Beowulf Ch 1-43 – Flashcards
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Who was shild?How was he Buried?
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a king, he was brought to the shore, set upon the mast, with all of his treasures, then set a drift, and they set the ship on fire
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whom does the kings power come from? What was it like for the Danes to be without a king?
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god and it was miserable
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Who followed Shild as king(3 generations)
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beo, healfdane and Hrothgar
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what did hrothgar build
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he builds Herot
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what disturbed the happiness of Hrothgars men? explain its origin
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grendel, he heard the happiness and music, which angered him, so he came and disrupted their peace
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grendels origin was once considered a later christian addition to a pagan story. what other passage on 26 might help to argue against the view and why?
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story of creation
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what does Grendel do when night falls
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he goes to hero and snatches thirty men, then smashes them.
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why does he return?
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because one murder wasn't enough for him
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how long does Grendel terrorize the Danes
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12 winters
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what part of the hall does Grendel never touch? what does this suggest about the Anglo-Saxon view of kings?
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the kings throne because it is protected by god. this suggest that anglo-saxon believed divine right
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Who heard of Hrothgars sorrow? what does he do. and how many men accompany him?
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Beowulf, he comes to help them, he brings 14 men
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When Beowulfs ship reaches the beach, who comes to meet them?
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hrothgars lieutenant
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what information does beowulf give about himself. and what does it show about the Anglo-saxon concept of identity
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beowulf tells the watchmen they are Geats men who follow Higlac. this shows that everyone if proud of their identitys. he gives him his linage or family tree.
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how does the watchman respond? do you think he really trusts Beowulf? why or why not?
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the watchman answers bluntly. yes, because he lets him go forth and vows to protect his ship
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where is herot situated
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far across the land, Denmark, on top of a hill
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who is Wulfgar? judging from his report to Hrothgar, what does he think of Beowulf
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Wulfgar is a prince born to the swedes, Wulfgar thinks very highly of Beowulf and his men
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how does Hrothgar feel about Beowulf arrival
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he is excited because he had the courage to come and try to defeat Grendel
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What request does Beowulf make of Hrothgar? What weapon will he use to fight grendel
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He wants Hrothgar to let him fight alone, he will use his hands
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why do you think beowulf makes the request and chooses the weapon? what do these choices tell us about Anglo-Saxon values
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because he believes he can win with his bare hands
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Hrothgar explains to the court another reason why beowulf is there. what is it? in your opinion does it lessen or enhance his decision to come to Hrothgars aid and why
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he came because he heard that grendel was terrorizing the Geats and Hrothgar tells the court about Beowulfs fathers reputation. i think it enhances his decision to fight because he was to clear his fathers name
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what does Hrothgar invite Beowulf to attend
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a feast for Beowulf and his men
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Who is Unferth and why is he angry
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Ecglafs son he is angry because he thinks Beowulf is too prideful and fights he wins are just luck
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What does he claim happened to Beowulf
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Beowulf lost to Brecca and he struggled to stay alive I'm the sea
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how does beowulf describe the event
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he stayed with brecca for 5 nights until the sea swept them away from each other then he fought and killed 8 sea monsters
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what crime does beowulf accuse Unferth of
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kinslayer=he kills his own brothers or kin
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according to Beowulf, how has Grendel found the Danes so far? taken as a whole, what does this entire episode suggest about the Anglo-saxon attitude towards boasting
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he has found no fighting there this suggests that the anglo-saxons are weak
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who is Weltho? what does she do at the feast
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Hrothgars queen, greets the warriors and salutes them
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what does Hrothgar promise beowulf if he is successful
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a ship filled with treasure
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after Hrothgar and the court depart, what does Beowulf do?
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he takes off his armor and has a servant guard it till morning, he boasts again
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how do his men feel about the impending battle
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Beowulf is excited, the other men believe they are going to die
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describle grenades return to Herot. how many men does he kill
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he is excited and very hungry he only kills one man
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how does Beowulf trick Grendel?
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he pretends to be asleep
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why are Beowulf's men unable to help him?
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their swords were unable to pierce him
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describe how Grendel is mortally wounded
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he bleeds to death because Beowulf rips his arm off
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where do Grendel's tracks lead the curious crowd? what is unusual about the water
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to the lake. the water is bloody, steaming and boiling in horrible pounding waves
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who are Siegmund and Hermod?
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Siegmund- fights many battles; good king; fought dragon alone Hermod- once the mightiest of men; bad king, does not respect the wisdom of other people
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to what or whom does Hrothgar attribute Beowulf's victory
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god
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is Beowulf is boastful about his victory? why or why not?
