Beowulf

1. Beowulf

2. What is the purpose of the prologue? • Gives us background info • Grabs attention • Describes the past that is important today

3. The Prologue • Meet Shield Sheaf: • Great King • Orphan • Quickly rose to be a strong and powerful man • Had a son- Beow- was comforting and giving

4. The Prologue • Shield died, everyone came to pay respects • Was honored with an elaborate funeral • Body was put on a boat covered with treasures and armor and cast off to sea • His life ended as it began; him cast adrift on the water

5. The Prologue • Beowhad a son, Healfdane: • Fierce man • Had 4 kids- Heorogar, Hrothgar, Halga the Good, and one daughter, Elan

6. The Prologue • Hrothgar then became king • He was friendly, willing, people obeyed him • Under his rule his kingdom prospered and had great military success • Hrothgar wanted a monument for his success, to leave a legacy, a place to have a good time and share his wealth- Mead Hall called Herot • Here men gathered with Hrothgar to drink mead (beer), talk, listen to music • Lots of parties/feasts/events took place there almost every night • People came from all over to party

7. The Prologue • Meet Grendel! • An outcast • Legend has it that he was a descendent of Cain (from the Biblical story where Cain killed his brother Abel) and is cut off from God’s love and human companionship • He is upset he was not included in the parties- Bitter! • He resents their good cheer (kinda like the Grinch!)

8. Grendel • Grendel emerges from the swamp to listen to the heavy partying at Herot’s night after night • He is resentful b/c he is an outcast- not just from Hrothgar’s parties but from God too (Think misery loves company!) • One night after partying @ Herot everyone is asleep and Grendel makes a move • Grendel attacks and kills 30 men and drags them back to his lair • He does this again night after night for 12 years! He’e wrecking havoc in Herot!

9. Grendel • Hrothgar and his men pray to many Gods (Paganism) even the Devil for help! • But they find that praying to just one God is their only real hope • This mixing of fighting over which God or Gods to pray to shows the conflict of Christianity versus Paganism of the time!

10. The Coming of Beowulf • Beowulf- nephew of Higlac- hears of the trouble in Hrothgar’s kingdom • He is considered to be the greatest hero in the world • Decides to travel to the land of the Danes to help Hrothgar defeat the demon • Gets a team of 14 men together to help him • When he arrives, Hrothgar throws him a feast where Beowulf describes how awesome of a warrior he is and his past battles

11. The Coming of Beowulf • After the feast Beowulf and his men wait for Grendel’s attack • Beowulf decides to fight Grendel without weapons • WHY???? Grendel doesn’t fight with weapons that would be unfair or dishonorable • He wants to fight him on equal terms • This shows he abides by the heroic code or chivalry- THEME!

12. The Coming of Beowulf • Beowulf and Hrothgar are good men who seek to serve others, quite accomplished • Beowulf is an excellent, noble warrior • Hrothgar has ruled the Danes as a good king • Beowulf is a combative, young warrior who seeks glory and honor by fighting Grendel thus serving Hrothgar by saving his people and establishing peace and safety. • Hrothgar was once a powerful warrior but with age is now a wise and peaceful leader- more concerned with the safety of his people rather than personal fame or glory.

13. Battle with Grendel • Grendel bursts into Herot tearing the door from its hinges with his bare hands and immediately devours a nearby warrior while Beowulf carefully observes.  • He is absolutely thrilled that there are new men in the Mead Hall to kill and eat. • When Grendel reaches out to snatch up Beowulf, he is stunned to find his arm gripped with greater strength than he knew possible. He becomes scared for the first time EVER! • Grendel wants to run back to the safety of the swamplands…he even tries to escape, but Beowulf wrestles him down to the ground! • Wrestling match ensues!

14. Battle with grendel • Everyone in the Mead Hall starts to join in the fight- they find that no weapon is capable of harming Grendel.It’s good that Beowulf decided to fight him weaponless! • Beowulf gathers all his strength and rips Grendel’s arm completely out of its socket. • Fatally wounded, Grendel slinks back to his swampy home to die. 

15. Battle with Grendel • Back in the Mead Hall, Beowulf holds up his gory trophy in triumph; that Grendel has been beaten and killed. • He proudly hangs the arm high on the wall of Herotas proof of his victory. • The following morning, the Danish warriors are amazed at Beowulf’s accomplishment.  • Everyone celebrates and Beowulf’s success begins to spread rapidly.  • Grendel’s mom hears about what happened- she avenges the death of her son.

16. Grendel’s Mother • Grendel’s mom leaves the swamp and heads to destroy Hrthogar, his kingdom, and Beowulf. • She is in a complete frenzy of grief and rage, seeking vengeance for her son’s death. • She enters the Mead Hall and seizes a sleeping man, the noise wakes the others. Everyone grabs their swords and rush toward her. • The monster panics and flees, still carrying her victim, Hrothgar’s trusted advisor, in her grasp. • She also grabs her son’s bloody arm off the wall and drags it home. • Beowulf is not around! He was given the VIP sleeping area away from the Mead Hall.

