Beowulf

Why is this Old English epic story set in Scandinavia (Denmark, Geatland)? What sort of historical or cultural circumstances might have influenced an Old English poet to use Scandinavian materials? Is it interesting that Shakespeare does the same sort of thing in Hamlet? What accounts for this seeming fascination of English authors with Scandinavian history and folk narratives?

Is this story predominantly Christian or pagan? What is the text's attitude toward Germanic heroic culture? How about Christianity? How does the text view the Danes' worship at pagan temples?What is the significance of the monster Grendel? Why is he said to be a descendant of Cain? What does such ancestry suggest? What is Cain infamous for? What do Cain and Grendel have in common? Is their kinship a literal or a symbolic matter? Is Grendel a brother-killer? In what sense? What does this suggest regarding his relation to the Danes whom he persecutes? Is fratricide an issue elsewhere in Beowulf?

What is the significance of the Finnsburg story (a mead-hall brawl resulting in tragic losses for both Danes and Frisians) told by a poet at Heorot Hall? Is it important that one of the dead is the son of Finn (the Frisian king) and Hildeburh (a Danish princess)? What does such a figure (half Dane, half Frisian) represent? How is his death related to the themes and motifs of the epic? Does this situation show some parallels to the Grendel problem? Is fratricide an issue here? How about intertribal relations? What seems to be the poem's attitude toward such conflicts? How is literal fratricide (killing between blood brothers) connected with warfare between members of different tribes? Are they different situations? Can they be identical in some circumstances? What does the case of Finn and Hildeburh's son suggest? What larger point may the poem be making concerning human relations (regardless of actual kinship or tribal affiliations)? How do the conflicts between Danes, Heathobards, and Frisians, Geats, Franks, Hetware, and Swedes figure in the poem's vision? What role do such conflicts play in the shaping of the plot and the ending of the story?

Why is Grendel said to be invulnerable to weapons? Is this somehow related to the idea that weapons often fail Beowulf? Is this motif of useless weapons some kind of comment on the warrior cultures of the Iron Age? Why the preoccupation with weapons? Is the poem suggesting that violence without weapons is to be preferred over the armed sort? What kinds of historical circumstances might have motivated such concerns? Is this situation in some ways similar to our contemporary concerns with the proliferation of automatic guns and the mass killings which they make possible?

Why is it that the Danes are unable to get rid of Grendel? Does it make sense that a whole tribe of fierce warriors cannot deal with a single monster (and his mother, of course)? How strong is Grendel? Even if his skin is weapon-proof, how many men should it have taken to overpower him? Is it that the Danes are cowardly and afraid of wrestling the monster without weapons? Are they unable to plan an ambush and catch Grendel by surprise? Can other explanations be found? Is Grendel perhaps a symbol of some aspect of the life of the Danes themselves, something they cannot deal with very well? Why is it that Grendel commits his crimes at Heorot, the drinking hall? Can this detail offer a clue as to the nature of the problem he represents?

Why does Beowulf travel to Denmark? What is his motivation? Is Beowulf moved by Christian ideals? What drives him to confront the monsters? What does he expect to gain from it? How are the values of the Germanic heroic world represented in those aspirations?

Is it significant that, in addition to his physical strength, Beowulf is described as "not killing his comrades/In drunken rages, his heart not savage" (p. 1593)? Is Beowulf's self-restraint at the drinking hall in some way connected to his ability to defeat Grendel? If so, what does the battle between the two represent? Is the poem making a comment on the drinking habits and behavior of the Danes at the mead-hall? Are any judgments passed on Danish heroic society and culture as a whole? Is it interesting that Shakespeare also comments on the Danes's drinking in Hamlet (I.4.8-22)? Why the ongoing concern? Is this a sign of an English prejudice against the Danes? What symbolic functions does the use of alcohol play in these narratives?

Why does Grendel panic and run away after feeling Beowulf's grip? Why doesn't he stay and fight? Isn't he a fierce and hardened warrior? Is he physically weaker than Beowulf? Is fear the only explanation for his behavior? Could there be another motivation in his sudden flight to his abode? How do the arm he leaves behind and the trail of blood leading to his home function in the narrative? Do they have roles beyond the obvious? What sort of influence or what kind of motivation do the arm and the bloody tracks exert on Beowulf? In general, what do an arm and hand do? What are they for? Is this severed arm really dead or is it still exerting a grabbing and pulling function? If so, where is it leading to? Is it unambiguous who has a hold of whom? Are there any ironies in the situation? Is Beowulf as firmly in control of the situation as he thinks?

