Comp Notes: Beowulf

Excuse my lack of organization with my notes.  I write my notes as I read through the stories so hopefully you all can understand them.  Sometimes my thoughts are more half-thoughts and/or questions so if you have answers to these questions, feel free to answer them.

Idea of Lineage (Importance)
- Epic starts off reciting the beginning of a lineage

• Shield Sheafson - good warchief
• One of the first Thanes

- Who is a hero in Beowulf and what are the heroic values?

• 12-25 - Beowulf represents a good son who is generous "giving freely"
• Preservation of name - Beowulf's lineage 258
• 64-69 - Hrothgar wants his name in history and so builds the great mead-hall, Heorot
• 669-73 - Strength/Brute Force
• Honor - word - Comitatus - King - Thane
• Acquisition of Wealth
• 418-23 - Glory/Fame - Boastful
• Armor - Signifies his nobility 248-54
• Beowulf tells of his lineage (AKA credentials) 258-66
• Further mentions of armor and lineage - 320-47

- What is NOT a hero? What does Grendel represent?

• Grendel's lineage?
• 102-07 An outsider, cursed with Caine's name
• 86-98 Night walker who is not fully described
• 122 Greedy and grim
• Anti-hero
• Wars without reason - leads to senseless death 151-63
• Contrast with Beowulf - Beowulf fights to help those in need

- Unferth - All bark and no bite 500-18

• Contrast with Beowulf 581-94
• Further evidence of humane actions from Beowulf
• Importance of boasting and follow-up
• Beowulf follows up with goals of defeating Grendel 425-55
• Unferth does not boasts of himself - criticizes Beowulf - Criticism leads ot greater boasting of Beowulf's abilities 530-80

- Grendel's Mother 1259-60

• Grendel and his kind has no lineage - Grendel and his mother are "fatherless creatures;" outsiders
• They are the intruders, the others

Wealhtheow - Queen - Role as Servant to the King

• No words, no speech

Fighting with Grendel

• Beowulf takes off armor to prove strength
• Significance of Grendel dying violently without an arm?
• 860-62 - No blame on their king on his inability to stop the monster - Beowulf becomes Hrothgar's adopted son and his men are rewarded
• Huge celebration held after Grendel's death
• Beowulf wears the torque of the city (Heorot)
• Significance of the wife giving it to him?

- Important message of glory after death

• Above water are serpents and monsters - fights with sword, Hrunting
• 1533-34 - "he would rely on the might of his arm"
• Use of an ancient sword to defeat Grendel's mother

(Halfway through the notes, I started writing page numbers of the Norton Anthology rather than line numbers...)
- p. 70-71 - Hrothgar warns Beowulf the signs of a bad king

• Pride is a king's downfall - When Beowulf goes back home, boasts his story
• p. 79 - Signs of a warrior
• Dragon - Representation of greed?
• 2430-60 - Brother killing brother - Death of a nation

Passing on the lineage
- Wiglaf - Encouraged other men to fight with their king

• Giving thanks to God being able to see treasure
• Beowulf's kingdom falls after his death
• His people extolled his greatness after his death
• Significance of death?