The document summarizes key events and characters in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. It describes Grendel attacking the mead hall Heorot for 12 years until the Geatish hero Beowulf comes to help. Beowulf defeats Grendel in a fierce battle, but Grendel's mother seeks revenge, which leads to another fight underwater that Beowulf emerges victorious from. The summary then discusses Beowulf later becoming king of the Geats and defeating a dragon in his final battle later in life, though it costs him his life.

1. A Journey through
Anglo-American
Literature
ALVIN B. MANALANG
Discussant

2. Lesson 2
MAXIMIZING MY
STRENGTH

37. Beowulf
• Beowulf is the longest and greatest surviving
Anglo-Saxon poem.
• Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic in English
literature.
• An unknown bard composed it around the 7th
or 8th century, and probably recited it to
the accompaniment of harp music.
• The setting of the epic is the sixth century in
what is now known as Denmark and
southwestern Sweden.
•

38. Literary Devices
• Allusion:
• Alliteration:
• Epic Poetry:
• Kennings:
• Scop:
• Simile:
• Litotis:
•
•

39. Anglo-Saxon Concepts and Warrior Codes
• Werglid
• Comitatus
• Thanes
• Kings

40. Pagan and Christian elements in Beowulf
• Christianity
• God is mentioned by two of the main characters in the poem: Beowulf and Hrothgar.
• Grendel as Lucifer
– Both are outcasts
– Perform a task for God
– Grendel is described as a son or descendant of Cain, a clear Biblical reference.
• Pagan
• Strong nature presence
• Strength of the warrior
•

41. Epic
• Noble hero
• Tells the traditions of the people and society
• Oral tradition
• Scops/Muse
• Hero of impressive stature, national and historical importance
• Vast settings
• Deeds require Superhuman courage
• Supernatural forces; Gods, angels and demons are involved
• Elevated style
•
•
•

42. Epic Hero
• Central figure in a long narrative
• Reflects values of the society
• Beowulf is an ancient English hero but he is also an
archetype hero.
• Represents the community facing forces of darkness.
• Super physical strength
• Supremely ethical

43. Four Episodes
• Purging of Herot, Danish mead-hall of Hrotghar, the
king, from Grendel, the monster.
• The killing of Grendel’s mother shown in her watery
lair.
• The triamhant warrior returns home.
• After 50 years of peace, hero-king saves his people by
slaying the dragon but also dies in the attempt.

44. Scyld Scefing
• The poem opens with a brief genealogy of the
Scylding (Dane) royal dynasty, named after a
mythic hero, Scyld Scefing.
• Many years ago he came to them, the Danish
people. They found him on the beach in a boat
no bigger than a shield, a child without
clothing, surrounded by treasure.
• No one knew who had sent him across the sea,
but he lived and grew and gained respect until
they made him their King, and all the tribes
living nearby had to obey him.
• No enemy dared to attack , and he gave gifts
gladly to his followers. He was a good King.
•

45. Episode 1-Heorot
• Heorot (pronounced /hay oh roht) is a mead hall
described in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf as
"the foremost of halls under heaven."
• It was built King Hrothgar.
• Heorot means "Hall of the Hart" (male deer).
• The Geatish (Swedish) hero Beowulf defends the
royal hall and its residents from the monster,
Grendel.

46. Grendel
• For 12 years, a huge man-like ogre named
Grendel, a descendant of the biblical
murderer Cain, has menaced the aging
Hrothgar, raiding Heorot and killing the
king’s thanes (warriors).
• Grendel rules the mead-hall nightly.
• He is jealous of the jealous of the marry
making and joys of the man as he is not a
part of the society.

47. Rescue
• Beowulf, a young warrior in Geatland
(southwestern Sweden), comes to the
Scyldings’ aid, bringing with him 14 of his
finest men.
• Hrothgar once sheltered Beowulf’s father
during a deadly feud, and the mighty Geat
hopes to return the favor while enhancing
his own reputation.
•

48. Grendle arrives
• While the Danes retire to safer sleeping
quarters, Beowulf and the Geats bed down
in Heorot, fully aware that Grendel will visit
them.
• He does. Angered by the joy of the men in
the mead-hall, the ogre furiously bursts in
on the Geats, killing one and then reaching
for Beowulf.

