Drahouzal/Finizio
Period 11
Fdn. Sophomore English
Test Date: 12/22/04
Beowulf
Study Guide
(KEY)
I. Key Terms
Be able to identify all of the following
- fiend: an evil monster/spirit
- moors: open, hilly land
- spawned: to produce young
- banished: to drive out or to force out
- lair: secret hide out or place of living
- laments: express grief
- quench: to put out; to get rid of
- righteous: acting morally
- purge: to rid of sin an guilt
- heathen: One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam
- yield: to give in
- gnaw: bite or chew on
- boast: to brag
- gaping: wide open
- pilgrimage: religious journey
- kenning: a descriptive way of describing an ordinary thing
- alliteration; repetition of consonant sounds
- caesura: break in a line of poetry
II. Character Check:
Match the Character with the correct description.
1. A_Beowulfa. Great warrior who travels to Herot to defeat Grendel
2. F_ Grendel
b. King of the Geats; Beowulf’s uncle.
3. B__ Higlacc. King of the Danes
4. C__Hrothgard. Hrothgar’s wife; She is a queen
5. D__ Welthowe. Servant of Hrothgar
6. E_Wulfarf. terrorizes the Danes ant Herot; a monster
III. Review Questions
- An epic poem is a long poem that tells a story of the adventures of aheroorheroine.
- Hrothgar is the king of the Danes.
- Herot is a mead hall in Hrothgar’s kingdom.
- The word Wyrd means fate. It is important because people of this time believed fate controls their destiny.
- Explain the following lines:
“He was spawned in that slime,
Conceived by a pair of those monsters born
Of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God….”
- Grendel crushes the men when they are asleep/drunk.
- Grendel kills 30 men in one night.
- How do the survivors react the next day to Grendel’s deeds?
They fell Herot
- How does Hrothgar react and what is he afraid of (see lines 45-55)?
He is afraid the beginning was not the end.
- What do the men do to avoid being killed by the monster?
They Flee Herot.
- Herot is deserted for 12 years.
- When the poet uses the word “Almighty” he is referring to God.
- Grendel lived in Herot after the Danes left.
- Grendel is afraid t touch Hrothgar’s throne because he thinks it is protected by God.
- Explain the following lines:
“The best and most noble
Of council debated remedies, sat
In secret session, talking of terror
And wondering what the bravest of warriors could do.
And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods.
Made heathen vows, hoping for Hell’s
Support, the Devil’s guidance in driving
Their affliction off. That was their way,
And the heathen’s only hope, Hell
Always in their hearts…”
- Beowulf lives in Geatland.
- Wulfgar is a servant to Hrothgar.
- Describe how Beowulf is dressed when he meets King Hrothgar (lines 135-142).
- Explain the following quote and identify the speaker.
“I have heard,
Too, that the monster’s scorn of men
Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none.
Nor will I. My lord Higlac
Might think less of me if I let my sword
Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid
Behind some broad linden shield…”
Speaker:
Meaning:
- Welthow is Hrothgar’s wife.
- Explain the following quote:
“Fate will unwind as it must!”
- Beowulf waits for Grendel in Herot.
- What does Grendel do to the first Geat he finds?
- Explain what is happening in these lines:
“But Higlac’s follower remembered his final
Boast and, standing, erect, stopped
The monster’s flight, fastened those claws
In his fists till they cracked, clutched Grendel
Closer….”
- What do all of Beowulf’s fellow Geats do while he’s battling Grendel?
- Explain what is happening in these lines:
“The monster’s hatred rose higher,
But his power had gone. He twisted in pain,
And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder
Snapped, muscle and bone split and broke…”
26. The next day the crowds of men come back to look at Grendel’s Arm.