17. The Battle with Grendel’s Mother • Hrothgar sends for Beowulf in the VIP area- totally FREAKING OUT! • He gives specific directions/instructions and asks Beowulf to destroy her. He even offers her any earthly possession he desires as a reward! • Grendel’s Mom’s Swamp Home- • Bottom of a lake • Creepy and dark • Water burns • Lake seems to be bottomless • Animals are even too scared to go near it • Legend has it that the woods surrounding the lake are magical

18. The Battle with Grendel’s Mother • It takes most of one day for Beowulf to swim to even see the bottom of the lake and just as he does….she grabs him and drags him down to her lair! • Luckily for Beowulf the armor he is wearing protects him from her crushing him. •  Beowulf uses Hrunting, the sword lent to him by one of Hrothgar’s men, and lashes at Grendel’s mother’s head, but even this blade is unable to pierce the monster’s skin.  • Beowulf tries to fight the sea-witch using only his bare hands, but she matches him blow for blow.

19. The Battle with Grendel’s Mother • At last, he notices a sword hanging on the wall, an enormous weapon for giants. • Beowulf seizes the huge sword and swings it around powerfully. • The blade slices cleanly through the Grendel’s mother’s neck, and she falls dead to the floor, gushing with blood.

20. The Battle with Grendel’s Mother • A light appears, and Beowulf looks around, his sword held high, ready to fight again. • He spies Grendel’s corpse lying in a corner. • Furious at the sight of the fiend, he decapitates Grendel as a final repayment for all of the lives that Grendel took.  • Meanwhile, on land, the Dane warriors lose hope when they see blood come up from the bottom of the lake. • Thinking Beowulf is dead, they return to Herot. They know of too many people who have fought Grendel/His Mom and lost. They thought he had little chance of surviving! • Only the small band of Geat warriors, Beowulf’s kinsmen, stay behind to wait.

21. The Battle with Grendel’s Mother • Back in the lair, Beowulf sees the “magic” sword melt like ice- all that’s left is the hilt (handle of it). • He sees that the lair is full of all treasure but doesn’t want any of it! • He takes the hilt and Grendel’s head and swims up towards the surface. These objects are symbols/trophies of Beowulf’s power as a warrior and triumph of good over evil. (Displayed in the Mead Hall for all to see!) • The group returns to Herot and there is a HUGE party in their honor. • Beowulf of course gives a great speech. One where he says that he would not have beaten either monster had it not been for God. • This particular declaration of religion again shows the heavy Christian influence in Britain at the time the poem was written.

22. The Last Battle • After he helps Hrothgar, Beowulf goes home. • He is welcomed by the king, his uncle Higlac. • Beowulf ends up becoming king and rules for 50 years of peace. • A fire breathing dragon starts to torment his kingdom. Why???? Someone stole it’s treasure. • Beowulf is now an old man but determined to fight and kill the dragon.

23. The Last battle • He is ready to go fight! He has decked himself out with a shield, sword and armor. • 11 warriors plan to join him. • Beowulf gives one last boast where he talks about: • He has never known fear • Even though he is old now, he still seeks fame for being the best warrior • His past battles • Has a premonition that this will be his last battle (Foreshadowing?) • This speech is meant to give everyone courage before the battle.

24. The Last Battle • He enters the cave alone, shouts to the dragon to come and fight- the dragon rises from the earth. • Beowulf and the dragon wrestle amid sheets of fire. • Beowulf swings his sword against the dragon’s thick scales, but his strength is clearly not what it once was. • His shield even starts to melt! • As things with the dragon begin to get intense, all the warrior leave…but one- Wiglaf! (No comitatus)

25. The Last Battle • Wiglaf is the only one who feels enough loyalty to come to the aid of his king. • THINK! This is just like Beowulf (young warrior) helping Hrothgar (older king). • He helps Beowulf b/c he remembers how the king bestowed kindness and treasure upon him in the past. • He comes from a very loyal and dedicated family. • He chastises the other warriors for leaving Beowulf after they partied with him many times, always saying they would have his back.He frankly says he would die for Beowulf if he had to. • He then runs and fights alongside Beowulf.

26. The Spoils • Together, Wiglaf and Beowulf slay the dragon but Beowulf is mortally wounded in the process. • Beowulf instructs Wiglaf to go and gather the dragon’s treasure. He believes seeing it with make his death less painful. • MORAL ALERT!!!! “So gold can easily triumph, defeat the strongest of men” = Greed as man’s downfall. • Looking at the treasure, a dying Beowulf, thanks God for the treasure that he has won for his people. • His dying words/wishes/actions: • Gives Wiglaf a gold collar, helmet, breastplate and ring • Wiglaf must now look after the Geatsas their king • His troop is to build him a tower to burn his body by the sea

27. The Farewell • Wiglaf rips into the warriors that deserted Beowulf during his final battle. • As Beowulf has requested, the warriors burn his body on a large funeral tower. • The tower also has pieces of his armor on it as well as treasure. • As the poem ends, everyone paying their respects sorrowfully recount that their king was kind, selfless, noble, and generous to his people, fair-minded, and eager to earn praise.