Chapter 1/ “ Beowulf” ( Lines 86-114)
“ Beowulf “ Part 1A: Grendel (86-114):
86. With envy and anger an evil spirit
87. endured the dole in his dark abode,
88. that he heard each day the din of revel
89. high in the hall: there harps rang out,
90. clear song of the singer. He sang who knew4
91. tales of the early time of man,
92. how the Almighty made the earth,
93. fairest fields enfolded by water,
94. set, triumphant, sun and moon
95. for a light to lighten the land-dwellers,
96. and braided bright the breast of earth
97. with limbs and leaves, made life for all
98. of mortal beings that breathe and move.
99. So lived the clansmen in cheer and revel
100. a winsome life, till one began
101. to fashion evils, that field of hell.
102. Grendel this monster grim was called,
103. march-riever5 mighty, in moorland living,
104. in fen and fastness; fief of the giants
105. the hapless wight a while had kept
106. since the Creator his exile doomed.
107. On kin of Cain was the killing avenged
108. by sovran God for slaughtered Abel.
109. Ill fared his feud,6 and far was he driven,
110. for the slaughter's sake, from sight of men.
111. Of Cain awoke all that woful breed,
112. Etins7 and elves and evil-spirits,
113. as well as the giants that warred with God
114. weary while: but their wage was paid them!
Discussion
Under Hrothgar, the rule of Danes, the kingdom prospered and enjoyed great military success, and Hrothgar decided to construct a monument to his success—a mead-hall where he would distribute booty to his retainers. The hall was called Heorot, and there the men gathered with their lord to drink mead, a beer beverage, and listen to the songs of the bards.
For a time, the kingdom enjoyed peace and prosperity. But, one night, Grendel, a demon descended from Cain (who, according to the Bible, slew his brother Abel), emerged from the swampy lowlands, to listen to the nightly entertainment at Heorot. The bards’ songs about God’s creation of the earth angered the monster. Once the men in the mead-hall fell asleep, Grendel lumbered inside and slaughtered thirty men. Hrothgar’s warriors were powerless against him.
The following night, Grendel struck again, and he has continued to wreak havoc on the Danes for twelve years. He has taken over Heorot, and Hrothgar and his men remain unable to challenge him. They make offerings at pagan shrines in hopes of harming Grendel, but their efforts are fruitless. The Danes endure constant terror, and their suffering is so extreme that the news of it travels far and wide.
At this time, Beowulf, nephew of the Geatish king Hygelac, is the greatest hero in the world. He lives in Geatland, a realm not far from Denmark, in what is now southern Sweden. When Beowulf hears tales of the destruction wrought by Grendel, he decides to travel to the land of the Danes and help Hrothgar defeat the demon. He voyages across the sea with fourteen of his bravest warriors until he reaches Hrothgar’s kingdom.
(86-114] The introduction of Grendel. The thought of this passage is about an evil spirit which is angered by the rejoicing in Heorot (86-90a). ( he is jealous) One of the songs recited in the hall is mentioned (90b-98). After looking back for a moment the poet returns to the demon, Grendel, who is now spoken of as dwelling in the moors (100b-104a). This leads the author to relate how Grendel came to live there, viz. by being descended from Cain, whom God had exiled for the murder of Abel (104b-114). (Whereupon Grendel's first attack on Heorot is narrated.)
Beowulf and Grendel Comparison
Beowulf and Grendel are represented differently as they are introduced to the poems. Grendel in lines 86-114 is represented as evil, where Beowulf is implied more as good. The people fear Grendel, where it seems they look to Beowulf as a hero and rely on him to protect them. “There was no else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, highborn and powerful. (197) The author goes as far as to compare him to the gods. He was the mightiest man on earth, which could mean human and highborn, putting him above heroes that have died and the powerful, the gods. The author uses descriptive language to help imply the good and the evil between Beowulf and Grendel. When Grendel is introduced to the poem, very strong words were used. Words like powerful, demon, dark, prowler, haunting, hell grim, desolate, were used to clearly give the darker fearful image of Grendel. When introducing Beowulf, words like highborn, powerful, noble, mightiest, famous, and dear are used to give a different representation (good.) I do not see any obvious similarities between the two that could complicate the good/evil dichotomy in these passages.
Further Discussion
Hrothgar's great hall (Heorot, "Hall of the Hart") functions as both symbol and setting. Symbolically, it represents the achievements of the Scyldings, specifically Hrothgar, and their level of civilization. It is a place of light and warmth in the dark, cold winters. Here Hrothgar celebrates his victories and rewards his thanes (warriors) with various rings and treasures. Heorot is no common beer hall; it is more of a palace, towering high like a cliff. Significantly, this is where Beowulf's first great battle for the Danes takes place. The hall also symbolizes the concept of comitatus, the honor code that exists between the king, or feudal lord, and his warriors. Thanes swear devotion to their leader and vow to fight boldly, to the death if necessary, for him. If the leader should fall, his life must be avenged. For his part, the leader rewards his thanes with treasure, protection, and land. His generosity often is mentioned as one of his strengths of character.
When Grendel invades this setting, he strikes at the very heart of the Scyldings. Grendel's heritage is essential to his enmity. He is a descendant of the biblical Cain, the eldest son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel out of jealousy (Genesis 4). Cain's name in Hebrew is Qayin, meaning "creature," and the legend is that the monsters of the earth are his descendants. Grendel resents the joyful beauty of Heorot and its inhabitants. The scop's Song of Creation (90-98) especially enrages him because it tells of the beauty and light of God's creation, which Grendel can never recover for himself.
Characters
1-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.
2-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.
3-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.
4- 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.
5- 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.
Themes and figure of speech (Open discussion)
Students should express their ideas and participate to figure out the themes and figure of speech for this section
Resources
1- http://www.brian-t-murphy.com/Beowulf.htm
2- https://books.google.com.sa/books?id=Br2cYXrEUD0C&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=salient+features+of+classical+poetry&source=bl&ots=BMRukzAOOe&sig=OONW5oZNdf7XHIwjy2DaIiQ3q2E&hl=ar&sa=X&ved=0CFwQ6AEwB2oVChMIv62wjf3TxwIVxZiACh3ZBQng#v=onepage&q=salient%20features%20of%20classical%20poetry&f=false
3- https://sites.google.com/site/collesseum/beowulf
4- http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/b/beowulf/summary-and-analysis/lines-1193
5- https://bu.digication.com/Assayag/Beowulf_Response_P
6- http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/section1.rhtml
7- http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/characters.html