1. Beowulf

2. 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?

3. 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

4. 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?

5. Chapters 10-20 1. Listen to and “read” the original Old English version of lines 710-735. 2. 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)