49. Episode 2-Revenge
• But Grendel’s mother—not quite as powerful
as her son but highly motivated—climbs to
Heorot that night, retrieves her son’s claw,
and murderously abducts one of the
Scyldings (Aeschere) while Beowulf sleeps
elsewhere.
• The next morning, Hrothgar, Beowulf, and a
retinue of Scyldings and Geats follow the
mother’s tracks into a dark, forbidding
swamp and to the edge of her mere.
•

50. Fight Underwater
• Near the bottom of the lake, Grendel’s mother
attacks and hauls the Geat warrior to her dimly lit
cave.
• Beowulf fights back once inside the dry cavern, but
the gift sword, Hrunting, strong as it is, fails to
penetrate the ogre’s hide.
• Beowulf wrestles with Grendle’s mother
• The mother moves to kill Beowulf with her knife, but
his armor, made by the legendary blacksmith
Weland, protects him.
•

51. Magical sword
• Suddenly Beowulf spots a magical, giant sword and uses it to cut through
the mother’s spine at the neck, killing her.
• A blessed light unexplainably illuminates the cavern, disclosing Grendel’s
corpse and a great deal of treasure. Beowulf decapitates the corpse.
• The magic sword melts to its hilt. Beowulf returns to the lake’s surface
carrying the head and hilt but leaving the treasure.

52. Episode 3-Return to Geatland
• After more celebration and gifts and a sermon by
Hrothgar warning of the dangers of pride and
the mutability of time, Beowulf and his men
return to Geatland.
• There he serves his king well until Hygelac is
killed in battle and his son dies in a feud.
• Beowulf is then named king and rules successfully
for 50 years.
• Like Hrothgar, however, his peace is shattered in
his declining years. Beowulf must battle one
more demon.
•
•

53. Episode 4-The final fight
• Led by the fugitive, Beowulf and eleven of his
men seek out the dragon’s barrow.
• Beowulf insists on taking on the dragon alone,
but his own sword, Naegling, is no match for
the monster.
• Seeing his king in trouble, one thane, Wiglaf, goes
to his assistance.
• The others flee to the woods.
•

55. Death
• Together, Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon, but the mighty king
is mortally wounded.
• Dying, Beowulf leaves his kingdom to Wiglaf and requests that his
body be cremated in a funeral pyre and buried high on a seaside
cliff where passing sailors might see the barrow.
• The dragon’s treasure-hoard is buried with him. It is said that they
lie there still.

56. 1
battle-sweat
Slaughter-
drew
5
Dragon-Slayer
War trooper’s Leader
Chief of the stranger
1
Battle-sweat
Slaughter-dew
3
Horrible hermit
Slaughter-drew
Sin-stained demon
2
Evil –doer
Life-evil
4
Battle-dress
Mail-shirt
Fighting- gear
6
Ring giver
Gold giver
7
Wave floater
Swirling surf
8
Light of battle
9
Whale road
Whale’s way
Swan road

57. The Battle with Grendel
from Beowulf
translated by Burton Raffel
•

58. Epic 4
8
Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty
Hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred,
Grendel came, hoping to kill
395 Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.
He moved quickly through the cloudy night,
Up from his swampland, sliding silently
Toward that gold-shining hall. He had visited Hrothgar’s
Home before, knew the way—
400 But never, before nor after that night,
Found Herot defended so firmly, his reception
So harsh. He journeyed, forever joyless,
Straight to the door, then snapped it open,
Tore its iron fasteners with a touch,

59. • 405 And rushed angrily over the threshold.
He strode quickly across the inlaid
Floor, snarling and fierce: His eyes
Gleamed in the darkness, burned with a gruesome
Light. Then he stopped, seeing the hall
410 Crowded with sleeping warriors, stuffed
With rows of young soldiers resting together.
And his heart laughed, he relished the sight,
Intended to tear the life from those bodies
By morning; the monster’s mind was hot

60. • 415 With the thought of food and the feasting his belly
Would soon know. But fate, that night, intended
Grendel to gnaw the broken bones
Of his last human supper. Human
Eyes were watching his evil steps,
420 Waiting to see his swift hard claws.
Grendel snatched at the first Geat
He came to, ripped him apart, cut
His body to bits with powerful jaws,
Drank the blood from his veins, and bolted

61. • 425 Him down, hands and feet; death
And Grendel’s great teeth came together,
Snapping life shut. Then he stepped to another
Still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws,
Grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper
430 —And was instantly seized himself, claws
Bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm.
That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime,
Knew at once that nowhere on earth
Had he met a man whose hands were harder;