Is Beowulf's triumph over Grendel total and unequivocal? Is Grendel's arm sufficient evidence of such a triumph? What is missing? What would Beowulf like to have in order to substantiate his victory?

What are the implications of Beowulf's decision to enter the underwater hideout of the Grendels? Is he making a mistake? Was he being lured there in the first place? Is he falling into a trap? Why does Beowulf choose to fight with armor and weapons this time? Is it significant that Unferth, a brother-killer, lends him his sword? Is Beowulf's descent into the underwater cave in some way symbolic? What is happening to him? What happens in the cave? How does Beowulf accomplish his victory? Is it ironic or problematic that he uses a gigantic sword in order to defeat Grendel's mother? How does this square with the ongoing commentary in the poem on the uselessness of weapons? Where did the sword come from? What were its origins? Who owned it originally? What happened to the original owners? How were those owners connected to the Grendels? Does the sword have any special symbolic or magical attributes? Is it the bearer of any blessings or curses? Why does the blade melt after the decapitation of the Grendels? Is this an ominous sign? Does the motif of melting occur elsewhere in the poem? What does that imply?

What are the effects and implications of Beowulf taking possession of the giant sword? What kind of a transfer occurs here? What is transmitted? Does an important transformation occur at this point? Is Beowulf changed in any way by the events in the cave? Is his exit from the underwater cave a kind of birth or rebirth? What does the imagery suggest? What is Hrothgar's reaction after seeing Beowulf emerge from the lake carrying the hilt of the sword and the head of Grendel? Is Hrothgar's sermon against blood thirstiness, pride and avarice suggestive of concern for Beowulf? Is this concern justified?

Is there a hint of concealed defeat underneath the appearance of victory in Beowulf's battle with the Grendels? How do the material and spiritual levels relate in this situation? Is Beowulf's victory as a martial hero perhaps counterbalanced or even outweighed by a shadowy defeat on a spiritual/moral plane? What is the poem's attitude toward the gold and glory which motivate the hero to act? What about the fact of murder committed for the purposes of gaining gold and glory? Has Beowulf been tempted by a demonic force? Has he, perhaps unwittingly, become a brother-killer? In what sense? What literal and symbolic role would the swords play in such meanings? Does some aspect of Beowulf's personality die and remains buried in the cave?

Why does Beowulf seek to confront the dragon alone? What motivates him? What does he intend to accomplish? Are his motivations in any way similar to those which led him to face the Grendels? Are there any notable features of the description of the fight between Beowulf and the dragon? What about the echoing/mirroring of passages describing the hero and his enemy? What is the effect of that parallelism? How does it relate to the parallelism seen the characterization of Beowulf and Grendel? What are the implications of the similarities between heroes and villains?

Does the character of Beowulf undergo significant transformations over the course of his life and career as a hero and king? What was Beowulf like as a child? Why was he despised? Does the poet share in the Geats' negative assessment of the young and unheroic Beowulf? When, how, and why does Beowulf change? Are there remnants of his older self in the heroic Beowulf? What are they? When are those traits mentioned? Is the character of Beowulf marked by the presence of two distinct, radically different, and difficult to reconcile personalities? At the very end of the poem, which aspects of Beowulf's character does the poet emphasize? What aspects of him seemed the most valuable? What makes his death so tragic?

What is the significance of the story beginning (Scyld's) and ending (Beowulf's) with funerals? Does this framing device give a certain tone to the story? What does it suggest regarding the poet's understanding of the old Scandinavian/ Germanic heroic world and its values?

Why do the Geats reject the treasure which Beowulf won from the dragon at the cost of his life? Why is the treasure buried? Is it significant that the burial of the treasure merely returns it to its previous state (buried under the earth)? Who owned the treasure before? How did it end up in the buried hoard? Why and how is the treasure cursed? How did the dragon come into its possession? Now that the dragon is gone, who guards the treasure? Can something be made of certain scholars' suggestions that the dragon was the spirit of a dead man? What would this imply in reference to Beowulf and his burial with the gold? What would this suggest regarding Beowulf's life and character?