English 10 Summer Reading: Seven Things You Need to Know to Read Beowulf

1.Who is the poet? o We don’t know. o We can guess that he (yes, it was probably a guy) lived in England sometime between the 7 th century CE to the 10 th century CE.

2. Where is the poem set? o The poem is set in what is now Denmark and Sweden. o The story is fictional, but it references real events that took place between 515 and 570 CE. o The poem describes the Danes, one of the many Germanic groups living in the area of Northern Europe, from central Germany to the coasts of Norway.

Northern Europe TODAY

Northern Europe in Beowulf, circa 500 A.D.

They followed a strict code of loyalty to family, tribe, and king. The King gave gifts in exchange for loyalty – giving gifts distinguished a “good” king from a “bad” king in Beowulf’s world. 3. What was Beowulf’s world like? o We know very little about the way people lived in Beowulf’s time, because most of their materials did not survive. We do know:

4. What is the basic story of Beowulf? o The Danes are led by King Hrothgar and build a beautiful hall called Heorot. o A scary monster named Grendel attacks Heorot. o Beowulf, a Geat (from modern- day Sweden), comes to the rescue. o Fighting, revenge, and drama ensue…

5. What are key themes in Beowulf ? o Loyalty and honor o Revenge o Religion o The poet lived in a Christian world. The poem is set in a pagan world. You will see elements of both in the text.

6. What’s difficult about reading Beowulf ? o The names o Everyone has crazy Nordic names – Hrothgar, Wealtheow, etc. Sorry. o The Relationships o There are several families and family trees mentioned in the poem. It’s hard to keep them straight.

o The Repetition o It’s a convention of this type of poetry to repeat the same story multiple times. We’ve skipped some of it for you, but you will still see some reiteration of key moments. o The Language o Beowulf was written in Old English and you are reading a translation. However, there may still be some words that are unfamiliar to you.

7. What strategies can you use to make it easier? o The Names & The Relationships o Focus on the main characters and let go of the many “extra” characters. o The Repetition o Follow the notes (in italics) on the right side of the page. They will help you keep track of plot developments. o The Language o Only read the odd-numbered pages! Otherwise you’re trying to read un-translated Old English.

Sources: Robinson, Fred C. “History, religion, culture.” Approaches to teaching Beowulf. Ed. Jess B. Bessinger, Jr. and Robert F. Yeager. New York: MLA, Staver, Ruth Johnston. A companion to Beowulf. Connecticut: Greenwood, 2005.