2-Part Structure - The story of Beowulf can be broken into two parts: when Bewoulf is a young warrior, and when Bewoulf is an old king. Backs up the themes of the Role of a Warrior and the Role of a King as it follows Beowulf's path through these two parts of life. Wyrd is also a major component of this structure because Beowulf believes strongly in fate and destiny.
3-Part Structure - Beowulf can be broken into three parts, one for each monster in the story. Part one tells of Grendel, part two of Grendel's mother, and part three of the dragon. This structure also backs up the themes of the Role of a Warrior, the Role of a King (through digressions in parts one and two as well as Beowulf's kingship in part three), along with the themes of the Role of Women (seen mainly through Grendel's mom and the digressions), and Paganism Vs. Christianity.
Parallelism - Parallelism is seen throughout Beowulf, mainly through digressions. Beowulf is contrasted with Heremod; and paralleled to Shield, Sigmund, and Hrothgar. Queen Hygd is both contrasted and paralleled to Modthryth. Heorot is paralleled to Beowulf's mead-hall when it is attacked by the dragon. The digressions make up their own structure for Beowulf. Parallelism backs up the themes of the Role of Warriors, the Role of Kings, and the Role of Women. The characters that are brought together through parallelism are all proponents of these major themes.
Story About 3 Nations - Beowulf can be seen as the separate histories of the Danes (Shieldings), the Geats, and the Swedes. The story goes through the lineage and interactions of all three nations through digressions. It follows the downfall of the Danes and the Geats, and the rise of the Swedes, who eventually take over. This structure reinforces the themes of Exile, Kin Killing, Peace Pledges, Wergild, and Wyrd. All of these themes determine causes and effects between the interactions of the nations.
Interlinking Loops - Beowulf goes back and forth between stories within the main story, the digressions. People within the stories are linked by parallelism, or are contrasted with other characters throughout history. Foreshadow plays a big role in this structure; it links the past with the present and the future. Thsi structure backs up the themes of Exile and Kin Killing (as they are present during many of the stories), Wergild and Wyrd (also major players in this culture), the Roles of Kings and Warriors (they are contrasted and compared), the Role of Women (throughout the history of the culture), and the idea of Peace Pledges (how they do or do not work out and the outcomes).
Digressions: Be able to explain the following digressions and how they reinforce one of themes.
Hengest and Finn - The story of Hengest and Finn is the second funeral scene in Beowulf. Hildeburh was the queen of the Frisians, a peace pledge from the Danes. Her brother was Hnaef, and her husband was Finn, king of the Frisians. Hnaef is killed by the Frisians. Finn's hall is ambushed by the Danes, under Hengest, the new ruler of the Danes, and Finn is killed. Hildeburh is taken back to Denmark. This digression shows the Role of Women and Peace Pledges through Hildeburh, and also Wergild and Kin Killing.
Sigmund - The scop compares Beowulf to Sigmund after he defeats Grendel. Sigmund was the hero of the Volsung Saga who killed a great dragon with his nephew and son, Fitela. This foreshadows Beowulf's dragon. Sigmund was a good warrior and king. The digression of Sigmund reinforces the themes of the Role of a Warrior and the Role of a King.
Heremod - Heremod was a horrible king who was full of pride and made decisions based on his own greed. He was also a kin killer. Heremod was betrayed and ambushed in Jutland. Beowulf is contrasted with Heremod, but is also used as a foreshadow of Beowulf's pride. Heremod backs up the themes of the Role of a King and Kin Killing.
Modthryth - Queen Modthryth was a bad queen because she acted like a warrior (a man. She killed anyone who looked at her wrong. She became a good, tame queen when she married Offa. Hygd is both contrasted and compared to Modthryth. Modthryth backs up the Role of Women and the idea of Peace Pledges.
How Beowulf becomes King - Hygelac dies in Friesland, and Hygd offers Beowulf the throne. Beowulf doesn't accept the offer, so Hygelac's son, Heardred, becomes king. Beowulf guides Heardred, but Heardred is killed by some Swedish exiles, and Beowulf is forced into the throne. He rules as king of the Geats for 50 years, paralleling Hrothgar. This backs up the themes of the Role of a Warrior, the Role of a King, and the idea of Wyrd.