62. • 435 His mind was flooded with fear—but nothing
Could take his talons and himself from that tight
Hard grip. Grendel’s one thought was to run
From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there:
This was a different Herot than the hall he had
emptied.
440 But Higlac’s follower remembered his final
Boast and, standing erect, stopped
The monster’s flight, fastened those claws
In his fists till they cracked, clutched Grendel
Closer. The infamous killer fought

63. • 445 For his freedom, wanting no flesh but retreat,
Desiring nothing but escape; his claws
Had been caught, he was trapped. That trip to Herot
Was a miserable journey for the writhing monster!
The high hall rang, its roof boards swayed,
450 And Danes shook with terror. Down
The aisles the battle swept, angry
And wild. Herot trembled, wonderfully
Built to withstand the blows, the struggling
Great bodies beating at its beautiful walls;

64. • 455 Shaped and fastened with iron, inside
And out, artfully worked, the building
Stood firm. Its benches rattled, fell
To the floor, gold-covered boards grating
As Grendel and Beowulf battled across them.
460 Hrothgar’s wise men had fashioned Herot
To stand forever; only fire,
They had planned, could shatter what such skill had
put
Together, swallow in hot flames such splendor
Of ivory and iron and wood. Suddenly

65. • 465 The sounds changed, the Danes started
In new terror, cowering in their beds as the terrible
Screams of the Almighty’s enemy sang
In the darkness, the horrible shrieks of pain
And defeat, the tears torn out of Grendel’s
470 Taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms
Of him who of all the men on earth
Was the strongest.
•

66. • 9
• That mighty protector of men
Meant to hold the monster till its life
Leaped out, knowing the fiend was no use
475 To anyone in Denmark. All of Beowulf’s
Band had jumped from their beds, ancestral
Swords raised and ready, determined
To protect their prince if they could. Their courage
Was great but all wasted: They could hack at Grendel
480 From every side, trying to open
A path for his evil soul, but their points
Could not hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron
Could not scratch at his skin, for that sin-stained demon
Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells

67. • 485 That blunted every mortal man’s blade.
And yet his time had come, his days
Were over, his death near; down
To hell he would go, swept groaning and helpless
To the waiting hands of still worse fiends.
490 Now he discovered—once the afflictor
Of men, tormentor of their days—what it meant
To feud with Almighty God: Grendel
Saw that his strength was deserting him, his claws
Bound fast, Higlac’s brave follower tearing at

68. • 495 His hands. The monster’s hatred rose higher,
But his power had gone. He twisted in pain,
And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder
Snapped, muscle and bone split
And broke. The battle was over, Beowulf
500 Had been granted new glory: Grendel escaped,
But wounded as he was could flee to his den,
His miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh,
Only to die, to wait for the end
Of all his days. And after that bloody

69. •
505 Combat the Danes laughed with delight.
He who had come to them from across the sea,
Bold and strong-minded, had driven affliction
Off, purged Herot clean. He was happy,
Now, with that night’s fierce work; the Danes
510 Had been served as he’d boasted he’d serve them;
Beowulf,
A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel,
Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering
Forced on Hrothgar’s helpless people
By a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dane doubted

70. • 515 The victory, for the proof, hanging high
From the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was
the monster’s
Arm, claw and shoulder and all.
10
• And then, in the morning, crowds surrounded
Herot, warriors coming to that hall
520 From faraway lands, princes and leaders
Of men hurrying to behold the monster’s
Great staggering tracks. They gaped with no sense
Of sorrow, felt no regret for his suffering,
Went tracing his bloody footprints, his beaten

71. • 525 And lonely flight, to the edge of the lake
Where he’d dragged his corpselike way, doomed
And already weary of his vanishing life.
The water was bloody, steaming and boiling
In horrible pounding waves, heat
530 Sucked from his magic veins; but the swirling
Surf had covered his death, hidden
Deep in murky darkness his miserable
End, as hell opened to receive him.
Then old and young rejoiced, turned back

72. • 535 From that happy pilgrimage, mounted their hard-
hooved
Horses, high-spirited stallions, and rode them
Slowly toward Herot again, retelling
Beowulf’s bravery as they jogged along.
And over and over they swore that nowhere
540 On earth or under the spreading sky
Or between the seas, neither south nor north,
Was there a warrior worthier to rule over men.
(But no one meant Beowulf’s praise to belittle
Hrothgar, their kind and gracious king!) . . .

