Beowulf

2nd Grade
Poetry
Beowulf
In its most basic definition, Old English is the language spoken

and written by the Germanic inhabitants of England. Their
contributions to the history of letters begins in the 5th century
and dates until the very end of the 11th century. Also called
"Anglo-Saxon," Old English is the language in which all literature
from what was then known as England was written.
In almost every extant case, the Old English poetry that has
survived is limited to epic stories of battles fought and won
and enemies defeated. The most famous of these and one of
the oldest remaining pieces of Old English literature is the epic
poem "Beowulf." While upon first glance the poem reads like
prose, it is clear when examining the line structure and the
repeated alliteration that the work is actually a long poem.
"Beowulf" is a sprawling epic that tells the story of a son born

to the man who became king of the Danes and who freed the
Danish people from a mighty beast. The story is told as it
pertains to the goings on at the royal court, where Beowulf
regales the assembled with tales of his adventures. This sort of
1
hypermasculine adventure relating is characteristic of Old
English poetry. The boasting, prideful relating of bold adventures
to a court of royals
The Poem
Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old

English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. It
deals with events of the early 6th century and is believed to have
been composed between 700 and 750. Although originally
untitled, it was later named after the Scandinavian hero
Beowulf, whose exploits and character provide its connecting
theme. There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some
characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically
verified. The poem did not appear in print until 1815. It is
preserved in a single manuscript that dates to the year 1000 and
is known as the Beowulf manuscript.
Beowulf falls into two parts. It opens in Denmark, where King

Hrothgar’s splendid mead hall, Heorot, has been ravaged for 12
years by nightly visits from an evil monster, Grendel, who carries
off Hrothgar’s warriors and devours them. Unexpectedly, young
Beowulf, a prince of the Geats of southern Sweden, arrives
with a small band of retainers and offers to cleanse Heorot of its
monster. Hrothgar is astonished at the little-known hero’s daring
2
but welcomes him, and, after an evening of feasting, much
courtesy, and some discourtesy, the king retires, leaving Beowulf
in charge. During the night Grendel comes from the moors, tears
open the heavy doors, and devours one of the sleeping Geats.
He then grapples with Beowulf, whose powerful grip he cannot
escape. He wrenches himself free, tearing off his arm, and
leaves, mortally wounded.
The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot. But at night as the

warriors sleep, Grendel’s mother comes to avenge her son,
killing one of Hrothgar’s men. In the morning Beowulf seeks her
out in her cave and kills her. He cuts the head of Grendel’s
corpse and returns to Heorot. The Danes rejoice once more.
Hrothgar makes a farewell speech about the character of the
true hero, as Beowulf, enriched with honors and princely gifts,
returns home to King Hygelac of the Geats.
The second part passes rapidly over King Hygelac’s

subsequent death in a battle (of historical record), the death of
his son, and Beowulf’s succession to the kingship and his
peaceful rule of 50 years. But now a fire-breathing dragon
ravages his land and the doughty but aging Beowulf engages it.
The fight is long and terrible and a painful contrast to the battles
of his youth. Painful, too, is the desertion of his retainers except
for his young kinsman Wiglaf. Beowulf kills the dragon but is
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mortally wounded. The poem ends with his funeral rites and a
lament.
Beowulf belongs metrically, stylistically, and thematically to a

heroic tradition grounded in Germanic religion and mythology.
It is also part of the broader tradition of heroic poetry. Many
incidents, such as Beowulf’s tearing off the monster’s arm and
his descent into the moor, are familiar motifs from folklore. The
ethical values are manifestly the Germanic code of loyalty to
chief and tribe and vengeance to enemies. Yet the poem is so
infused with a Christian spirit
Many critics have seen the poem as a Christian allegory, with

Beowulf the champion of goodness and light against the forces
of evil and darkness. His sacrificial death is not seen as tragic
but as the fitting end of a good (some would say “too good”)
hero’s life.

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2nd Grade

In its most basic definition, Old English is the language spoken

"Beowulf" is a sprawling epic that tells the story of a son born

Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old

Beowulf falls into two parts. It opens in Denmark, where King

The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot. But at night as the

The second part passes rapidly over King Hygelac’s

Beowulf belongs metrically, stylistically, and thematically to a

Many critics have seen the poem as a Christian allegory, with

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