Hygelac's Death - Hygelac goes on a raid to Friesland and gets killed. He is succeeded by Beowulf. Hygelac's goes hand in hand with how Beowulf became king and represents the themes of the Role of a King, the Role of a Warrior, and Wyrd.
Why the Geats will be overrun - Wiglaf predicts that the Geats will be overrun after Beowulf dies while fighting the dragon. Beowulf is no longer there to be a "shield" to his people, and his country is unprotected. He didn't really raise any warriors or secure the future of Geatland. Wiglaf's prediction shows the themes of the Role of a Warrior, the Role of a King, and the idea of Wyrd.
Explain the following motifs and themes with detailed examples from the text (three for each).
Exile - Exile was the worst thing that could happen to a person in this society. It would mean that they essentially had no home or kin, and could be killed by anyone at anytime. Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow, was an exile, but was taken in by Hygelac and Hrothgar. Heardred, Hygelac's son, is killed by Swedish exiles. Grendel was an exile to society, and so lashed out on Hrothgar's hall. Exiles were always causing problems...
Kin Killing - Kin killing was the worst crime someone could commit. Unferth was seen as a bad warrior because he was a cowardly kin killer. Cain, from the Bible, killed his brother Abel, and started the whole curse of Grendel. Heremod was a kin killer and was betrayed by his own people.
Wergild and Wyrd - Wergild is blood money, paid by the murderer to the family of the slain. You couldn't really pay wergild if you killed someone who was related to you, which is why kin killing was so bad. Wyrd means fate, and was believed to cause everything in this culture. The paying of wergild, or the lack of wergild, determined the outcome of many feuds. Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow, killed Heatholaf, of the Wylfings, and was unable to pay the wergild, so Hrothgar paid it for him. Haethcyn, one of Hrethel's sons, kills his brother, Herebeald, and no restitution can be made, so Hrethel dies in misery. Wyrd mainly backs up the theme of Paganism Vs. Christianity. Beowulf talks about wyrd, while the monks cut and paste sections of sermons into the text. When Beowulf goes to fight the dragon, he knows that wyrd will determine his death that day.
Role of Kings - Kings were supposed to take care of their people and make sure that the country would live on after them. They weren't meant to go out and get themselves killed, like Hygelac and Beowulf did. Shield was the best king anyone could ask for and led his people justly. Heremod was a bad king and did things for his own well-being. Hrothgar was a good king, and instead of dying while trying to defeat Grendel himself, had Beowulf do the job for him. Beowulf made a better warrior than a king.
Role of Warrior - Beowulf was the ultimate warrior. He defeated monsters, got a lot of rewards, saved kingdoms with his clever devices, and was the definition of strength. Warriors were meant to protect their home and their lord. Unferth was a bad warrior because he was a cowardly kin killer who couldn't handle his mead. He was jealous of Beowulf. Sigmund was a good warrior who defeated a dragon and is compared to Beowulf in many ways.
Role of Women - In this culture, women were the lesser gender. They weren't respected and didn't really have any place but to obey their husbands, be mannerly, and follow the rules. Any woman who had her own sense of free will was considered bad. Queen Modthryth was a bad queen because she made her own decisions and acted like a warrior. The story tells how she redeems herself though, by becoming a good house-wife for Offa and making peace. Hygd is Hygelac's queen and played her part well. She was praised for taking good care of the mead hall and keeping the peace. Wealtheow, the wife of Hrothgar, is a good queen who knows when to shut her mouth when dealing with the plans of men. She is intelligent, but is not seen as such by the men in the society. Grendel's mom is seen as an evil monster because she does not follow the restrictions put on women. She attacks Heorot after Beowulf kills her son, which would be acceptable is she were a man trying to compensate for wergild, but because she is a woman, she is in the wrong.