73. • 11
• 545 . . . “They live in secret places, windy
Cliffs, wolf-dens where water pours
From the rocks, then runs underground, where mist
Steams like black clouds, and the groves of trees
Growing out over their lake are all covered
550 With frozen spray, and wind down snakelike
Roots that reach as far as the water
And help keep it dark. At night that lake
Burns like a torch. No one knows its bottom,
No wisdom reaches such depths. A deer,

74. • 555 Hunted through the woods by packs of hounds,
A stag with great horns, though driven through the
forest
From faraway places, prefers to die
On those shores, refuses to save its life
In that water. It isn’t far, nor is it
560 A pleasant spot! When the wind stirs
And storms, waves splash toward the sky,
As dark as the air, as black as the rain
That the heavens weep. Our only help,
Again, lies with you. Grendel’s mother

75. • 565 Is hidden in her terrible home, in a place
You’ve not seen. Seek it, if you dare! Save us,
Once more, and again twisted gold,
Heaped-up ancient treasure, will reward you
For the battle you win!”

76. The Battle With Grendel

77. Review of the Battle of Beowulf and Grendel

78. • Task 4. Say Yes or No
• Write Yes or No to the given statement. Be sure to support your answer
with details from the text.
• 1. Grendel was a greedy monster.
• 2. He was considered the foul enemy of God.
• 3. Beowulf and Grendel had enormous strength
• 4. The weapons of the warriors could easily kill the monster.
• 5. Grendel was afraid of Hrothgar.
• 6. Grendel swallowed his victims.
• 7. The Danes were not allowed to celebrate the defeat of Grendel.
• 8. Grendel was able to escape from Beowulfs hands.
• 9. Hrothgar gave Beowulf gifts.
• 10. Beowulf was considered the hero of Heorot.

79. • Task 5 Illustrate the Creations
• Base on the poem, how do you imagine the entities in the
poem? Describe each base on what is said in the test and
based on how you imagined each. Write your answer in your
notebook.

80. •
●Entities ●Description from
the Text
●Your own
Description
●
●Heorot
●
● ●
●
●Hrothgar
●
● ●
●
●Grendel
●
● ●
●
●Beowulf
●
● ●

82. Task 6: Compare and Contrast
Fill out the Venn Diagram to show the similarities and
differences of Beowulf and Grendel.
BEOWULF GRENDEL

83. • “Sometimes wealth cannot be a solution to a
problem.”
The importance of personal strengths in
order to overcome one’s problem.
Strength is an important determining factor in
your ability to succeed in life. We have seen that
those who are strong succeed; while those who are
weak, fall back or fail. We have also noticed that if
you make the effort to exercise strength in areas
where you have demonstrated weakness in the past,
life can suddenly and abundantly respond.
In reading the poem, did it help you to discover
your inner strengths, potentials, and capabilities as an
individual? How?

84. Task 7: Into the Hero
1. Why did Beowulf go to Heorot?
2. Did he achieve his goal? Prove your point.
3. What happened to Grendel after the fight?
4. What did King Hrothgar do to Beowulf?
5. How did this part of the epic poem Beowulf
end?

85. ANSWERS:
1. Beowulf travels to Heorot because he has heard what Grendel
has been doing -- how Grendel has been killing Hrothgar's
men. He goes to Heorot because he wants to test his skill
and bravery against the monster and show Grendel how
powerful the Geats are.
3. Yes.
4. Grendel eventually dies alone in his cave as a result of losing his
arm.
5. King Hrothgar presents Beowulf with gifts: an embroidered
banner, breast-mail, an embossed helmet, and a sword.
Last, but definitely not least, Hrothgar gives Beowulf eight
horses with gold bridles, one of which has a fancy saddle
designed for a king in battle.
6. It ended on retelling Beowulf’s bravery and a celebration lead
by King Hrothgar.
6.
1.

86. Assignment:
6. If you were one of the Geats, what would you
tell or give Beowulf? Why?
7. Who among our present superheroes would
you liken Beowulf to? Why?
8. What strengths did Beowulf put to use in this
epic poem?
9. What are your strengths? How do you use
them?
10.Give at least three reasons why you like or not
like the epic poem Beowulf?

