Beowulf

Beowulf

1. Context

   • Written in 1000AD
     • Told by word of mouth before then
   • Told by Anglo Saxons and based on those times.

2. Characters

   • Beowulf - Hero of the Geats/ New King of Danes
   • Hrothgar - Former King of the Danes
   • Grendel - Man-eating demon/Hater of humans
   • Grendel's Mother - Revenging Beast
   • Dragon - King-killer
   • Slave - Petty-thief

3. Plot

   • Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel who is terrorizing Denmark.
   • He later had to defeat Grendel's Mother who began killing people out of revenge.
   • Later, years after Beowulf was crowned King of the Danes, a thieving slave stole gold from a dragon and Beowulf had to defeat it.
   • Beowulf critically injured the dragon but failed killing it because it caused Beowulf near death. Luckily Wiglaf came and killed the dragon but was unable to save Beowulf. Due to his heroic actions Wiglaf was crowned King and ordered a memorial for Beowulf.

4. Literary Devices

   • Alliteration
     • Used to help the poet remember the story/poem and adds energy and tension to the telling of the story.
   • Foreshadowing
     • Used to indicate what is gonna happen before the scene actually happens.
   • Kenning
     • A type of metaphor used to signify characteristics of Grendel and ect.

5. Religious References

   • Pagan beliefs
   • Religious references are used in Beowulf to relate to the Anglo Saxons religion.
   • Grendel and his mother are related to Cain from the Bible.