Beowulf Part III Discussion Questions

What does Hrothgar suggest to Beowulf about his ability to lead within his blood line? How is Beowulf received on his return home? Did you find the abrupt time change disconcerting? Why does Beowulf refuse the crown offered him by Higlac’s widow? When does Beowulf become king?

Why doesn’t Beowulf fear the dragon Why doesn’t Beowulf fear the dragon? Why is Beowulf risking his life at this point in his life? And why must he do this alone? When does Beowulf realize he’s losing the battle with the dragon? What does he do?

What do Beowulf ’s followers do when they realize he’s losing What do Beowulf ’s followers do when they realize he’s losing? What does Wiglaf do? What does Wiglaf forsee as the future for Beowulf’s nation now that he’s dead? Will there be peace in the land, now that the dragon has been slain? Will young Wiglaf be an able successor to Beowulf as a ring-giver and peace-keeper?

Does this ending fit that of an epic hero? Why/why not?

Preparation for Socratic Seminar Why would Beowulf rather be a hero than a king? What is the difference? Discuss the social hierarchy as presented in the text. How does it differ from social relationships and structure today? What is the status of gold and gift-giving in the poem? Who gives gifts, who receives them, and why? Are the modern concepts of wealth, payment, monetary worth, and greed appropriate for the world of Beowulf? Wealtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, and Grendel’s mother. What do the women in Beowulf do? How do they do it? Do they offer an alternate perspective of the heroic world (centered around male action) of the poem?

Preparation for Socratic Seminar Look at the religious references in the poem: what are the names for God? What biblical events are mentioned, and who mentions them? What specifically pagan practices (sacrifice, burial, augury, etc.) are described? How do the characters see their relationship to God (or the gods)? Why would a Christian author write a poem about a pagan hero? Does the heroic code expressed in Beowulf conflict with a Christian sensibility? Would you say that the characters in Beowulf are as psychologically complex those in modern works of literature? Do they undergo any development as the poem progresses?