Paganism vs. Christianity - Beowulf is full of contrasts between Paganism and Christianity. The monks who wrote Beowulf definitely put in their own little ideas. The culture that Beowulf centers around was obviously pagan: Hrothgar makes an animal sacrifice, Beowulf puts his life in the hands of wyrd, and the monsters are from pagan traditions. Christianity contrasts this. Hrothgar goes off on a big speal about how the Lord was watching over Beowulf, and the monks put in their sermons. The bring up the idea of heathenistic views and state that everyone would be better off if they could just put their trust in the Almighty God.
Peace Pledges - Women were mainly used as peace pledges, and their worth was determined by whether or not they failed at this task. Peace pledges determined the outcomes of feuds and wars. Wealtheow is a working peace pledge between the Wulfings and the Danes. Hildeburh is a failed peace pledge between the Danes and the Frisians and causes her son, husband, and brother to die in a horrible feud. Freawaru, daughter of Hrothgar, who is married to Ingeld, a Heathobard, fails as a peace pledge. The Danes show up at the wedding with old battle treasures taken from the Heathobards, and of course this is Freawaru's fault, which starts up another feud.
Literary Terms:
Kenning - a metaphorical phrase or compound metaphor used instead of the actual name of the thing (line 10 - "whale-road", line 1259 - "hell-bride", line 1905 - "sea-shawl", line 1368 - "heather-stepper")
Litotes - a kind of humorous understatement meant to be ironic (lines 764-765 - "it was the worst trip the terror-monger had take to Heorot", lines 565-566 - "Instead, in the morning, mangled and sleeping the sleep of the sword", lines 2574-2576 - "that final day was the first time when Beowulf fought and fate denied him glory in battle")
Flyting - a game of verbal taunting between warriors (lines 500-606 - the trash talking between Unferth and Beowulf)
Epic Boast - bragging done by an epic hero (lines 407-455 - Beowulf's introduction to Hrothgar)
Apositive - a building-up of phrases that mean the same thing (lines 4-5 - "There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes", line 1682 - "that murdering, guilt-steeped, God-cursed fiend")
Alliteration - the repitition of consonant sounds (line 302 - "broad-beamed, bound by its hawser", line 2087 - "devilishly fitted dragon-skins", line 3119 - "Feather-fledged, it finned the barb in flight")
Symbols - Hrunting: the sword given to Beowulf by Unferth, represents peace, (swords in general represent power and victory). Heorot: means hart (deer), represents kingship and royalty, all things right with the Danes and Hrothgar. The Dragon: symbolizes Beowulf's pride and his inner conflict. Grendel's lair: symbolizes the underworld, or hell, depending on Paganism or Christianity.
Censura - a strong pause within a line, kind of like punctuation.
Characters/Names/Places know the following:
Shield - the long-dead king of the Danes. A great warrior and king. Ancestor of Hrothgar. Parallel to Beowulf. (A good king is a shield to his people.)
Heorot - Hrothgar's splendiferous mead-hall, almost completely destroyed by Grendel, but saved by Beowulf.
Halfdane - son of Beow, grandson of Shield, father of Hrothgar.
Hrothgar - king of the Shieldings (Danes). Plagued by Grendel, forever indebted to Beowulf. Descendant of Shield. A good king.
Beow - son of Shield, father of Halfdane.
Wealtheow - wife of Hrothgar. Lots o' foreshadow, especially towards her sons. Very intelligent even though she is a woman (I say that last bit sarcastically, of course). Gives Beowulf advice. A working peace pledge.
Hildeburh - wife of Finn and sister of Hnaef, a failed peace-bride. Sees her son, husband, and brother die.
Freawaru - daughter of Hrothgar, and peace-bride to Ingeld, a Heathobard. Their marriage starts up another feud between the Danes and the Heathobards. Another failed peace pledge.
Hrethric - Hrothgar's son, meant to inherit the Danish throne. Beowulf offers to house and take care of Hrethric if Hrothgar ever wishes Beowulf to teach him. Betrayed by his cousin, Hrothulf.
Heorogar - son of Halfdane, brother of Hrothgar.
