Table of Contents
What are the key plot points of Beowulf?
Major conflict The poem essentially consists of three parts. There are three central conflicts: Grendel’s domination of Heorot Hall; the vengeance of Grendel’s mother after Grendel is slain; and the rage of the dragon after a thief steals a treasure that it has been guarding.
What does Beowulf say about his reign?
Beowulf recalls his long reign over the Geats: he’s been king for fifty years, and all the neighboring kings were too afraid to attack or challenge him. He also behaved honestly and justly, which makes him feel a little better, because he knows that God won’t be angry with him in the afterlife.
What is the plot in epic Beowulf mainly about?
The main theme of the poem is the conflict between good and evil, most obviously exemplified by the physical conflict between Beowulf and Grendel.
What happens in Part 2 of Beowulf?
The second part of Beowulf picks up after the first part ends, around line 1008 and extends through to about line 1924 or so. The fiend Grendel has been defeated, his arm and claw hang in the rafters of Heorot as proof and as a trophy, and Beowulf is being celebrated as the hero he is.
What is the main conflict in Beowulf?
In “Beowulf,” the central conflicts are external — man versus the supernatural — and are important to the epic’s structure. The poem is divided into three parts, each defined by its own central conflict: Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, his battle with Grendel’s mother and his battle with the dragon.
What is the exposition of the story Beowulf?
“Beowulf” is an epic narrative poem that tells the tale of how the hero, Beowulf, defeats the monster, Grendel. In the exposition, the poem introduces Grendel’s history and the situation that brings the two together.
How did Beowulf reign in the land of the Geats?
Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the throne after her husband (Hygelac) died, thinking that her young son (Heardred) was unable to protect the kingdom; Beowulf refused but served the young king faithfully. After Heardred’s death, Beowulf did become king and ruled his people well for 50 years.
What happens in Part 1 of Beowulf?
The first section of Beowulf is primarily about Beowulf’s fight against a monster called Grendel. Beowulf travels to Hrothgar’s lands to help him deal with this threat, and he ultimately kills Grendel by ripping his arm off.
What happened in Beowulf Chapter 1?
In Beowulf the Warrior, the title character travels to Denmark in order to confront a beast that has been plaguing the king there for twelve years. Having slaughtered the man-eating beast, Beowulf must then kill its mother before he can sail back to his home in Geatland.
How does Beowulf end poem?
At the end of the poem, Beowulf goes to fight the dragon, anticipating that it will be his last battle. He succeeds in killing his opponent, but he is mortally wounded.
What happens in Part 3 of Beowulf?
Hrothgar is distraught at the death of Ashhere. He calls for Beowulf and the Geat promises to find Grendel’s mother and defeat her. A search party tracks Grendel’s mother to a lake where she lives in an underwater cave. Hrothgar gives Beowulf a sword which, he tells him, has magical powers.
What happens in chapter 3 of Beowulf?
By the third part of the story Beowulf the young warrior has become an old king who has ruled his people peacefully for half a century. This peace is shattered abruptly, however, with the arrival of a fire-breathing dragon that wreaks deadly havoc on the Swedes.
What type of story is Beowulf?
Beowulf is a heroic poem, considered the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. It deals with events of the early 6th century CE and is believed to have been composed between 700 and 750.
What is the resolution of the story Beowulf?
Resolution: Beowulf dies; Wiglaf, the new king, is tempted by Grendal’s mother.
What is the rising action of the story Beowulf?
The rising action begins with Beowulf’s departure for Hrothgar’s kingdom and continues through most of the poem, as he fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother. The final climatic moment occurs when Beowulf fights the dragon.
What is the resolution or denouement in the story Beowulf?
In Beowulf, the character of Beowulf fights the dragon in the climax of the story. He dies because of that fight, but in the denouement, the reader learns that the dragon has also died. In the very end, the treasure is divided, and the dragon’s body is disposed of.
What is the plot of Beowulf?
Plot Overview. When Beowulf is an old man, however, a thief disturbs a barrow, or mound, where a great dragon lies guarding a horde of treasure. Enraged, the dragon emerges from the barrow and begins unleashing fiery destruction upon the Geats. Sensing his own death approaching, Beowulf goes to fight the dragon.
How long did Beowulf rule his kingdom?
Beowulf rules for fifty years and is beloved by his people. His reign is peaceful and prosperous until a new foe, a dragon, comes seeking vengeance after a man steals a golden goblet from the dragon’s lair.
What happens to Beowulf after he arrives in Sweden?
After learning of the Danes’ trouble, young Beowulf, a prince of the Geats in what is now southern Sweden, arrives with a small band of retainers and offers to rid Heorot of its monster. Hrothgar is astonished at the little-known hero’s daring but welcomes him.
How does Beowulf gain the throne of the Geats?
In time, Hygelac is killed in a war against the Shylfings, and, after Hygelac’s son dies, Beowulf ascends to the throne of the Geats. He rules wisely for fifty years, bringing prosperity to Geatland.