Beowulf Discussion Groups

Step One:
Get with your discussion group. The groups are formed by what visualization you had to create.

Step Two:
Discuss and record answers to the questions. Do what ever you need to do get the information. Computers are available for research.

Step Three:
For a bit of randomness, create a haiku that summarizes your portion or expresses the emotion of the section. (5-7-5)

Step Four:
Share haiku and information with the class and if things go well, Mr. Price won't ask you to elaborate on any information.

Hrothgar, Meadhall, & Geats

What were these people like? Focus on the king, queen, Unferth, and the general mass. What do they value?

Trace the history of the hall Heorot – why was it built, what happened within its walls, what is it symbolic of?

Why does Grendel only attack those who reside in the hall?

Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, Grendel’s mother – what do the female characters in Beowulf do? How do they do it? do they offer alternatives perspectives on the heroic world (so seemingly centered around male action) of the poem?

Beowulf

Why is the focus of the story on Beowulf as a hero rather than as a king? What is the difference?

Reviewing Beowulf’s character, what qualities or virtues do you think Anglo Saxons admired? (examples)

Why does Beowulf need Grendel?

What other heroes is Beowulf comparable to?

What is Beowulf a symbol of (provide examples)?

Grendel

What is Grendel’s lineage? Who is Cain and what is his connection to Grendel?

What do the characters in the poem know about Grendel? How is this different from what we the audience know?

What other monsters or villains would you compare Grendel to?

What is Grendel a symbol of (provide examples)?

Beowulf Versus Grendel

Summarize the events of this scene.

What other epic battles does this remind you of?

Why do you think Beowulf would offer to help a tribe other than his own, in spite of the danger?

What do you think causes Grendel to attack the human beings?

Beowulf Versus Mother

Summarize the events of this scene.

How is this scene connected with a baptism?

Why does it matter that Grendel has a mother?

Why do you think the Geats want the Danes to see the monster’s skull?

Does Grendel’s mother seem as wicked or unreasonable as Grendel’s behavior? Explain.

Beowulf Versus Dragon

Summarize the events of this scene. (Where does the dragon come from? Why does he attack the Geats? Who is involved in the battle and how does it end?)

Is the dragon a greater or lesser threat than Grendel? Why does Beowulf go to fight him?

Why does Beowulf keep fighting?

Why must Beowulf die?

Beowulf Versus Death

When Beowulf dies, does he go to Heaven?

What is a Viking funeral like?

What is the afterlife like for a Viking?

Is Beowulf an epic? What sort of social order produces “epic” poetry? What values does the poem promote, and how does it promote them?