Language and Culture IV – ISFDyT 24 Lic.

María Laura de Brito 1

Beowulf: Analysis of extracts

• The following is a combination of a summary of Beowulf and extracts of the poem for a better
interpretation. For the analysis of the extracts, focus on cultural elements and literary devices.

The successful ruler of the Danes, Hrothgar, builds a great mead hall called Heorot. Soon after the hall is built,
a monster named Grendel begins to plague Hrothgar's kingdom. Emerging from the darkened marsh, Grendel
regularly invades the hall, attacking and killing Hrothgar’s sleeping warriors. The fierce Grendel devours as
many as 30 warriors at one time. Grendel's attacks on the mead hall and his devouring of Hrothgar's warriors
continue for twelve years:

Then to Hrothgar was granted Gloty in battle,

mastery of the field; so friends and kinsmen
gladly obeyed him, and his band increased
to a great company. It came to his mind
that he would command the construction
of a huge mead-hall, a house greater
than men on earth ever had heard of,
and share the gifts god had bestowed on him
upon its floor with folk young and old-
apart from public land and the persons of slaves.
Far and wide ( as I heard) the work was given out
in many a tribe over middle earth,
the making of the mead-hall. And, as men reckon,
the day of readiness dawned very soon
for this greatest of houses. Heorot he named it

whose word ruled a wide empire.

He made good his boast, gave out rings,
arm-bands at the banquet. Boldly the hall reared
its arched gables; unkindled the torch flame
that turned it to ashes. The time was not yet
when the blood feud should bring out again
sword-hatred in sworn kindred.

It was with pain that the powerful spirit

dwelling in darkness endures that time,
hearing daily the hall filled
with loud amusement; there was the music of the harp,
the clear song of the poet, perfect in his telling
of the remote first making of man´s race.
He told how, long ago, the Lord formed Earth,
a plain bright to look on, locked in ocean,
exulting established the sun and the moon
as lights to illumine the land-dwellers
and furnished forth the face of Earth
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with limbs and leaves. Life He then granted

to each kind of creature that creeps and mooves.

So the company of men led a careless life,

all was well with them: until One began
to encompass evil, an enemy from hell.
Grendel they called this cruel spirit,

the fell and fen his fastness was,

the march his haunt. This unhappy being
had long lived in the land of monsters
since the Creator cast them out
as kindred of Cain. For that killing of Abel
the eternal Lord took vengeance.
There was no joy of that feud: far from mankind
God drove him out for his deed of shame!
(Lines 63-109)

News of Grendel's attacks spreads to the land of the Geats, ruled by Hygelac. After hearing of Hrothgar's
misfortune, Beowulf, a mighty Geat warrior, decides to travel to Denmark to destroy Grendel. Beowulf and
fourteen other warriors make the journey to Denmark. One of Hrothgar's coastal guards questions Beowulf as
he arrives at the Danish shore, so Beowulf states his purpose and asks to be led to Hrothgar’s hall. Hrothgar
gladly welcomes Beowulf and his men.

A feast is held to honor Beowulf. Unferth, one of Hrothgar's men, questions Beowulf's ability to defeat Grendel
by reminding him of a swimming contest that Beowulf apparently lost. Beowulf responds that he was attacked
by many sea monsters during the contest and killed them all. Beowulf then questions Unferth's character, in
part by reminding him that Unferth killed his own brother. After the feast, Hrothgar and his men leave the hall to
sleep; Beowulf and his warriors remain to guard the hall. In the night, Grendel enters the hall, attacking and
devouring one of the sleeping warriors. Beowulf, without weapon or armor, grabs Grendel's hand and tears off
the monster's right arm. The injured monster flees back to his den in the nearby marsh. Beowulf hangs
Grendel's severed arm in Hrothgar's hall to announce the victory:

I shall speak further

of Grendel again, O giver of treasure,
that you may rightly know the result of the champions´
hand-to-hand meetind. When heaven´s jewel
had glided from the world, the wrathful creature,
dire dusk-fiend, came down to seek us out
where, still whole, we held the building.
The weight of the fight fell on Handscio,
the doomed blow came down on him; he died the first,
a warrior in his harshness; the hero, my fellow,
was ground to death between Grendel´s jaws,
our friend´s body was bolted down whole.
But the bloody-toothed slayer, bent on destruction,
was not goingto gofrom that gold-giving hall
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any the sooner: not empty-handed!

