Beowulf (part 1 and 2)

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• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

Beowulf (part 1 and 2)

Old English

Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum,

þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,

hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.

Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,

monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,

egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð

Modern English

So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by

 and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. 

We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns. 

There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, 

a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes

Beowulf is an epic poem. What could Epic mean here?

Epic

Long narrative poem of a serious subject

Needs a herioc figure on which a burden of defense is placed of a group

Elevated writing style to make the story more grand

Hero must have courage

Beowulf

Epic story about the hero Beowulf slaying three monster Grendel, Grendel's mother and a dragon.

Oldest surviving poem

3182 lines of poetry

Written in England, but the story in set in Scandinavia

Written between 600 and 850 A.D.

People 

                                        Beowulf: nephew of Higlac, king of the Geats

        Hrothgar: king of the Danes.

                                     Unferth: One of Hrothgar's top retainers

                                       

                                            Wiglaf: a Geat warrior, Beowulf's selected and the only one to help him in his final fight with the dragon.

Monsters

Grendel: man-eating monster who was exiled to the marshes.

Grendel’s mother: water-witch who seeks revenge.

Dragon: mighty dragon that Beowulf fights in the final part of the poem. 

The story

Hero; Beowulf

Bravery 

Adventure 

Killing monster: Grendel, Grendel's mother and the dragon

Location

Geats

Geatland

Heorot 

The story

A first tangent is sort of a guidebook to what is a good king

Building of Heorot. -> (symbol of pride) -> king builds a large hall and gives great gifts 

Lo and behold there is a monster and he is upset about the noise this homestead makes.

The story (2)

For 12 years Heorot is besieged at night by Grendel.

Grendel, is big and has glowing eyes. Lives alone with his mother. He is a loner, lives in the marshes. Eats humans.

After 12 years a young hero shows up, Beowulf and he comes to defeat the monster

3 physical fights and 3 times to introduce himself (coastguard), leader of a troop, Unferth (adviser to the king))

The story (3)

Beowulf goes to fight, he wins and rips off the arm of

Party for the defeat, gift giving is important.

Grendel’s mother is then introduced

Hrothgar’s favourite man is defeated by Grendel’s mother but she flies by morning

           The story(4)

Beowulf sets out to Grendel’s mothers water. 

Grendel’s mother cannot be defeated by swords. At least not by a mortal sword

Luckily he then finds a giants sword (which belongs to Grendel's mother) and apparently that does work against her

Another party with gift-giving

            The story (5)

When Beowulf returns home and tells his uncle what has been going on.

Then fast forward fifty years. Beowulf is now a king, he is harassed by a monster (dragon)

This dragon is angry because a cup has been stolen from him 

Old king Beowulf fights the dragon, is bitten in the neck and his sword brakes

Most of his company then flees, apart from Wiglaf

The story (6)

The dragon is slain but so is Beowulf 

The dragon’s treasure is buried with Beowulf by Wiglaf

Messenger states that people of Beowulf are doomed they should be punished for their actions to the Swedes

                                                                       Poem then ends with the                                                           funeral of Beowulf 

Why could Three be an important symbol in this story?

What defines a hero?

Is Beowulf a hero? Why or why not?

Group activity

Divide yourself into groups of two or three 

Speak in English

and ask yourself the question: 

What part of the story has interested you?

There is a handout with some guiding questions to help you formulate your ideas.

Which monster is killed first?

1. Dragon
2. Grendel
3. Grendel's mother

Where is the story set?

1. Scandinivia
2. England
3. Scotland
4. Netherlands

Why is Grendel's mother upset?

1. Beowulf has stolen her treasure
2. Heorot is too loud
3. Grendel is killed by Beowulf
4. People annoy her

Who helps Beowulf with the dragon

1. Wiglund
2. Hrothgar
3. Heorot
4. Wiglaf

Why is the number three not important

1. Monster
2. Battles
3. Introductions
4. Feasts

For how many years is Heorot besieged?

1. 10
2. 11
3. 12
4. 13

Did Beowulf die at the hands of a monster?

1. yes
2. no

What does not describe Grendel

1. Loner
2. Lives in the marsh land
3. Lives with his father
4. Eats humans

Lesson 2 Beowulf

Analysing Beowulf in detail

Recap Beowulf

Epic story, 3182 lines. Has a hero

Importance of the number 3, monster, battles and important kings

Beowulf slays Grendel, who was angry because of the noise

Beowulf slays Grendel's mother, who is upset because her son is dead

Beowulf slays the dragon, who believes they have stolen from him 

Beowulf as an old king does not survive beating the dragon and is buried with the dragon's treasure

Do you still think Beowulf is a hero? Why or why not?

Today 

Close reading a passage

Group discussion

Creative activity

Close reading instructions

Read the three passages that are on the hand out and answer the questions

Answer these questions alone 

There is time for discussing your answers later

Time: 10 minutes

Group discussion

In groups of two or three discuss the answers to the reading passages

Try and answer the central question once again:

Is Beowulf a hero? Why or why not? 

Use lines from the passages to illustrate your answer

Creative assignment

Take a look at two trailers of Beowulf. If you were to direct a Beowulf movie, what would it look like? What would it be about? Which actors would you use? Etc.

Deadline = 8th of March 2023

The bonus will be added to your literature test grade (which is a SE (school examen) grade!)

Creative assignment

Extra instruction on the assignments are in the reader

Highlights

300-400 words

Written in English

Has few language mistakes (grammar and spelling)

No ChatGPT

Reflection

On the following three slides you will be asked to answer three open questions. Please answer them honestly, what you answer does not reflect your grade in anyway

Did you enjoy learning about beowulf (explain)

Do you feel confident you know enough about Beowulf and heroism to asnwer test questions (explain)

What could I as a teacher do differently next time?

Lastly, is Beowulf a hero or not?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Maybe

Why?

You won't need this anymore!