Hygd - Haereth's daughter, and wife of Hygelac. Contrasted and paralleled to Modthryth. Very good queen. Successful peace pledge. Offers the throne to Beowulf after Hygelac is dead.
Hrethel - previous king to the Geats. Hygelac's father, and also fostered Beowulf when he was young. Dies of a broken heart due to his son's death.
Ecgtheow - Beowulf's father, Hygelac's brother-in-law. Married to the daughter of Hrethel. Killed Heatholaf, but couldn't pay the wergild, so Hrothgar paid it for him. Dies when Bewoulf is young; cause of death: unknown.
Handscio - one of the men that went with Beowulf to defeat Grendel. The one that gets eaten in his sleep before Beowulf attacks.
Geatland - land of the Geats, Beowulf's people. Ruled by Hygelac. Now a part of Sweden.
Unferth - pretty much Hrothgar's court jester. A drunkard who starts fights even though he knows he can't win. A cowardly kin-killer. Loans Beowulf his sword, Hrunting, to defeat Grendel's mom.
Wulgar - the herald of Hrothgar. Wise and a good warrior.
Breca - Beowulf's friend who beats him in a swimming match, but only because Beowulf has to fight sea monsters. Brought up by Unferth.
Aeschere - Hrothgar's advisor. Killed by Grendel's mom.
Modthryth - a bad queen; she killed anyone who looked at her wrong, that is, until, she got married to Offa. She was then miraculously transformed into a happy-go-lucky hostess, what a woman was supposed to be.
Hrunting - the sword Unferth gives to Beowulf to kill Grendel's mom with.
Hnaef - king of the Danes. Killed by the Frisians.
Role of Women - In this culture, women were the lesser gender. They weren't respected and didn't really have any place but to obey their husbands, be mannerly, and follow the rules. Any woman who had her own sense of free will was considered bad. Queen Modthryth was a bad queen because she made her own decisions and acted like a warrior. The story tells how she redeems herself though, by becoming a good house-wife for Offa and making peace. Hygd is Hygelac's queen and played her part well. She was praised for taking good care of the mead hall and keeping the peace. Wealtheow, the wife of Hrothgar, is a good queen who knows when to shut her mouth when dealing with the plans of men. She is intelligent, but is not seen as such by the men in the society. Grendel's mom is seen as an evil monster because she does not follow the restrictions put on women. She attacks Heorot after Beowulf kills her son, which would be acceptable is she were a man trying to compensate for wergild, but because she is a woman, she is in the wrong.
Paganism vs. Christianity - Beowulf is full of contrasts between Paganism and Christianity. The monks who wrote Beowulf definitely put in their own little ideas. The culture that Beowulf centers around was obviously pagan: Hrothgar makes an animal sacrifice, Beowulf puts his life in the hands of wyrd, and the monsters are from pagan traditions. Christianity contrasts this. Hrothgar goes off on a big speal about how the Lord was watching over Beowulf, and the monks put in their sermons. The bring up the idea of heathenistic views and state that everyone would be better off if they could just put their trust in the Almighty God.
Peace Pledges - Women were mainly used as peace pledges, and their worth was determined by whether or not they failed at this task. Peace pledges determined the outcomes of feuds and wars. Wealtheow is a working peace pledge between the Wulfings and the Danes. Hildeburh is a failed peace pledge between the Danes and the Frisians and causes her son, husband, and brother to die in a horrible feud. Freawaru, daughter of Hrothgar, who is married to Ingeld, a Heathobard, fails as a peace pledge. The Danes show up at the wedding with old battle treasures taken from the Heathobards, and of course this is Freawaru's fault, which starts up another feud.
