BEOWULF

Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest
European vernacular epic. The work deals with events of the early 6th century, and, while the
date of its composition is uncertain, some scholars believe that it was written in the 8th century.
Although originally untitled, the poem was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf,
whose exploits and character provide its connecting theme. There is no evidence of a historical
Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. The
poem did not appear in print until 1815. It is preserved in a single manuscript that dates to circa
1000 and is known as the Beowulf manuscript (Cotton MS Vitellius A XV).

Plot

Beowulf falls into two parts. It opens in Denmark, where King Hrothgar has a splendid mead hall
known as Heorot, a place of celebration and much merriment. However, the joyous noise angers
Grendel, an evil monster living in a nearby swamp. For 12 years the creature terrorizes Heorot
with nightly visits in which he carries off Hrothgar’s warriors and devours them.

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. After an evening of
feasting, much courtesy, and some discourtesy—at one point, one of Hrothgar’s men insults
Beowulf—the king retires, leaving Beowulf in charge. During the night, Grendel comes from the
moors, rips open the heavy doors, and devours one of the sleeping Geats. He then grapples with
Beowulf, who refuses to use a weapon. Beowulf grips one of Grendel’s hands with such force
that the monster finally wrenches himself free only when his arm is torn off at the shoulder.
Mortally wounded, Grendel returns to his swamp and dies. Beowulf then displays the monster’s
arm in Heorot for all to see.

The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot, and a feast is thrown in Beowulf’s honour. However,
as the warriors sleep that night, Grendel’s mother, another swamp monster, comes to avenge her
son’s death, and she kills one of Hrothgar’s men. In the morning Beowulf dives into her mere
(lake) to search for her, and she attacks him. They struggle in her dry cave at the mere’s bottom,
and Beowulf finally kills her with a sword. In the cave, Beowulf discovers Grendel’s corpse,
whose head he cuts off and takes back to Heorot. The Danes rejoice once more. Hrothgar makes
a farewell speech about the character of the true hero, and Beowulf, enriched with honours and
princely gifts, returns home to King Hygelac of the Geats.

The second part passes rapidly over Hygelac’s subsequent death in a battle (of historical record),
the death of his son, and Beowulf’s succession to the kingship and his peaceful rule of 50 years.
However, the tranquility ends when a fire-breathing dragon becomes enraged after a man steals
from its treasure-filled lair. The creature begins ravaging Geatland, and the brave but aging
Beowulf decides to engage it, despite knowing that he will likely die. The fight is long and
terrible—a painful contrast to the battles of his youth. Painful too is the desertion of all his
retainers except for his young kinsman Wiglaf, who comes to his aid. They ultimately kill the
venomous dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded from a bite in the neck. Before he dies, he
names Wiglaf his successor. Beowulf is cremated on a funeral pyre, and his remains are buried in
a barrow built by the sea. As his people mourn his death, they also express the fear that, without
Beowulf, Geatland will be invaded by nearby tribes.

SOURCE: https://www.britannica.com/art/allegory-art-and-literature

CHARACTER LIST

Beowulf

The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel,
Grendel’s mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf’s boasts and encounters reveal him to be
the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the
heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler.

King Hrothgar

The king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military success and prosperity until Grendel terrorizes
his realm. A wise and aged ruler, Hrothgar represents a different kind of leadership from that
exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf. He is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the
kind of king that Beowulf becomes.

Grendel

A demon descended from Cain, Grendel preys on Hrothgar’s warriors in the king’s mead-hall,
Heorot. Because his ruthless and miserable existence is part of the retribution exacted by God for
Cain’s murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world
of the poem.

Grendel’s mother

An unnamed swamp-hag, Grendel’s mother seems to possess fewer human qualities than
Grendel, although her terrorization of Heorot is explained by her desire for vengeance—a human
motivation.

The dragon

An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards a horde of treasure in a hidden mound.
Beowulf’s fight with the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic.
Shield Sheafson

The legendary Danish king from whom Hrothgar is descended, Shield Sheafson is the mythical
founder who inaugurates a long line of Danish rulers and embodies the Danish tribe’s highest
values of heroism and leadership. The poem opens with a brief account of his rise from orphan to
warrior-king, concluding, “That was one good king”

Wealhtheow

Hrothgar’s wife, the gracious queen of the Danes

Unferth

A Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf, Unferth is unable or unwilling to fight Grendel,
thus proving himself inferior to Beowulf.

Aeschere

Hrothgar’s trusted adviser.

Hygelac

Beowulf’s uncle, king of the Geats, and husband of Hygd. Hygelac heartily welcomes Beowulf
back from Denmark

Hygd

Hygelac’s wife, the young, beautiful, and intelligent queen of the Geats. Hygd is contrasted with
Queen Modthryth

Wiglaf

A young kinsman and retainer of Beowulf who helps him in the fight against the dragon while all
of the other warriors run away. Wiglaf adheres to the heroic code better than Beowulf’s other
retainers, thereby proving himself a suitable successor to Beowulf.