These questions were collaborated on by (Hayden Robel, Paplo Nicasio, and Torre Reddick)
[Prologue:
The Rise of the Danish Nation] (lines 1-85, pp. 33-34)
- Shield
became ruler as a common, actually orphaned at birth, man. Eventually
shield surpassed his limitations to become one of the most powerful and magnanimous
rulers of the lands, his reign ending as it began, departed out to sea on
top of a venerated shield. Hrothgar is the son of Shield’s son’s (Beow)
Halfdane. Familial order follows: Sheafson-then Beow-then Halfdane-ending with Hrothgar.
[Heorot is
Attacked] (lines 86-188, pp. 34-36)
1. The magnificent mead hall titled “Heorot” was
Hrothgar’s monument/tribute to his kingdom. For a time peace was enjoyed until
the demon-monster Grendel attacked the hall (for “12 winters”=12 years) the
Danes ultimately failing to subdue the monster even after deploying the greatest
of their men.
[The
Hero Comes to Heorot] (lines 189-490, pp. 36-42)
1. Beowulf the legendary warrior
hears of Hrothgar’s monster dilemma and sets out for the embattled land.
2. The watchmen of Dane’s coast
wish to evaluate whether Beowulf (armed with weapons and burnished breast
plates) is a potential threat, the two exchange in a quick explanation of
Beowulf’s business in the region and the hero is eventually permitted to enter,
even whilst the watchmen vigilantly scrutinize Beowulf’s vessel as he walks
off.
3. Herald Wulfgar instantaneously
demands the meaning of their presence to which Beowulf asks a meeting with
Hrothgar. Wowed by their armor, Wulfgar informs Hrothgar to which Hrothgar
illuminates he is aware of Beowulf’s past feats. It’s surprising to hear the
king remembers Beowulf as a boy, the son of Ecgtheow.
4. Pledging to fight
unarmed/unclothed….Beowulf essentially connotes not only his confidence but
duty for Hrothgar’s assistance to Beowulf’s father. Hrothgar sent tidings to a
warring clan (Wulfings) of Beowulf’s father, to which the hero’s father pledged
loyalty to the Dane king.
[Feast
at Heorot] (lines 491-661, pp. 42-46)
1. Teasing Beowulf for allegedly
losing to a past swimming match, Unferth claims that he could/will easily
defeat Beowulf in the same challenge. Beowulf, first making light of Unfeth’s
obvious contremp inebriation, of course accepts the challenge to prove his
worth/name. Beowulf remarks the relevancy of this episode as he honestly
expresses he was no match for such a challenge in monster infested waters
beforehand, dually pointing out that Unferth couldn’t even hope to survive if
he couldn’t defeat a monster like Grendel.
2. Carrying a celebratory
gauntlet/chalice, the queen Wealhtheow offered drink to the table’s men,
thanking the gods for their sending of Beowulf.
[The
Fight with Grendel] (lines 662-835, pp. 46-49)
1. Beowulf, rather then prepping
with say the traditional means of sword practice or proper rest, chooses silent
and sleepless meditation-esque waiting, awaiting the coming fight.
2. Grendel was to eager eating a
Geat as he burst thru Heorot’s threshold. Grendel then begins to fight with
Beowulf, meeting the unimaginable, truly inhuman strength of the Geat, the
legendary hero wrestling with the beast until ripping off one of the demon’s
arm’s, a trophy of victory as the cowardly Grendel flees the mead hall.
[Celebration
at Heorot] (lines 836-1250, pp. 49-60)
1. Like Sigmund, Beowulf has slain
many a monster, Sigmund vanquishing even a dragon singlehandedly. Beowulf is
unlike Sigmund’s acting king Heremod who was unable to defend his sovereign
land.
2. Unlike Unferth’s lack of
confidence in Beowulf’s abilities (Unferth reluctantly apologizing/embarrassed),
Hrothgar is not only pleased by the news of the Geat’s victory, offering him
riches and rewards of the like, but actually considers him an honorary son.
3. Hildeburh was given, or taken
as tribute to the Dane’s enemy leader Finn. Conspiring as Finn’s wife, Hildeburh
eventually gets her wish to return to Dane after Finn is killed by an uprising.
The tale is common of the medieval practice for tribes to give women to enemy
tribes in order to foster a literal merge of bloodlines in the potential
offspring’s of the two tribes.