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no, because he didnt achieve his goal, he wanted to kill Grendel in the hall. he says god's will was against him
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why is Unferth silent at the end of cantos 14?
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because he has been proven. he realizes that Beowulf is truly the superior warrior
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what does Hrothgar order at the beginning of cantos 15
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Herot cleaned and decorated
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list 5 gifts that Beowulf receives at the feast.
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golden banner, fitting flag, helmet, coat of mail, ancient sword
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What gifts does Hrothgar give to Beowulf's men?
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ancient armor and swords
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summarize the story that the court poet tells. what does it suggest about the Anglo-Saxon way of life?
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She does not know whats gonna happen when she fights the monster
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whom does Grendel's mother take from the hall?
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Hrothgar's closest friend; Esher
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what else does Grendel's mother take from the hall?
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Grendel's arm
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why doesn't Beowulf stop the monster?
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he and his warriors had been given better beds in a different hall
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what is the mother's motive for attack, and how does it differ from Grendel's? what might the poet be implying about the Geat's and Danes' own culture of blood feuding?
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She is angry that they killed her son. Revenge
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summarize Hrothgar's words to Beowulf at the beginning of cantos 20
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his best friend is dead, he describes the forest and Grendel's home and the lake, he asks Beowulf to hunt her down and kill her
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due to Hrothgar's words to Beowulf at the beginning of cantos 20, what does Beowulf suggest they do? what does he call "the noblest of goals"? is this a christian or a pagan statement?
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find Grendel's mom; fame is the noblest of all goals; pagan
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describe the lake. what do they see on a cliff above it?
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bloody and bubbling they see eshers bloody head on the cliff
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what does Beowulf put on? why does he need it this time?
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his armor, because he is going into the bloody lake
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what does unferth lend to Beowulf? why do you think he does so?
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he lends him a fine hilted old sword named Hrunting, a famous weapon, he does so because he respects Beowulf, he knows he is superior because Beowulf is willing to risk his life by going into the lake
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what does beowulf ask of Horthgar before he dives into the lake
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-give his gifts from Hrothgar to Higlac -give Unferth is old famous Sword -take care of my people
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where does Grendels mother take him
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someones battle hall where the heat of the lake can not hurt him nor anything in the lake could attack him him buildings high arching roof, a brilliant light burned all around him
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what happens to his sword and helmet
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he throws it aside and grendels mom bites holes in his helmet
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what saves him from being stabbed by her knife
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his mail shirt he wore on his chest
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how does Beowulf kill Grendels mother? what is special about this weapon?
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he gets the heavy sword, hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their magic and smashes her neck with it
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what does Beowulf take back to the surface with him? what happens to the sword
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he takes the sword and grendels head back and the sword melts like ice
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who witnesses Beowulfs return? why are they the ones there? What has happened to the water of the lake?
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the geats, because they are Beowulfs men, the water becomes calm and clean
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how many men does it take to carry Beowulfs Trophy
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4
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according to Beowulf, why is he successful? what does Beowulf give Hrothgar?
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he was successful because god helped him, to find the sword that he used to kill her, he gives hrothgar the hilt
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What does Hrothgar see on the hilt of the sword?
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a story of ancient wars between good and evil and the owner of the swords name
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How did Hermod the evil king treat his men? what does the proud king refuse to do, according to Hrothgar what does this show about a kings duties in the anglo-saxon culture?
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Hermond was too proud to care what his peoples hearts hid, he killed many of them
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how is the conflict between Beowulf and Unferth finally resolved
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Unferth gives Beowulf, Hrunting, his famous sword
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what does Beowulf promise to Hrothgar
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-to lend there strength -to protect his throne
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what does Hrothgar promise to Beowulf
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-to make Beowulf king of the Danes if Hrethels son dies -we will share our treasures
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before the ship sails away, what does Beowulf give the watchman
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he gives the watchman a sword that had hammered gold wound on its handle
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after the ship returns what happens to the treasure aboard the ship
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they are brought to Higlacs home
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ch 27 ends with a long contrast between Higlacs wife Higd and another queen, Thrith. how does Higd behave toward the Geats? how did Thrith behave toward her people before she was married? How did she change after she was married
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-higd gave the geats gifts -thrith was too proud, she was fierce and wild, after she married she was filled with an adorning love
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What does Beowulf tell higlac about? His battle with Grendel? Hrothgars daughters engagement?
