Review of Beowulf Study Guide 3 The Battle with Grendel

(Text book Version)

“ I expect no Danes / Will fret about sewing our shrouds If he wins / and death does take me, send the hammered / Mail of my armour to Higlac, return / the inheritance I had from Hrethel, and he / From Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must.”

Is it near the same length as original text?

Does it have the same meaning? Did they write something like “Beowulf

says” (if they did it’s wrong) Does it sound like you or the narrator?

(If it sounds like the narrator then it’s wrong)

Original“ I expect no Danes / Will fret about sewing our shrouds If he wins / and death does take me, send the hammered / Mail of my armour to Higlac, return / the inheritance I had from Hrethel, and he / From Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must.”

Example of Paraphrase “I don’t expect Hrothgar’s people to worry about burying us if Grendel wins, but if he does send my stuff back to my king, all the stuff that he got from his father. What will be will be.”

Higlac is Beowulf’s king and Uncle.

If he loses, Beowulf will attribute his defeat to

fate. “Fate will unwind as it must.” Line 279

Fate ≠ God

Beowulf could have attributed his loss to God’s will; but doesn’t. He sticks with the un-Christian idea of “fate.” This is a contrast to what the Christian narrator says when he is describing the fight. He says, “ Now he (Grendel) discovered…what it meant to fight with the Almighty.” Line 385

Did the person connect to their own experience(s)? Text to self

Then it’s correct.

“Their courage / was great, but all was wasted: they could hack at Grendel from every side, trying to open / A path for his evil soul, but their points could not hurt him…for that sin stained demon / Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells / That blunted every mortal man’s weapon.”

Is it near the same length as original text?

Does it have the same meaning? Did they write something like “Beowulf

says” (if they did it’s wrong) Does it sound like you?

Original“Their courage / was great, but all was wasted: they could hack at Grendel from every side, trying to open / A path for his evil soul, but their points could not hurt him…for that sin stained demon / Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells / That blunted every mortal man’s weapon.”

Example of Paraphrase “Beowulf’s men were brave, but they were wasting their time. Every time they tried to cut into Grendel nothing happened. They didn’t know that Grendel had used magic and made it impossible for swords to hurt him.”`

Beowulf’s men couldn’t help him because Grendel couldn’t be hurt by weapons. “…for that sin stained demon / Had bewitched all men’s weapons” Line 279

8. How does Beowulf defeat Grendel?

Beowulf defeats Grendel by ripping his arm from his body.

“He twisted in pain / And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder / Snapped, muscle and bone split.” Line 390

9 & 10 Find 2 examples of Alliteration 9.Line 288 “ Hoping to kill / Anyone he

could trap on his trip to high Herot.”

10.Line 288 “ Hoping to kill / Anyone he could trap on his trip to high Herot.”

Score it!

Each question is worth… 3 points

If they got three wrong… 3 X3 =9

Subtract from total of… 30

Write the Grade on the top right… 21/30

Your Initials over the picture of Grendel