Literary Terms:
Kenning - a metaphorical phrase or compound metaphor used instead of the actual name of the thing (line 10 - "whale-road", line 1259 - "hell-bride", line 1905 - "sea-shawl", line 1368 - "heather-stepper")
Litotes - a kind of humorous understatement meant to be ironic (lines 764-765 - "it was the worst trip the terror-monger had take to Heorot", lines 565-566 - "Instead, in the morning, mangled and sleeping the sleep of the sword", lines 2574-2576 - "that final day was the first time when Beowulf fought and fate denied him glory in battle")
Flyting - a game of verbal taunting between warriors (lines 500-606 - the trash talking between Unferth and Beowulf)
Epic Boast - bragging done by an epic hero (lines 407-455 - Beowulf's introduction to Hrothgar)
Apositive - a building-up of phrases that mean the same thing (lines 4-5 - "There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes", line 1682 - "that murdering, guilt-steeped, God-cursed fiend")
Alliteration - the repitition of consonant sounds (line 302 - "broad-beamed, bound by its hawser", line 2087 - "devilishly fitted dragon-skins", line 3119 - "Feather-fledged, it finned the barb in flight")
Symbols - Hrunting: the sword given to Beowulf by Unferth, represents peace, (swords in general represent power and victory). Heorot: means hart (deer), represents kingship and royalty, all things right with the Danes and Hrothgar. The Dragon: symbolizes Beowulf's pride and his inner conflict. Grendel's lair: symbolizes the underworld, or hell, depending on Paganism or Christianity.
Censura - a strong pause within a line, kind of like punctuation.
Characters/Names/Places know the following:
Shield - the long-dead king of the Danes. A great warrior and king. Ancestor of Hrothgar. Parallel to Beowulf. (A good king is a shield to his people.)
Heorot - Hrothgar's splendiferous mead-hall, almost completely destroyed by Grendel, but saved by Beowulf.
Halfdane - son of Beow, grandson of Shield, father of Hrothgar.
Hrothgar - king of the Shieldings (Danes). Plagued by Grendel, forever indebted to Beowulf. Descendant of Shield. A good king.
Beow - son of Shield, father of Halfdane.
Wealtheow - wife of Hrothgar. Lots o' foreshadow, especially towards her sons. Very intelligent even though she is a woman (I say that last bit sarcastically, of course). Gives Beowulf advice. A working peace pledge.
Hildeburh - wife of Finn and sister of Hnaef, a failed peace-bride. Sees her son, husband, and brother die.
Freawaru - daughter of Hrothgar, and peace-bride to Ingeld, a Heathobard. Their marriage starts up another feud between the Danes and the Heathobards. Another failed peace pledge.
Hrethric - Hrothgar's son, meant to inherit the Danish throne. Beowulf offers to house and take care of Hrethric if Hrothgar ever wishes Beowulf to teach him. Betrayed by his cousin, Hrothulf.
Heorogar - son of Halfdane, brother of Hrothgar.
Hygd - Haereth's daughter, and wife of Hygelac. Contrasted and paralleled to Modthryth. Very good queen. Successful peace pledge. Offers the throne to Beowulf after Hygelac is dead.
Hrethel - previous king to the Geats. Hygelac's father, and also fostered Beowulf when he was young. Dies of a broken heart due to his son's death.
Ecgtheow - Beowulf's father, Hygelac's brother-in-law. Married to the daughter of Hrethel. Killed Heatholaf, but couldn't pay the wergild, so Hrothgar paid it for him. Dies when Bewoulf is young; cause of death: unknown.
Handscio - one of the men that went with Beowulf to defeat Grendel. The one that gets eaten in his sleep before Beowulf attacks.
Geatland - land of the Geats, Beowulf's people. Ruled by Hygelac. Now a part of Sweden.
Unferth - pretty much Hrothgar's court jester. A drunkard who starts fights even though he knows he can't win. A cowardly kin-killer. Loans Beowulf his sword, Hrunting, to defeat Grendel's mom.
Wulgar - the herald of Hrothgar. Wise and a good warrior.
Breca - Beowulf's friend who beats him in a swimming match, but only because Beowulf has to fight sea monsters. Brought up by Unferth.
Aeschere - Hrothgar's advisor. Killed by Grendel's mom.
Modthryth - a bad queen; she killed anyone who looked at her wrong, that is, until, she got married to Offa. She was then miraculously transformed into a happy-go-lucky hostess, what a woman was supposed to be.
Hrunting - the sword Unferth gives to Beowulf to kill Grendel's mom with.
