Beowulf Notes

Beowulf Background

Literary Terms:

Epic:

 

Kenning:

 

Caesura:

 

Alliteration:

 

History (see Sword of Time handout)

Events took place: _______________

 

Composed: ____________

 

Written: __________________

 

Published: ________________

 

Importance in English Literature:

Only complete _______________ poem of any length from __________________ period

 

Only surviving ________________ of a people who produced Shakespeare and Chaucer

 

Written by: _______________________

 

Where does the story take place?

Structure:

1. ______________________________________________

 

2. ______________________________________________

 

Mingling of Two Traditions:

1. __________________________________________________

 

2. __________________________________________________

 

Interpretation:

Anglo-Saxon Ideals:

1. _________________________________________________

 

2. _________________________________________________

 

3. _________________________________________________

 

4. _________________________________________________

 

5. _________________________________________________

 

6. _________________________________________________

 

7. _________________________________________________

 

8. _________________________________________________

 

9. _________________________________________________

 

10. ________________________________________________

 

Important Terms:

Primary Epic:

 

Scop:

 

Sarum:

 

Comitatus:

 

Wergild:

 

Wyrd:

People and Terms of the Poem to Know:

Mead

 

Mead Hall

 

Hrothgar

 

Heorot

 

Geats

 

Beowulf

 

Grendel

 

Wiglaf

 

Scyldings