Beowulf

Question 1

Beowulf date

Answer 1

sometime between 520 and c.1000

Question 2

Language of Beowulf

Answer 2

The dialect of the poem offers little or no indication of its origins: like most surviving works of Old English poetry, the language of Beowulf is largely late West-Saxon, with some elements of Anglian (northern) vocab

Question 3

How many copies are there of Beowulf?

Answer 3

Just one

Question 4

What else is in the manuscript with Beowulf?

Answer 4

A prose life of St. Christopher, a poetic treatment of the story of Judith, two treatises of fantastical geography
A collection of marvels, monsters, the fantastic

Question 5

How did we get Beowulf?

Answer 5

The Nowell Codex is named for the first recorded owner–1563 English antiquary Laurence Nowell. Then to Robert Cotton, who binds it with Augustine and while his collection is awaiting donation to the future British Museum, a fire nearly consumed the Beowulf manuscript.

Question 6

Beowulf’s Form

Answer 6

Alliterative
Kenning
Appositive style
typical form: 
AA:AX--two half lines, two stressed syllables each, linked by alliteration

Question 7

How do we know this is at least partly an oral text?

Answer 7

The poem begins with the assumption that we are hearing something familiar or at least not foreign, emphasis on “hearing”
“We have heard of the glory…of the folk-kings of the spear-Danes”

ready-made metrical packages, iterated/extended/modified

Question 8

How long does it take Beowulf to swim down to meet Grendel’s mother?

Answer 8

A day

Question 9

Talk about the symbolism of the gold at the end of Beowulf

Answer 9

The gold removed from the dragon’s horde rusts–our narrator says as if deeply enchanted by the original owners, and only God himself can break that spell. Beowulf doesn’t appear to be worthy of God breaking that spell.

Beowulf still really wants to look upon the gold as he dies–earthly wealth is all they have w/o heaven

Question 10

If you were teaching a class on Old and Middle English poetics, how would you explain the disappearance of alliterative verse after Beowulf and the ascendance of blank verse with Chaucer?

Answer 10

Chaucer’s prosody was influenced by the French. Norman prestige, language of the court, etc–patrons have money.

But also, there’s the alliterative revival–Sir Gawain–14th C

Question 11

What does Hrothgar say to Beowulf after the hero slays Grendel’s mother? Why?

Answer 11

He tells him to not be Heremod, who grew not for his people but for their destruction.
Beware of pride, because glory is transient and death comes.

Question 12

When is Beowulf set?

Answer 12

ca. 500-570 CE

Question 13

Where is Beowulf set?

Answer 13

Denmark and Sweden

Question 14

Tell me about Heorot

Answer 14

Hrothgar’s hall, the site violated by Grendel and Grendel’s mother. An important site of sovereignty and certain forms of kingship/negotiation/selfhood

Question 15

What’s carved on the hilt of the sword that Beowulf returns with after killing Grendel’s mother?

Answer 15

Only the hilt survives
It either shows or tells of the flood slaying the race of giants
the sword guard has the name of the first sword owner but we don’t know who that is

Question 16

Talk about Unferth giving Beowulf a sword

Answer 16

Unferth gives Beowulf Hrunting, which should work–it’s pretty legendary, has basically poison edges. But it doesn’t work when Beowulf gets down there, Beowulf has to grab a random legendary sword Grendel’s mother just has lying around. Using that sword destroys all of it but the hilt.

There’s some weird politics in Unferth giving Beowulf the sword, but basically Unferth is recognizing that Beowulf is the right man for the sword.
Beowulf graciously acknowledges that the weapon was good, even though it wasn’t enough

Question 17

Does anyone try to stop Beowulf from fighting the dragon?

Answer 17

Yes, Wiglaf the foot-soldier, a prince of the Scylfings

Question 18

What is a scop?

Answer 18

The ballad-performer

Question 19

How does Beowulf kill Grendel? Where does Grendel die?

Answer 19

Beowulf tears off Grendel’s arm, Grendel retreats and bleeds to death in his mother’s den.

Question 20

How do the attacks of Grendel on Heorot and those of Grendel’s mother differ?

Answer 20

motivation– G is the adversary, G’s mom just wants revenge

G’s mom is in and out really quickly, nobody has time to engage with her, they have to hunt her down

Question 21

How is Beowulf rewarded by Hrothgar?

Answer 21

twelve great treasures, an invite to come back, a “congrats you made peace” speech

Question 22

What’s Beowulf’s nationality?

Answer 22

Geat

Question 23

What does Grendel’s mother take from Heorot? Why is that significant?

Answer 23

She takes Grendel’s arm and one man.

Revenge/motherhood

Question 24

Where is Beowulf when Grendel’s mother attacks?

Answer 24

Not in Heorot–he is somewhere else, as the hero from the previous day

Question 25

Why does a dragon guard the hoard of gold in Beowulf?

Answer 25

Because it’s a dragon and that’s what they do, a sort of biological imperative. He finds it after the last soldier dies, just moves in.

Symbolically, dragons are hoarders who do not do anything with their treasure. It is removed from the economy.

Question 26

What is the manuscript’s date?

Answer 26

c.1000-c.1010

Question 27

Where is the manuscript currently kept?

Answer 27

London, British Library