Hnaef - king of the Danes. Killed by the Frisians.
Finn - king of the Frisians. Killed by the Hengest, a Dane, in an ambush.
Hengest - leader of the Danes after Hnaef. Ends up killing Finn even after a peace oath.
Sigmund - The hero of the Volsung Saga. Kills a great dragon and gets a ton of money and fame. Parallels to Beowulf, and foreshadow. A good warrior.
Haethcyn - One of Hrethel's sons, and Hygelac's brother. Accidentally killed his brother Herebeald with an arrow. Captures the Swedish queen, Ongentheow's wife, and begins a feud.
Onela - a Swedish king who usurped the throne. Son of Ongentheow and brother of Ohthere. Begins a war with the Geats. Killed by Beowulf after Beowulf befriends Eadgils, Onela's nephew.
Wiglaf - the inexperienced warrior that stays to fight the dragon even after Beowulf is obviously ging to fail. Uses the weapons and armor of his father, Weohstan, an exile, who had killed Eanmund, the son of Ohthere. The last of the Waegmundings, the clan that Ecgtheow blonged to, so he is Beowulf's kin. Helps Beowulf slay the dragon. Predicts the downfall of the Geats.
Eofor - a Geatish warrior. Kills Ongentheow in the name of Hygelac.
Ongentheow - a great Swedish king, kind of like Shield is to Beowulf's people. Kills Haethcyn. Killed by Hygelac (Eofor).
Sigmund - The hero of the Volsung Saga. Kills a great dragon and gets a ton of money and fame. Parallels to Beowulf, and foreshadow. A good warrior.
Haethcyn - One of Hrethel's sons, and Hygelac's brother. Accidentally killed his brother Herebeald with an arrow. Captures the Swedish queen, Ongentheow's wife, and begins a feud.
Onela - a Swedish king who usurped the throne. Son of Ongentheow and brother of Ohthere. Begins a war with the Geats. Killed by Beowulf after Beowulf befriends Eadgils, Onela's nephew.
Wiglaf - the inexperienced warrior that stays to fight the dragon even after Beowulf is obviously ging to fail. Uses the weapons and armor of his father, Weohstan, an exile, who had killed Eanmund, the son of Ohthere. The last of the Waegmundings, the clan that Ecgtheow blonged to, so he is Beowulf's kin. Helps Beowulf slay the dragon. Predicts the downfall of the Geats.
Eofor - a Geatish warrior. Kills Ongentheow in the name of Hygelac.
Ongentheow - a great Swedish king, kind of like Shield is to Beowulf's people. Kills Haethcyn. Killed by Hygelac (Eofor).
Grendel - the monster that wreaks Havoc on Heorot that Beowulf kills. A descendant of Cain who is cursed to live the life of an outcast and can't speak coherently (But really, he's just misunderstood...). Still lives with his mom.
Beowulf - the epic hero. The greatest warrior who ever lived. Saves Hrothgar and his people. A Geat from across the sea. Has a mysterious past involving his father. Has a pride issue. Becomes king after Hygelac, for 50 years, but doesn't do a very good job because he can't let go of the past (Gatsby, anyone?). Doesn't want to be king, but is kind of forced into it. Dies at the talons of a dragon.
Hygelac - king of Geatland before Beowulf; died in Friesland.
Heremod - told about in the same story of Sigmund. Parallels to Beowulf. A bad king who was full of pride and greed. Betrayed and ambushed.
Heardred - Hygelac's son and heir. Counselled by Beowulf after Hygelac's death. Killed by some exiles, sons of Ohthere, during Swedish feuds.
Dayraven - just a cool name I found. A Frank killed by Beowulf.
Great job with the structures. Good examples on everything else. Don't worry about "DAYRAVEN" (though Raven is a symbol for death - does this mean death in the daylight?). If you know everything you've listed you earn an "A".
ReplyDeleteThank you!!! Awesome!!
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah, I know, I just threw it in there because I thought it sounded really cool... If I incoporate that into the test, do i get extra credit??
Life saver
ReplyDelete