v5 beowulf recap

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 4,5

Recap bewoulf

Beowulf

• Epic poem
• Oldest surviving English poem
• Told in the land of the Vikings
• Written down in England in Old English around 1000 AD, writer unknown
• Before that, passed down by storytelling 
• Some characters in the story actually existed, others were made up
• Made up of 3182 lines. How could people learn this story by heart?

The hero of the story 

The monster that must be defeated

The name of the king Beowulf sets out to help

The second monster that Beowulf has to fight

The name of the mead hall that is being terrorised by the monster

The third monster that Beowulf has to fight

Heorot

Beowulf

Grendel

Grendel's mother

Hrothgar

A nameless dragon

Epic poem

- Epic hero, great heroism and bravery

- The setting of the poem is vast and could include land, seas, oceans, the world, or even the whole universe.

- Supernatural or other worldly forces or beings such as Gods, angels, or demons

- written in a formal manner and they often use exaggeration.

4 characteristics of an epic hero

-  Super human capabilities

- Unmatched warrior

- Cultural legend

- Battles superhuman foes

Why is Beowulf an example of a classic epic poem?

Alliteration

Two or more words within the same line begin with the same letter.

Meotodes meahte and his modgepanc

the Measurer's might and his mind-plans

! Why was this common (needed) in early writing?

Kenning

A figurative name for a thing, usually expressed in a compound noun.

swan-road = sea

King     1       of Denmark, a descendant of the great king Shield Sheafson, enjoys a prosperous and successful reign. He builds a great mead-hall, called      2      , where his         3           can gather to drink, receive gifts from their lord, and listen to stories sung by the scops, or bards. But the jubilant noise from the mead-hall angers       4         , a horrible demon who lives in the swamplands of the kingdom. The monster terrorizes the    5   every night, killing them and defeating their efforts to fight back. 

Hrothgar

Heorot

warriors

Grendal

Danes

Beowulf

The   1     suffer many years of fear, danger, and death at the hands of      2     . Eventually, however, a young       3        warrior named      4        hears of the king's plight. Inspired by the challenge, he sails to      5     with a small company of men, determined to defeat the monster.

Danes

Grendel

Beowulf

Geatish

Denmark

Scotland

Hrothgar

Jutes

English

Beowulf fights him    1          , proving himself  2            than the demon, who is terrified. As Grendel struggles to escape, Beowulf tears the monster’s      3    off. Mortally wounded, Grendel slinks back into the swamp to die. The severed bodypart is hung high in the mead-hall as a trophy of victory.

unarmed

with a sword

stronger

smarter

faster

arm

leg

head

Overjoyed, Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gifts and treasure at a feast in his honor. Songs are sung in praise of Beowulf, and the celebration lasts late into the night. But another threat is approaching. Grendel’s mother, a swamp-hag who lives in a desolate lake, comes to Heorot seeking revenge for her son’s death

The company travels to the murky   1      , where Beowulf dives into the  water and fights Grendel’s mother in her     2       lair. He kills her with a     3     forged for a giant, then, finding Grendel’s corpse, decapitates it and brings the   4       as a prize to Hrothgar.

swamp

sea

cave

underwater

mountain

sword

bow and arrow

head

eyes

The Danes are again overjoyed, and Beowulf’s fame spreads across the kingdom. Beowulf departs after a sorrowful goodbye to Hrothgar, who has treated him like a son. He returns to Geatland, where he and his men are reunited with their king and queen, Hygelac and Hygd, to whom Beowulf recounts his adventures in Denmark. Beowulf then hands over most of his treasure to Hygelac, who, in turn, rewards him.

In time, Hygelac is killed in a war against the Shylfings, and, after Hygelac’s son dies, Beowulf ascends to the throne of the Geats

How long does Beowulf reign?

1. 10 years
2. 25 years
3. 50 years
4. 100 years

What kind of monster is disturbed by a thief

1. Dragon
2. Demon
3. Ghost
4. Pheonix

Does Beowul win the last fight?

1. YES!
2. NO!

How does Beowulf die?

1. Old Age
2. Stabbed in the back
3. mortaly wounded
4. Murdered by a spy