ALBAG
ABOUT BEUWULF
Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English created at the Medieval Times, The
language spoken in Anglo-Saxon, In England before the Norman Conquest. More than
3,000 lines long, and it is set in the region of Scandinavia.
The author was an Anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet A.K.A The “Beuwulf Poet”. He was a
member of the Anglo-Saxon tribe.

THE STORYLINE
It’s starts with Hrothgar, the King of the Danes, whose kingdom is being terrorized by a
monster named Grendel. Beowulf uses his epic strength and bravery to slay Grendel in
Hrothgar’s mead hall, Heorot, and then to slay Grendel’s vengeful mother in her
underwater lair. Beowulf’s fame spreads, and he returns home to Geatland laden with
treasure for his king, Hygelac. Beowulf later becomes the king of the Geats and rules for
a peaceful fifty years. When a dragon begins to pose a threat to Geatland, Beowulf and
his servant Wiglaf set off to defeat it. Beowulf succeeds in slaying the dragon, but dies
in the process.

THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT BEOWULF

 The Original manuscript was burned on October 23, 1731 at
Ashburnham House in Westminster, England. Now housed at the
British Library in London, the remains of the poem are incredibly
fragile.
 The language used in Beowulf is a bunch of dialects from four
different areas of medieval Britain: Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, and
Wessex. The result shows just how developed and complex a
language Old English was at the time the poem was written. For
example, the poem uses a total of 36 different words for "hero."
"Hæle" and "eorl" are just two of the Old English words that can be
translated to "hero"in Modern English.

CHARACTERS:
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS:
 Beowulf - The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster
Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf’s boasts and
encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he
personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise
and effective ruler.
 King Hrothgar - The king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military success and prosperity
until Grendel terrorizes his realm. A wise and aged ruler, Hrothgar represents a different
kind of leadership from that exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf. He is a father
figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind of king that Beowulf becomes.
 Grendel - A demon descended from Cain, Grendel preys on Hrothgar’s warriors in the
king’s mead-hall, Heorot. Because his ruthless and miserable existence is part of the
retribution exacted by God for Cain’s murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly within the ethos
of vengeance that governs the world of the poem.
  Grendel’s Mother - An unnamed swamp-hag, Grendel’s mother seems to possess
fewer human qualities than Grendel, although her terrorization of Heorot is explained by
her desire for vengeance—a human motivation.
 The Dragon - An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards a horde of treasure in a
hidden mound. Beowulf’s fight with the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the
epic.

OTHER DANES:
 Shield Sheafson
 Beow
 Halfdane
 Wealhtheow
 Unferth
 Hrethric
 Hrothmund
 Hrothulf
 Aeschere

OTHER GEATS:
 Hygelac
 Hygd
 Wiglaf
 Ecgtheow
 King Hrethel
 Breca

OTHER FIGURES MENTIONED:

 Sigemund
 King Heremod
 Queen Modthryth

WELL-KNOWN QUOTES OF BEUWULF:

 “It is always better
to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.
For every one of us, living in this world
means waiting for our end. Let whoever can
win glory before death. When a warrior is gone,
that will be his best and only bulwark.”

 “I shall gain glory or die.”

 “Death is not easily escaped, try it who will; but every living soul among the children of men
dwelling upon the earth goeth of necessity unto his destined place, where the body, fast in its
narrow bed, sleepeth after feast.”

 “Fate goes ever as fate must.”

 “But to elude death

is not easy: attempt it who will,
he shall go to the place prepared for each
of the sons of men, the soul-bearers
dwelling on earth, ordained them by fate:
laid fast in that bed, the body shall sleep
when the feast is done.”