4. Tried reading the passage
(XVII) over and over again of the modern text but couldn’t find any direct
speech between the queen and her husband.
5. Offering Beowulf a broad
neckalace/armor, Wealhtheow requests her wishes for Beowulf to watch over if
not protect her sons’ inevitable rise to the throne.
6. Grendel’s mother is marked in
the poem to be lurking outside the hall, no doubt a foreshadow to what havoc
she will wreak on the sleeping soldiers.
[Another
Attack] (lines 1251-1382, pp. 60-62)
1. Grendel’s mother attacks Heorot
in a fit of rage, of vengeance for what they have done to her son, unlike the
lust for carnage that Grendel had sought before her.
2. Once again promising riches,
Hrothgar requests Beowulf to slay Grendel’s mother. Beowulf accepts this
challenge, promising to kill the monster whom had killed Hrothgar’s advisor
“Aeschere”.
3. The mere is a noxious but
mystical swampland where the abyssal depths have never been seen, and the local
fauna seem to flee.
[Beowulf
Fights Grendel's Mother] (lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68)
1. Beowulf asks Hrothgar to remain
resilient and strong, confident that the Geat hero shall rid the Dane king of
his monster’s mother.
2. With a sharp shot, Beowulf slays a monster within the
mere pool, not before finding Aeschere’s decapitated head.
3. Equipped in armor and Unferth’s “infallible” sword
“Hrunting”, Beowulf apathetically waits as in his preference preparation.
4. Living near the bottom of the mere, Beowulf has dived
down for nearly a day before being attacked at Grendel’s lair threshold being
dragged into a hall waterless and without other monsters.
5. Hrunting cant even pierce Grendel’s mother’s hide and is
subsequently a useless tool abandoned by Beowulf.
6. The armor of Whealhtheow protects Beowulf from Grendel’s
mother’s attempted kill of the hero. This a surprise to Beowulf allowing him to
grab a sword, slash her, then escape.
7. Using a massive sword he quickly finishes off Grendel’s
mother with a decapitating slash, later doing the same as his sword gleams in
crimson victory. Spying the corpse of Grendel Beowulf ironically slashes the
demon son’s head, leaving with it as a trophy.
8. The Danes, seeing blood babble on and up upon the surface
of the mere, believe Beowulf to be dead, but the Geats remain their, adamant in
their confidence for their hero leader, unsurprised but exuberant when he
emerges.
[Further
Celebration at Heorot] (lines 1651-1798, pp. 68-71)
1. Beowulf gives the head of Grendel as an issue of
insurance that Hrothgar’s realms are free of the monster’s terror.
2. Banished from his lands to eventual death by a subject’s
hands, Heremod choose materials instead of his fellow man unlike Beowulf
according to Hrothgar’s fawning speech of the Geat. This is the lesson imparted
unto Beowulf (as he is surely to be a Geat king) always be true to your fellow
man before selfish wants.
3. Beowulf returns the ultimately useless Hrunting to
Unferth, almost a slight to the Dane character as it most likely represents the
persistent lack of confidence Unferth had to Beowulf.
[Beowulf Returns
Home] (lines 1799-2199, pp. 71-79)
1. Hrothgar predicts Beowulf will be a wise and magnanimous
ruler of his homelands.
2. Queen Hygd, of Hygelac’s kingdom, differs from the
parable Queen Modthryth in that Modthryth was cruel and even torturous to her
subjects whilst Hygd was kind/empathetic to the people of her rule.
3. Prophesying in-fighting with the resurgence of bad blood,
Beowulf (imo depicts a more calculating, wise aspect of his character) informs
Hygelac that the potential marriage of Hrothgar’s child to the once adversarial
“Heathobroads” will only end with more conflict between the Danes/
Heathobroads. A misguided attempt at fostering peace by marriage/bloodline
merging as illustrated in the Finn fable.
4. Aside from embelshing the power of Grendel (though
Grendel was indeed monstrous) Beowulf retells hi story relatively accurate,
again embellishments aside.
5. Beowulf happily accepted his kings gifts including vast
sums of riches and “hides assigned him seven thousand,with house and high-seat”
(in other words land?)
[The Dragon Wakes]
(lines 2200-2509, pp. 79-86)
1. In the fifty years or so that has passed, king Hygelac
has departed, Beowulf has been entrusted with the crown reigning over his
Geatland province, yet a monster has emerged much more horrifying then Grendel,
a dragon now terrorizes the hero’s homeland.