87. Sequence
markers
-can signal how to interpret the relationship
between sentences in a number of different
ways.

88. • Indicate chronological order or order of
importance( e.g. first…secondly…thirdly; to begin
with…next…to conclude).
• Add to or reinforce what has already been said( e.g.
furthermore;in addition;what is more).
• Indicate that two propositions have equal status( e.g.
likewise;similarly).
•
Sequence
markers

89. • Indicate cause-result relationships(e.g. consequently;so; as a result).
• Indicate that a gIven proposition contradicts an earlier one (e.g.
conversely; on the contrary; by way of contrast).
• Indicate concession (e.g. nevertheless; in any case; for all that; all the
same).
Sequence
markers

90. TASK 9 Spot the Signals and Punctuation
Marks
●SEQUENCE
SIGNALS
●FUNCTION IN THE SENTENCE
●e.g. then ●To show additional actions/or
follow up disposition
DIRECTION: Scan the poem Beowulf. List down the
sequence signals you can spot. Illustrate how these
words are used in the selection by filling out the grid
below.

91. Task 10 Mark the Punctuations
Below are the stanzas from Beowulf. Take note
of the punctuation marks used in the stanzas and be
ready to answer questions about them.

92. What are the punctuation marks?
He journeyed, forever joyless,
Straight to the door, then snapped it open,
Tore its iron fasteners with a touch
And rushed angrily over the threshold.
He strode quickly across the inlaid
Floor, snarling and fierce: His eyes
Gleamed in the darkness, burned with a
gruesome Light.

93. The infamous killer fought
For his freedom, wanting no flesh but retreat,
Desiring nothing but escape; his claws
Had been caught, he was trapped.
What are the punctuation marks?

94. The battle was over, Beowulf
Had been granted new glory: Grendel escaped,
But wounded as he was could flee to his den,
His miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh,
Only to die, to wait for the end
Of all his days. And after that bloody
Combat the Danes laughed with delight.
What are the punctuation marks?

95. The water was bloody, steaming and boiling
In horrible pounding waves, heat
Sucked from his magic veins; but the swirling
Surf had covered his death, hidden
Deep in murky darkness his miserable
End, as hell opened to receive him
What are the punctuation marks?

97. Answer these questions to know more about the
punctuation marks.
1.What punctuation marks are highlighted in
the given stanzas?
2.What is the meaning conveyed when these
punctuation marks are used?
3. When do we use them?

99. Uses of Colons and
Semicolons
• To introduce a list, quote or statement that you want to draw
attention to in a complete sentence.
• Example: This weekend, we will attend a variety of events: a concert,
a party, a basketball game and church.

100. • To separate numbers in various instances such as time (12:30:01), a
ratio (1:1) or John 3:16
•
•

101. • In memos or after a salutation in a formal/business
letter.
•
•

102. The high school’s homecoming staff
include Coco Martin, senior; Kim Chi,
junior; Jay Cuenca, sophomore; and Julia
Montes, freshman.
• Use semicolons in a series, usually when the series
calls for multiple commas that could confuse the
readers
•
•

104. TASK 11 Introduce the Characters
• A. Use sequence signals and punctuation marks in
writing an introduction about Beowulf and Grendel.

106. • B. Take turn on delivering/reading the lines from
Beowulf observing stress, intonation, and juncture

107. Rap a message for your hero
•A. Write meaningful sentences about the lead
character/hero. Include the sequence signals you
have learned such as colons and semi-colons.

108. ● RAP Meant for a HERO
Your school’s dramatic guild is in search of a
rapper who will introduce the lead
character/hero through a rap.
You’ve been asked to try out for the part
You will render a one-minute rap about the
hero in your life in front of the class with
your English teacher and class adviser. Be
reminded of the rhyme, rhythm, and beat
when your do the rap.

109. • G- To perform a one minute rap to introduce a lead
character
• R- You are the rapper of the dramatic guild
• A- English teacher, class adviser and classmates
• S- The school’s dramatic guild is in search of a rapper
• P- Two minutes rap about the hero in your life
• S- You will be judged based on the rubric

111. Remember…
•Perform the rap in time to a beat
•Don’t say anything that will offend people
•Craft your own style
•Have fun while rapping

112. A. List down your strengths and how
you intend to use them in the table
below.●My Strengths ●I will use them to…

113. •B. Write the things you have value the most from the
discussion.

114. Assignment: Bring Out The Hero in
You
As a student, a son/daughter, or as a citizen, make a
simple action plan on how to show your small acts of
heroism.
●Objectives ●Activities ●Procedure ●Resources ●Time frame