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-yes he tells him that the fight is known to everyone in Denmark -yes she is marrying Froda's son
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how does he imagine that was will erupt in the future between the Danes and the Hathobards? what does this passage reveal about Beowulfs character?
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that the Hathobards don't actually like the danes and that the vow will never last, he doesn't believe in love
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given this tale and the other war digressions so far, what might the poet be implying about the new friendship between the Geats and the Danes
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the friendship will last and beowulf will go fight for the danes if needed
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who was the Geat that Grendel ate
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hondshew
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what had Grendel intended to do with Beowulf
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eat him
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why might the author have chosen to review the plot of the poem at this point?
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because they are gonna skip many years of Beowulfs life
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what does Beowulf do with Hrothgars treasures? What does this show about values
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he gives Higd a wonderful necklace and three saddle horses
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what had the Geats thought of Beowulf when he was a boy? why do you think the poet included this information
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they considered him worthless, the poet included his because its ironic
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what does Higlac give beowulf as his reward
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7 thousand hides of land, horses and ground and all
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what happened after beowulf had ruled for fifty years
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a dragon awoke from its darkness and dreams and brought terror to his people
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who was the thief and why did he steal the cup
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he was someones slave he took the cup to bring it to his master to hopefully have a peaceful between him and his master
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a flashback that describes how the treasure came to be there. what happened to the original owners? how did the dragon acquire the treasure
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the original owner dies and the dragon found it while looking for a place to hibernate
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what does the dragon burn down that most affects beowulf? whom does Beowulf Blame?
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the dragon burned down Beowulf's hall/throne. he blames himself
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hows does he plan to fight the dragon (weapons and men)
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by himself, he ordered a battle-sheild shaped of iron
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a flash back of events surrounding Higlacs death. what heroic deed did Beowulf perform in the war? what did Higd offer him afterwards? what does his refusal show about his values?
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beowulf saved thirty-sets of armor from the scavenging Franks. Higd brought him the crown and offered him the kingdom. This shows that he has character, he's not selfish
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who leads Beowulf and his men to the dragons lair
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the slave
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what do you think is going to happen to Beowulf and why
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Beowulf is aware that he could die because he is old and not as strong as he use to be
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beowulf speech describes the death of Higlacs brother. Herbald and the anguish of a father who looses a son and cannot avenge the death. what kind of mood is the poet creating with this flashback? cite at least 5 words in the passage that contribute significantly to the tone
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showing the pain that can be felt and how nothing can make that pain feel better. " the crime was great, the guilt was plain"
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Beowulf continues the flashback to Higlacs death. who killed higlac? who killed that person and how?
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Daggers killed Higlac and Beowulf killed Dagref by squishing him
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describe Beowulfs fight with the dragon. what happens to his shield? how does he attack the dragon and what happens? where are the men who came with him?
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his shield melts and his sword breaks his men run away because their cowards
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who comes to the aid of beowulf
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wiglaf
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when beowulf attacks the dragon a second time, what happens?
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nagling (sword) broke to pieces the dragon bites beowulfs neck
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where does wiglaf strike the dragon
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he stabs it in the heart
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what does beowulf do with the dagger
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cuts the dragon in half
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what does wiglaf do for Beowulf
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bathes him and brings him the treasure
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what does beowulf ask wiglaf to bring him
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the treasure
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what does wiglaf see in the tower
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a golden banner
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describe beowulf final words action to wiglaf
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he thanks the lord for everything and asks for geats to build him a tomb. he gives wulfgar his helmet, necklace, rings and his mail shirt
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what is the mood of beowulfs men
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ashamed of themselves
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according to wiglaf how have they violated the code of loyalty? how serious is this offense?
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because beowulf gave them a ton of gifts and they ran scared when faced with danger
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why does wiglaf send a herald back to the court? what does the herald tell the beats will happen when the news of Beowulfs death spreads
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to tell the news of Beowulfs death the herald says to expect fighting once the franks and the frisians, have heard that our king lies dead
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what does the herald say they should do with the treasure? do you think this is what beowulf would have wanted?
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to put it in the tower and i think beowulf would have wanted it because then he would be buried with it
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what curse was laid on the treasure
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the jewels could be held once war and terror were done
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what does wiglaf show the warriors
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the treasure
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what do they do with the dragons body
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rolled it down to the cliff and dropped it over letting the ocean take it
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what does the "gnarled old woman" do?
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she groaned a song of misery, of infinite sadness, and days of morning, of fear and sorrow to come slaughter and terror and captivity
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what do the men do with the treasure
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they left it in Beowulfs tomb