Proud of his might, he made proof of me
groped out his greedy palm. A glove hung from it,
uncouth and huge, clasped strangely,
and curiously contrived; it was cobbled together
all of dragons´skins, and with devilish skill.
It was inside this bag that the bold marauder
was going to put me, guiltless as I was,
as the first of his catch; but he could not manage it
once I had stood up in anger against me.
Too long to repeat here how I paid back
the enemy of the people for his every crime;
but to your people, O my prince, my performance there
will bring honour. He broke away,
tasted life´s joys for a little while,
but his strong right hand stayed behind
in the hall of Heorot; humbled he went thence
and sank despairing in the the depths of the Mere.
For this deadly fight The Friend of the Scyldings
recompensed me with plated gold,
a mort of trasure, when the morrow came
and we had benched ourselves at the banqueting table.
There was music and laughter, lays were sung:
the veteran of the Scydings, versed in saga,
would himself fetch back far-off times to us;
the daring-in-battlewould address the harp,
the joy-wood, delighting;or deliver a reckoning
both true and sad; or he would tell us the story
of some wonderful adventure, valiant-heated king.
Or the seasoned warrior, wrapped in age,
would again fall to fabling of his youth
and the days of his battle-strength; his breast was roubled
and his mind filled with the memories of those years.
(Lines 2068-2114)

Hrothgar celebrates Grendel's defeat, but Grendel’s mother attacks the hall the next night to avenge the death
of her son. She enters the hall at night and seizes Aeschere, one of Hrothgar’s most valued warriors, fleeing
with him. Grendel's mother also steals the severed arm of her son. Beowulf is not sleeping in the hall that night
and does not find out about the attack until the next morning. In the morning, Hrothgar leads Beowulf and the
other warriors to the marsh. Near the marsh, the men discover Aeschere's severed head. Beowulf decides to
seek the den of Grendel's mother to avenge Aeschere's death. Unferth then offers Beowulf the use of
Hrunting, the Danes' mightiest sword.

Beowulf descends into the murky waters and is attacked by monsters. Beowulf finally finds the den of
Language and Culture IV – ISFDyT 24 Lic. María Laura de Brito 4

Grendel’s mother. Beowulf attacks Grendel's mother but fails to wound her with the sword, so he engages in a
fierce handtohand battle. As the monster begins to overwhelm Beowulf, the warrior sees an old sword in the
lair. Beowulf grabs the sword and stabs Grendel’s mother, killing her :

And thus we spent the space of a day there

seeking delight, until the ensuing dusk
came to mankind. Quick on its heels
the mother of Grendel moved to her revenge,
spurred on by sorrow; her son was death-taken
by Geat warspite. That gruesome she
avenged her son, struck down a warrior,
and boldly enough! The breath was taken
from the ancient counsellor, Ashhere, there.
Nor could the Danish people, when day came,
give their death-wearied dear one to be burned,
escort him to the pyre: she had carried the body
to the mountain-torrent´s depth in her monstruous embrace.
This was for Hrothgar the harshest of the blows
that since so long had fallen on the leader of the people.
Disraught with care, the king then asked of me
a noble action- and in your name, Hygelac-
that I should risk my life among the rush of waters
and perform an great deed; he promised me reward.

Far and wide it is told how I found in the surges

the grim and terrible guardian of the deep.
After an hand-to-hand struggle
the whirpool boiled with the blood of the mother;
I had hewn off her head in that hall underground
with a sword of huge size. I survived that fight
not without difficulty; but my doom was not yet.
(Lines 2115-2140)

Bewoulf then sees the weakened Grendel lying nearby. As he swims to the surface, the sword begins to melt
until only the head and hilt remain. The Danes rejoice when they find out about Beowulf's victory, honoring
Beowulf with another feast.

Beowulf returns Unferth’s sword and offers Hrothgar the hilt of the sword discovered in the den.
Beowulf then leaves Denmark for his own homeland. Once back to the land of the Geats, Beowulf
is rewarded with riches and is honored by Hygelac, the leader of the Geats.

Many years pass, and Beowulf himself eventually become the leader of the Geats. One of
Beowulf's men discovers a treasure hoard guarded by a dragon and steals a golden goblet, which
he gives to Beowulf. Angered by the theft, the dragon ravages Beowulf's land. Although he is old,
Beowulf decides to fight the dragon. Beowulf's weapons prove useless against the dragon, so
Beowulf attacks the dragon with his bare hands. All but one of Beowulf's warriors flee from the
scene; only the devoted Wiglaf remains.
Language and Culture IV – ISFDyT 24 Lic. María Laura de Brito 5

The dragon bites and injures Beowulf, but after Wiglaf attacks the dragon with his sword, Beowulf is able to
stab and kill the dragon.Beowulf's injuries from the battle with the dragon are fatal. Dying, Beowulf looks upon
the dragon's treasure and gives some of his own golden armor to Wiglaf. Beowulf's funeral follows, with the
hero's body ritually burned. In a burial mound, the Geats bury Beowulf's ashes with the treasures gained from
the dragon’s lai r:

Old Beowul´s sword,

iron of edge, had already struck
the creature who had been keeper of the treasures
for so long an age, employing his fire-blast
in the hoard´s defense, flinging out its heat
in the depth of the nights; he died at last, violently.
[…]
´You are the last man left out our kindred,
the house of the Waymundings! Weird has lured
each of my family to his fated end,
each earl through his valour; I must follow them.´

This was the aged man´s uttermost word

from the toughts of his breast; he embraced the pyre´s
seething surges; soul left its case;
going its way to the glory of the righteous.
(Lines 2800-2817)

Thus, the poem ends with the Geats mourning the death of their great leader.

