Essay On Beowulf
READING GUIDE: BEOWULF
“At the dawn of English literature stands Beowulf.”
Background (pages 38-39)
• The action takes place in ___________-century _____________________.
• The poem is written in ____________ English.
• The poem contains ______ mortal battles:
1)
2)
3)
• Beowulf belongs to the oral tradition, carried on by traveling minstrels called ________________.
• The poem was finally recorded in __________________.
• The poem contains _____________ lines.
• What is an epic? List two defining characteristics.
major themes:
noble ancestry/kinship and royal generosity
loyalty, selflessness, and blood vengeance …show more content…
Why does Grendel growl in pain?
2. Of what is the poet singing? Given the history of England, why is this significant?
3. How does the poet account for Grendel’s origin?
4. What makes the opening of the poem elegiac?
5. How long does Grendel terrorize Hrothgar’s people?
6. How does the poet account for the survival of Hrothgar’s throne?
7. How does the poet’s description of Hrothgar’s attempt to deal with Grendel illustrate the pagan-Christian conflicts in early England?
the coming of Beowulf (page 43) 8. Describe the poet’s introduction of Beowulf.
9. How many men accompany Beowulf to
“At the dawn of English literature stands Beowulf.”
Background (pages 38-39)
• The action takes place in ___________-century _____________________.
• The poem is written in ____________ English.
• The poem contains ______ mortal battles:
1)
2)
3)
• Beowulf belongs to the oral tradition, carried on by traveling minstrels called ________________.
• The poem was finally recorded in __________________.
• The poem contains _____________ lines.
• What is an epic? List two defining characteristics.
major themes:
noble ancestry/kinship and royal generosity
loyalty, selflessness, and blood vengeance …show more content…
Why does Grendel growl in pain?
2. Of what is the poet singing? Given the history of England, why is this significant?
3. How does the poet account for Grendel’s origin?
4. What makes the opening of the poem elegiac?
5. How long does Grendel terrorize Hrothgar’s people?
6. How does the poet account for the survival of Hrothgar’s throne?
7. How does the poet’s description of Hrothgar’s attempt to deal with Grendel illustrate the pagan-Christian conflicts in early England?
the coming of Beowulf (page 43) 8. Describe the poet’s introduction of Beowulf.
9. How many men accompany Beowulf to