Beowulf Review

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Beowulf Review
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The Wrath of Grendel

• The story opens as a celebratorial noise from
  King Hrothgars mead hall, Herot, angers Grendel,
  the monster from hell who lurks in the darkness

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The Wrath of Grendel

• Grendel, born from evil, slips into the mead hall
  and kills many men
• Hrothgar mourns the losses and Grendel continues
  his nightly attacks
• Thus, Herot stayed deserted for years (12
  winters)

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The Coming of Beowulf

• Beowulf, the strongest of the Geats, crosses the
  sea from Sweden with his men to Denmark
• Beowulf convinces (my father is famous warrior,
  Egetho, etc.) the Danish watcher to take him to
  Hrothgar

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The Coming of Beowulf

• Before King Hrothgar, Beowulf boasts of his
  background and accomplishments, then tells him he
  intends to kill Grendel with his bare hands

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The Battle with Grendel

• That night, Beowulf and his men stay in Herot
• Gendel lurks inside and kills a Geat then meets
  his match in Beowulf who rips off the monsters
  arm and hangs it from the rafters
• Grendel escapes, but is mortally wounded

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The Battle with Grendel

• The Danes and the Geats celebrate Beowulfs
  victory
• But
• Grendels mother seeks revenge and kills
  Hrothgars friend and takes back her sons claw

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The Monsters Lair

• Grendel and his mother live in a hellish lake
• Of course, Beowulf goes there to kill the female
  beast

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The Battle with Grendels Mother

• Beowulf leaps into the lake and sinks for hours
  (superhuman powers)
• Grendels mothers claws have no affect on
  Beowulf (his divine mail shirt protects him) so
  she carries him to her underground home

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The Battle with Grendels Mother

• Beowulf tries to kill her with his sword,
  Hrunting, but her evil skin protects her
• Beowulf uses his supernatural strength to strike
  the she-beast dead with a magic sword

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The Battle with Grendels Mother

• The Danes see the lake water churn with blood and
  think Beowulf is dead
• The loyal Geats wait
• Beowolf finds Grendels body and cuts off his
  head, he and the Geats carry it back to Herot

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The Last Battle

• Beowulf is honored by Hrothgar, then returns to
  Geatland where he rules as king for 50 years
• Now an old man, a dragon menaces his kingdom

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The Last Battle

• Beowulf tells his people that he will fight the
  fire-breathing dragon using his armor, which is
  no shame, since he will fight to the death if
  necessary

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The Last Battle

• Beowulf and the dragon face off, but Beowulfs
  weapons fail him and he realizes he is going to
  die.
• All the Geats run away, except Wiglaf

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The Last Battle

• Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon, but Beowulf
  is mortally wounded
• Beowulf asks Wiglaf to bring him the treasure
  that the dragon was guarding

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The Spoils

• Wiglaf brings Beowulf the gold and treasure just
  as Beowulf is about to die
• Beowulf gives Wiglaf his necklace, helmit, rings,
  mail shirt, and as a sign that Wiglaf will be the
  new king
• Beowulf asks Wiglaf to build a towering tomb to
  honor him

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The Farewell

• The Geats build the tower and mourn and PRAISE
  their perished leader
• Beowulf lives onbecause he is the epic hero!
• He embodies the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture of
  bravery, strength, loyalty, a fathers good
  reputation, leadership to king, and goodness will
  triumph over evil!