It is this feud, this fierce hostility,

this murder-lust between men, I am moved to think,
that the Swedish people will prosecute against us
when once they learn that life has fled
from the lord of the Geats, guardian for so long
of hoard and kingdom, of keen shield-warriors
against every foe. Since the fall of the princes
he has taken care of our welfare, and accomplished yet more
heroic deeds. [...]
( Lines 2996- 3004)

Women in Beowulf:
• The role of women, who were fought to be their husbands´ possessions, is limited in Beowul. You will
read two extracts. The first one (lines 1167-1195) shows Wealtheow ( Hrothgar´s wife ) addressing her
husband, his warriors and the Geats at a banquet held to celebrate Beowulf´s destruction of Grendel.
The second one ( lines 1923- 1955)refers to Modthryth, who later gets married to Offa.
Language and Culture IV – ISFDyT 24 Lic. María Laura de Brito 6

• Compare and contrast the two women to identyfy cultural elements and stereotypes.
• After finishing the activities, watch the documentary In Search of Beowulf. Explain the relevance of
the Sutton Hoo and draw connections between the extracts you read and the content of the
documentary.

The Scylding queen then spoke:

´ Accept this cup, myking and lord,
giver of treasure. Let your gaiety be shown,
gold-friend of warriors, and to the Geats speak
in words of friendship, for this well becomes a man.
Be gracious to these Geats, an let the giftd you have had
from near and far not be forgotten now.

I hear it is your wish to hold this warrior

henceforward as your son. Heorot is cleansed,
the ring-hall bright again: therefore bestow while you may
these blessings liberally, and leave to your kinsmen
the land and its people when your passing is decreed,
your meeting with fate. For I may not count
on my gracious Hrothulf to guard honourably
our young ones here, if you, my lord,
should give over this world earlier than he?
I am sure that he will show to our children
answerable kindness, if he keeps in remembrance
all that we have done to indulge and advance him,
the honours we bestowed on him when he was still a child.

Then she turned to the bench were her boys were sitting,
Hrethric and Hrothmund, among the heroes´sons,
young men together; were the good man sat also
between the two brothers, Beowulf the Geat.
Then the cup was taken to him and he was entreated kindly
to honour theit feast; ornate gold
was presented in trophy: two arm-wreaths,
with robes and rings also, and the richest collar
I have ever heard of in all the world.

[…]
Language and Culture IV – ISFDyT 24 Lic. María Laura de Brito 7

That was a handsome hall there. And high within it sat

a king of great courage. His consort was young,
but wise and discreet for one who had lived
so few years at court; the queen´s name was Hygd,
Hareth´s daughter. When she dealt out treasure
to the Geat nation, the gifts were generous,
there was nothing narrowly done.
It was not so with Modthryth,
imperious queen, cruel to her people.
There was no one so rash among the retainers of the house
as to riska look at her- except her lord himself-
turn his eyes on her, even by day;
or fatal bonds were fettled for him,
twisted by hand: and when hands had been laid on him
and settle it quickly, its spreading inlays
proclaim its killing power. Unqueenly ways
for a woman to follow, that one who weaves peace,
though of matchless looks, should demand the life
of a well-loved man for an imagined wrong!
Hemming´s son Offa put an end to that.
And the ale-drinkers then told a tale quite different:
little was the hurt or harm that she brought
on her subjects then, as soon as she was given,
gold-decked, in marriage, to the mighty young champion
of valiant lineage, when she voyaged out
on the pale flood at her father´s bidding
to the hall of Offa. All that followed
of a life destined to adorn a throne
she employed well, and was well-loved for it,
strong in her love for that leader of heroes,
the outstanding man, as I have heard tell,
of all mankind´s mighty race
from sea to sea.

Bibliography of summary and extracts:

Anonymous (2003) Beowulf. A Verse Translation. M. Alexander (Trans). England: Penguin Books

Lit 2001: Summary of Beowulf.Retrieved from the World Wide Web in 2016 .http://www2.ivcc.edu
/rambo/beowulf_summary.htm

Vazquez , M. (2014) Beowulf. Carpeta de trabajo de Lengua y Cultura IV. ISFDyT N° 24