Textbook Reading Yay! part 2 (Notes p.31-60)

Collaboration Notes are shown from Excerpts of Beowulf by:
Erica Paculan (Erica's Blog), Yesenia Beas (Yesenia's Blog), Guadalupe Pliego (Guadalupe's Blog) and Me

From Trista by Ovid

• a short snippet of essays by Ovid, is expressed by war and the struggle to defend one's country and culture
• author is exiled and is inspired to write about Roman/Greek history

Far Corners of Earth by Tu Fu

• author is exiled and is admiring the environment around him, closeness with nature and its quietness

from Beowulf by Unknown Author

• PAGE 36-42
  self-portrait of a culture> Anglo-Saxons (8th Century Britain) >> recorded dreams, aspirations, fears
  • Beowulf is a Geat from Sweden > aids Danish King vs. Grendel (Beowulf vs. Grendel ~ 1/3 mortal battles)
  • grew out of earlier traditions (Scandinavian/Celtic folktales)
  • various traditions + influences of Christianity > LESSONS: bravery, loyalty, monsters of spite and hatred, heroism
  • Original: 3,182 line poem > Sir Robert Cotton (1571- 1631) > now available online > oral until written down in the 11th Century
  Vocabulary:
  kennings: 2 word poetic renaming of people, places, and things
  caesuras: rhythmic breaks in the middle of lines, allowed reciter to pause for breath
  BACKGROUND:
  - when composed, England changing from pagan to Christian culture > reflects both
  - opens during an evening of celebration at Herot, hall of Hrothgar, Grendel lurks nearby

  The Wrath of Grendel

  • Grendel is descendant of Cain, he is a monster who haunts the moors, despises the happiness coming from the Hall of Hrothgar
  • when festivities over, Grendel sneaks in and slaughters 30 drunk men, takes them to his lair
  • Grendel keeps returning, men slink away, distance equals safety, leave the Hall, "hate had triumphed"; Grendel accepts no truce or offering
  • 12 years Herot Hall was empty, the story of King Hrotgar and Grendel was spread across the seas
  • Grendel killed as often as possible; never dared touch King Hrothgar> protected by God (mix of pagan and Christian); counsel men sacrificed to pagan gods

  The Coming of Beowulf

  • Healfdane, son of Hrothgar killed > sorrow, agony
  • Beowulf, strongest of the Geats > wished to set out immediately to help Hrothgar > wise ones felt it was a good omen, urged adventure
  • 14 men accompanied him > thank God for their safe journey
  • Danish watcher, Hrothgar's lieutenant > needed to know why they had landed
• • Danish watcher, keeping watch of pirates and vikings, asks the voyagers their reason for coming there.
  • Beowulf responds by saying that they are there for Healfdane’s son as friends; their reason for being there is to kill the cursed creature that hunts at night (Grendel) → the watcher believes Beowulf
  • Beowulf and men arrive at Herot, called to king Hrothgar
  • Beowulf’s uncle and feudal lord is Higlac which he mentions to Hrothgar → Beowulf lists all his accomplishments to gain respect from the king
  • Beowulf and his men stay inside Herot, which is essentially a great hall; he stays awake while his men sleep
  • Grendel comes at night like expected and kills the first soldier like nothing; he grabs Beowulf, believing the man was asleep, and tries to eat him but is seized himself.
  • His men awoke and tried to cut Grendel with their swords (the swords were no match to his skin); Beowulf rips Grendel’s shoulders out
  The Monsters’ Lair:
  •   Danes celebrate Beowulf’s victory → Grendel’s mom gets angry and kills Hrothgar’s closest friend; King tells Beowulf about the underwater lair and the and the two monsters
  • *Grendel’s mother kills Hrothgar’s friend & carries off child’s claw
    The Monsters’ Lair
    -          Two monsters: one female, one huge “man” (Grendel)
    -          Mysterious, lived in secret places; everyone evades their spot (lake)
    -          Only Beowulf can defeat Grendel’s mother
    -          He is promised much ancient treasure
    
    
    *Beowulf travels to lake to kill Grendel’s mother
    The Battle with Grendel’s Mother
    -          Beowulf speech: if he dies his treasure will go to Higlac
    -          Dived into bottom of lake to meet she-wolf; struggled and got carried all the way to her home
    -          His weapon did no damage to her at all, she bit holes in his armor
    -          Decided to use pure strength to defend his fame; she-wolf pinned him and stabbed him with a dagger *woven mail shirt saved his life*
    -          Saw and grabbed a sword made by giants; beheaded the she-wolf; sought revenge on Grendel one last time, cut his head off
    -          Danes believed him dead for he had taken a long time(left); the Geats stayed and hoped
    -          Beowulf emerged carrying Grendel’s head, the giant’s jeweled sword, and a part of the ring-marked blade
    -          Left and traveled to Herot; brought the head to Hrothgar
• The Last Battle
• - Beowulf is honored by Hrothgar and then returns home with the title of king shown upon him
• -rules Geatland and is threatened by a dragon fifty years from that event
• -I've never known fear [...]" by Beowulf
• -He is prideful and vain of killing the dragon
• -The dragon is wizzing dragon breath down down the sanctuary it lives at
• -Beowulf kept his shield up but it began to melt
• -old sword broken from striking the dragon
• -Other names for Beowulf - Geat King, Geat Prince, Edgetho's Famous Son
• -Wiglaf stayed standing, debating his actions to aid his lord Beowulf
• -Makes a final killing speech as he rushes to help Beowulf kill the dragon
• The Spoils
• -All the treasures found at the dragon's home
• -Mysterious light and Wiglaf took the golden banner
• -Wiglaf returned to Beowulf to hear his final words
• -Beowulf thanks God for all the treasures on Earth
• -he says to build him a burial tower to recognize the magnificence of it
• -gives all his belongings to Wiglaf and to rule the land of Geat
• The Farewell
• -Geats build tower to honor Beowulf
• -Treasures were left at the tower
• -12 bravest Geats told stories about their adventures with Beowulf