Beowulf

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(No Transcript)
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Plot

• Healfdane builds hall - Heorot
• Grendel lives in nearby cave got mad because of
  the noise. (Grendel is a descendent of Cain)
• Grendel raids the hall and kills people.
• Beowulf hears and decides to come in aid.

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Plot

• Beowulf comes to Heorot and Hrothgar rejoices
  because it means the end of his sufferings.
• They have a feast and celebrate go to sleep and
  wait for Grendels attack.
• Grendel attacks, kills some more people Beowulf
  surprises him and they start to wrestle.

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Plot

• Grendel escapes but Beowulf rips off his arm.
• They celebrate again because they know the wound
  is fatal.
• When they go to sleep, Grendels mother comes and
  retrieves the arm and flees back to her den.
• Hrothgar and Beowulf pursue Grendels mother
  because she killed Hrothgars best friend.

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Plot

• They find Grendels den in the middle of a lake
  underwater.
• Beowulf attempts kill Grendels mother with
  Hrunting (a famous sword.)
• The sword does no damage so Beowulf goes at her
  with his hands and finds a giant sword and
  decapitates her.

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Plot

• In the cave he finds Grendels body and
  decapitates him.
• Beowulf takes both the heads back as trophies and
  they celebrate more and he is awarded a lot of
  gold and armor, helmets, swords etc.
• He returns home and is well received and becomes
  king of the land and rules for 50 years.

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Plot

• A dragon comes and starts terrorizing the kingdom
  because somebody stole from the dragons
  treasure.
• Beowulf assembles a group of loyal retainers and
  they go off to face the dragon.
• Beowulf tells his soldiers he will fight the
  dragon alone. He had a feeling he was close to
  death.

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Plot

• He was wounded on the neck by the dragon but
  continued to fight.
• All twelve of his retainers ran away except for
  one, Wiglaf. He goes to defend Beowulf and
  together they kill the dragon.
• Beowulf collapses to the ground, sees the
  treasure and is content that he left his people
  with all of the gold.

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Plot

• The people mourn the loss of Beowulf and Wiglaf
  is named King and they prepare for invasion from
  their neighboring rivals.
• END

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Archetypes

• Beowulf - Hero/Mentor/Young person from the
  provinces
• Grendel - Monster/Devil Figure
• Wiglaf - Loyal Retainer
• The Quest - Beowulf
• Battle Between Good and Evil

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Archetypes

• The Unhealable Wound - Grendels mother
• Supernatural Intervention
• Dragon - represents fear and natural dangers to
  early humanslarge cats/birds/early reptiles.
• Aeschere - Scapegoat