2. Enraged by the theft of a jewel adorned goblet, one
placed centuries ago by a lone survivor of a forgotten race, the dragon did not
care about the thief’s motivations (a slave forced by his master to steal) and
subsequently wrought fire, relentlessy reduced the Geat kingdom to smoldering
grey ash.
3. Not even Beowulf’s throne hall was safe from the dragon’s
fiery wrath, the flying beast burning the place, it to being reduced to ash.
4. Beowulf aged and tired is not aware of the reasons why
the dragon attacks. He ponders what he must have done to enrage the gods, to
deserve such calamities. Even in his age, Beowulf commissions a shield to fight
the dragon, the hero still believing he could defeat a monster without
assistance, just like he had slain Grendel half a century ago. I’m speculating that Beowulf’s battle with the
dragon will be his last…
5. Dying in battle, king Hygelac was honored by Beowulf’s
loyalty even in death as the Geat hero refused Hygd’s offer of the throne, Beowulf
not wanting to disrupt the order of succession already established by bloodline.
6. Securing vengeance for Hygelac’s son’s death, Beowulf
decimated the Swedes who had robbed the boy of his life.
7. Accompanied by twelve men, Beowulf set out for the
dragon’s barrow.
8. Herebeald was “accidentally” killed by his brother Haethkyn,
their father king Herethel could only descend, mire and wallow within a void of
grief, especially when Haethkyn is sent to the gallows for his brother’s death.
Beowulf laments his own grief before slaughtering Swedes in a fit of vengeance.
[Beowulf Attacks
the Dragon] (lines 2510-2820, pp. 86-92)
1. Dubbing it a shame if he was to fall alone, Beowulf,
claiming it to be an honorable end, orders his men to fight (and undoubtedly
die) if he too falls to the dragon’s might.
2. Beowulf struggling against the dragon’s flames (his
strength sapped by age), Wiglaf calls upon the help of his fellow comrades to
help aid their Geat king, calling them cowardly as the soldiers forgo their
honor/oath in a flight of unabashed terror.
3. Trading fatal blows, the dragon (with venom-tipped fangs)
bites Beowulf’s neck, Beowulf returning a blow plunging a dagger deep into the
dragon’s vulnerable underbelly.
4. Wanting to see the gold he has freed for his kindom’s
men, Wiglaf obeys Beowulf’s dying words, retrieving it for the dying Geat. Asking
Wiglaf to remain strong, to fufill the void, the vacuum that will be left by
his death, Beowulf gives Wiglaf his gold collar, breastplate, a token that will
make Wiglaf a king. Desiring Burial in “Beowulf’s Barrow” the legendary hero
passes on, ready to meet his fellow, fallen, ancestors.
[Beowulf's Funeral]
(lines 2821-3182, pp. 92-99)
1. Wiglaf predicts inevitable invasion, doom for his
Geatland knowing the cowardly companions will not be able to protect the
kingdom as Beowulf the fallen had.
2. The messenger messages of impending invasion by a bevy of
hordes, one of which being the rival Swedes. Ongentheow (after killing Haethkyn
apparently, im confused I thought Haethkyn was hung for accidentally killing
his brother?) futilely retreated but was eventually hunted down and killed, his
armor given to the once king Hygelac. The messenger essentially says it would
be dishonorable/useless to keep the gold and advises the riches to be put upon
Beowulf’s funeral pyre.
3. Wiglaf demanded the people to view the gold, the literal
costs of Beowulf’s death a second time, recounting the leaders dying
words/wishes.
4. The dragon is disposed of, cast of into the watery deeps.
5. Disposing of the gold not melted by Beowulf’s funeral
(byway of burying), the commemoration/memorial of Geat was exercised by ten day
services (atop a seaside ridge), countless horseman riding in grief, the actual
funeral ironically concluded by the cowardly companions circling the funeral
pyre, fearing what will lye in their inevitable deaths after such dishonorable
deeds.
6. The people titled Beowulf as such “…of men he was mildest
and most beloved, to his kin the kindest, keenest for praise.” Quite different
from the romanticized, stoic ideal of an infallible, larger-then-life military
hero archetype, Beowulf is a testament to, a landmark of a dynamic character/hero,
a true “human” hero…though with the strength of thirty men.
