About the Story of Beowulf
Anglo-Saxon Culture
|
Summary: The King, King Hrothagar, had a magnificent hall built which he named Heorot, out of sheer jealousy Grendel attacked the Kings magnificent hall, every year for twelve years by tricking the Kings men into drinking a drug that would cause them to fall asleep. After those twelve miserable years the King has had enough, and calls upon the great undefeated Beowulf, unlike the others Beowulf did not fall for Grendel's classic trick, he defeats him quite easily taking his arm as a sort of prize for him to use to show others what he had done.
After learning that her only son had died by Beowulf's hand, Grendel's Mother seeks out to avenge her fallen son. Grendel's Mother doesn't die quite as easily as her son, it tells in the text that she has more supernatural strength than her son. She carries Beowulf to her court forcing him to fight her with his sword, though remembering himself Beowulf throws aside the sword and fights with his bare hands instead. After a long eventful battle, in which Beowulf is finally the victor, Grendel's Mother's head is finally severed from her neck. Finally in the final battle Beowulf squares up to battle the dragon whom has set fire to the hall of Heorot, Beowulf and eleven of the best of King Hrothgars men go after the dragon. Beowulf orders the men to stay out of harms way, bravely, and rather stupidly, choosing to battle the Dragon himself. The dragon strikes Beowulf three times finally delivering a fatal blow to Beowulf's neck, to his collated artery I'm guessing, sending blood everywhere. Seeing his friend, and fellow soldier in danger, another warrior lunges forward, stabbing the beast in the stomach giving Beowulf the advantage he needs to finish him off himself. Quotation Analysis: In a Quotation Analysis, is to determine what a quote means, and to do so you must consider all things; the how, the what; and the why. For example for the story of Beowulf:
1. Loud in that hall, the harp’s rejoicing Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling The Almighty making the earth, shaping These beautiful plains marked off by oceans, Then proudly setting the sun and moon These are lines five through line ten of the Epic, these lines in Quotation Analysis would mean; that the people in Heorot's hall are happy, they're enjoying their little town's party. They then go on to explain the 'Almighty,' the almighty being what ever you may take it to be, causing the Earth to create the Beauty within itself, |
Vocabulary for Beowulf
|
Further Research? |
1. The Anglo-Saxon history and culture,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/anglo_saxons/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/anglo_saxons/saxons.shtml 2. The Summary, http://www.enotes.com/topics/beowulf http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/b/beowulf/poem-summary 3. Quotation Analysis, Try YouTube!! 4. Detailed Plot Overview http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/summary.html 5. Analysis of Characters http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/canalysis.html http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projf981e/char.html 6. Beowulf's Battle with Grendel http://study.com/academy/lesson/grendels-battle-with-beowulf-character-summary-quiz.html 7. Beowulf's Battle with Grendel's Mother http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs991c/passage.html 8. Beowulf's Battle with the Dragon. http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projf984b/beowulf.html |