Beowulf

1. Beowulf A hero for all time…

2. Standards Objectives Students will be able to… identify what makes a person a hero. differentiate between a “super hero” and a “hero.” construct a map and timeline identifying the background and origin of Beowulf. identify and define the literary terms epic, epic hero, and allegory. • 3.0 Literary Response and Analysis: Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science. They conduct in-depth analyses of recurrent themes. The selections in Recommended Literature, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. • Structural Features of Literature3.1: Analyze characteristics of subgenres (e.g., satire, parody, allegory, pastoral) that are used in poetry, prose, plays, novels, short stories, essays, and other basic genres. • Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text3.2: Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim. • 3.6 Analyze the way in which authors through the centuries have used archetypes drawn from myth and tradition in literature, film, political speeches, and religious writings (e.g., how the archetypes of banishment from an ideal world may be used to interpret Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth). • 3.7 Analyze recognized works of world literature from a variety of authors: a. Contrast the major literary forms, techniques, and characteristics of the major literary periods (e.g., Homeric Greece, medieval, romantic, neoclassic, modern). b. Relate literary works and authors to the major themes and issues of their eras. c. Evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period that shaped the characters, plots, and settings.

3. Listening Activity • Listen to the following clips of theme songs and try to identify which hero they belong to… • 1. • 2. • 3. • 4. • 5. • 6. • 7. • 8. • 9. • 10. • 11. • 12. • 13. Answers: 1. X-men 2. Original Batman 3. Superman 4. The Dark Knight 5. Spiderman 6. Captain Planet 7. U.S. Military 8. Power Rangers 9. Street Fighter 10. Mortal Combat 11. Star Wars 12. Trick! Darth Vader Imperial March 13. Harry Potter

4. The Basics • Who? • What? • When? • Where? • Why?

5. By Whom? • By whom was it written? • Most Anglo-Saxon poetry was oral at first, meaning it was transmitted or performed by a Scop from memory; it wasn’t actually written down until . . . • Somewhere between the eighth and ninth centuries A.D., “The Beowulf-Poet” (his identity is unknown) wrote down the poem which for many years had been sung/spoken.

6. About Whom? • Even though the poet himself was English and Christian, the poem is about neither Englishmen nor (full-fledged) Christians • It is the story of several Scandinavian peoples (tribes, really), mainly the Geats and the Danes, but also the Swedes. Beowulf is a Geat. He goes to the aid of the Danes, whose king is Hrothgar • They live in . . .

7. Map of Baltic Region of Scandinavia and the Viking Invasions (700-800)

8. Worksheets • Follow the directions on the paper. • Use color

9. “Who?” in Review • The poem’s hero is Beowulf, a Geat who lives in Scandinavia. He is probably a fictional character. He is certainly an epic hero. More on this later. The poem is also about three races or tribes: • The Geats • The Danes • The Swedes • It is written by an English (Anglo-Saxon) monk who is looking back in time to the days when his ancestors still lived in Scandinavia and by a different code of ethics.

10. Who are the main characters? • Beowulf (Geat) • Hrothgar (Dane) • Unferth (Dane) • Wiglaf (Geat) • Grendel • Grendel’s mother • The dragon

11. Main Characters Part Deux • Many people divide the poem into thirds; it is about Beowulf’s three epic battles with evil creatures • Grendel • Grendel’s Mother • The Dragon • However, as Heaney points out, it is also really about three tribes: • The Geats • The Danes • The Swedes

12. What? • What is it? Beowulf is an epic poem. An epic is “a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society” (Elements 1263). • What is he? Beowulf is an epic hero who embodies the values of a particular society • It is poetic, creative, imaginative, and one of the earliest works of art in the English language (albeit Old English)

13. What (else)? • Fuller definition of epic: An epic is “a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society. Most epics include elements of myth, legend, folklore, and history. Their tone is serious, and their language is grand. Most epic heroes undertake quests to achieve something of tremendous value to themselves and their society.

14. Allegory • Beowulf is also, in very many ways, allegorical. An allegory is “A story in which the characters, settings, and events stand for abstract or moral concepts” (Elements 1259). It would be better to say that there are allegorical features in Beowulf than to call it an allegory. Just looking at the three creatures Bewoulf defeats may help show how the poem can be read allegorically: • Grendel stands for the monstrous features of fratricide; consider that he is born of Cain (who is know for killing his brother). The Geats, Danes, and Swedes, were in many ways “brothers,” but they were also at war. Who else kills his brother (or kinsmen) in the poem? • Grendel’s mother may stand for the root of (or mother of) our deepest animalistic aggressions. When heroes go into the sea, it is said by some scholars that they are actually going into the deepest recesses of their psyche. IS Beowulf, by defeating Grendel’s mother, simply “killing” the concept of revenge for revenge’s sake? • Dragons often represent greed. They horde treasure and become violent if the treasure is touched. By killing the dragon, is Beowulf killing his own greed? Notice what he bequeaths to his people after he dies.