Beowulf

Beowulf  What is an epic?  When and where does this epic take place?  What cultural values are shown in the Prologue?  What was expected of an Anglo-Saxon leader/ruler/king?  What does Herot represent for Hrothgar and his people?  What does Grendel represent?  What purposes does boasting serve in this culture?

Beowulf Review Prologue and Ch 1-9 Quick pronunciation note: See Merriam-Webster “Geat” entry 1. Whose funeral is described in the Prologue? 2. Healfdane had four children. Which one is now king of the Danes? 3. Name that king’s wife. 4. From whom do these monsters (Grendel and his ilk) descend? (Biblical allusion) 5. What is the name of the hall? 6. Name Beowulf’s uncle/king. 7. Name Beowulf’s father. What connection did he have to Hrothgar? 8. Unferth’s verbal challenge to Beowulf concerns what story? 9. How does Beowulf respond to Unferth? (It’s really a three- part comeback.) Preview of tonight’s reading:  1. Fight with Grendel  2. Chapter 13---digressions about Siegmund vs. Hermod— two different types of leader/king—digression shows what the culture values in its leaders  3. Chapters 16 and 17---Finn digression—women as peace- weavers; violent, vengeful society

Prologue and Chapters 1-9 As a group, 2 or 3 of the following:  Historical/Geographical/Cultural—any of the following could prove interesting: look at more maps, draw connections between comitatus and the feudal system that it grew into, read more about some of these tribes, research back stories to find elements of history mixed with fiction in this book, or explore the Beowulf for Beginners website, focusing on historical information.  Predict—Based on Beowulf’s boasting, do you think he really will be a powerful fighter? How do you think the fight with Grendel will go down in tonight’s reading?  Visualize—Describe how you picture Grendel. You might also look at pictures or videos online to see various depictions of Grendel. Secondly, if you were filming your own version of this epic, what would you emphasize visually from last night’s reading? Which moments, scenes, characters, etc. would stand out on the screen? What type of color palette would you use in your film?  Emotions—What are the primary motivating emotions of these men? What are the primary emotions Grendel feels? What do you imagine are the primary emotions of the women in this culture and time period?  Evaluate—Describe the writing style used by the Beowulf poet. How does he control pacing? How well does he describe events, people, and places? What stylistic features have you noticed? Give examples. (alliteration, inversion, etc.)  Draw connections—Draw connections to other epics and epic heroes. Are the settings similar? Are the themes similar?

Chapters Listen to and “read” the original Old English version of lines In your group, take turns reading aloud from the other translations in the handout. Please do not write on the handout; I will re-use these with other classes. 3. After each translation reading, in your notebook jot down lines/phrases you like and don’t like in that particular translation and then give an overall view/evaluation of the translation (could consider tone, word connotations, imagery, pacing, “readability”, etc.) 4. Once you’ve read and evaluated all translations, discuss with your group which translations you find to be most effective. Explain your reasoning. Then turn in your translation packets. 5. Discuss last night’s reading: the battle with Grendel (What did Beowulf do? Where did Grendel end up?); the didactic songs about Siegmund and Hermod (See Ch 13—Which is the good king—why? Which is the bad king—why?); the Finn digression (What is the purpose of this digression?); Hrothgar’s actions (How does he treat the Geats after Grendel’s demise?); Welthow’s comments (Who are Hrothulf, Hrethric and Hrothmund?—see last 2 pages of Ch 17); Grendel’s mother (Where does she live? What did she do? Who is Esher?).  With any remaining time, you can do one or more of the following: ***Discuss the “movie in your head” with your group (How are you picturing these events and these characters and this setting?) ***Explore the Beowulf for Beginners website ***Think about project options (due a week from Monday)

Chapters What questions do you have about the weekend reading? Lake, Hrunting, battle, Grendel’s body (pouch?), Hermod, Unferth, Hrothgar’s advice (his length of rule?), Higlac and Hidg ***START WITH YOUR GROUP’S ASSIGNED FOCUS. THEN, IF TIME REMAINS, YOU CAN EXPLORE OTHER AREAS. IN THE LAST 10 MINUTES OF CLASS, I WILL ASK PEOPLE FROM EACH GROUP TO SHARE.  Historical/Cultural--Consult this article to explore the didactic purpose of this epic regarding young warriors in early Medieval culture. If you just read the first half of the article, that’s great. Then it won’t give anything away about tonight’s reading! You can read it online, or use the hard copies I’ve provided.  Predict—(Don’t give anything big away if you know more than your peers.) 1. What do you think Beowulf will do now that he’s home? Do you think we’ll find out any additional information about his past? Might there be anything from his past that has developed some of Beowulf’s traits and behaviors? 2. Based on your familiarity with other epics, how do you imagine this epic will end? What will happen? What will be the final scene? What the closing lines focus on?  Visualize—1. Sketch your vision of Grendel’s mother’s lair. Compare drawings. 2. Describe the fight between Grendel’s mother and Beowulf. How did you picture the fight sequence? If you were filming this, what would you show? 3. Look at the graphic novel I’ve provided (don’t read too far if you don’t want anything given away!) and discuss your reactions to it. One of you might be the storyteller in your group and read to your “class” and show the pictures.  Visualize—1. Sketch your vision of Grendel’s mother’s lair. Compare drawings. 2. Describe the fight between Grendel’s mother and Beowulf. How did you picture the fight sequence? If you were filming this, what would you show? 3. Look at the graphic novel I’ve provided (don’t read too far if you don’t want anything given away!) and discuss your reactions to it. One of you might be the storyteller in your group and read to your “class” and show the pictures.  Emotions—1. How do you think Beowulf feels now that he’s returned home? Might there be a mixture of emotions? 2. How would it feel to be a woman in this time? You might review some of the females mentioned in Ch How did Grendel’s mother make you feel? Do you associate any emotions with her? Is she justified in any way for her actions?  Evaluate—1. Has your evaluation of the Beowulf-poet’s writing style changed at all as you’ve read more of the epic? Which stylistic features (pacing, imagery, diction, syntax, structure, characterization, etc.) do you enjoy? Which stylistic features would you change? 2. Evaluate Beowulf as a hero. Are his traits admirable?  Draw connections—1. Does Beowulf remind you of other heroes? Which ones? What traits do they share? Does the setting remind you of other stories’ settings? How so? 2. How could this same type of story (with the heroic code, the hero on a challenging path, etc.) be told in a different place and time? 3. Connecting to your own life, do you tend to be active or passive when facing challenges? In our society today, how do people face challenges? What are our “monsters” and “dragons” in today’s society?