GRENDEL FINAL TEST STUDY GUIDE – Flashcards

"from nothing comes nothing Grendel meets lady fate

"Poor Grendel's had an accident. So may you all"

"no limit to desire but desire's needs"

for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

ram, chapter 1

bull, chapter 2

twins, chapter 3

crab, chapter 4

lion, chapter 5

virgin, chapter 6

scorpion, chapter 8 (Sweet scorpion hrothulf; Abi Moussa)

scales, chapter 7

archer, chapter 9

horned goat, chapter 10

water-bearer, chapter 11

fish, chapter 12

emphasizes individual existence, freedom, and choice. people decide truth for themselves, absence of god

the theory that the self is the only reality (I alone exist) ((Ok this might sound out of the blue, but I think of Polyps (you know those jellyfish things) WELL THOSE THINGS CREATE EVERYTHING BY THEMSELVES BY ASEXUALLY REPRODUCING))

the belief that there are no values or morals in the universe; life is pointless

the act of creationg and devoloping a character by revealing the character's traits, actions, apperence or speech.

A central character in a dramatic or narrative work who lacks the qualities of nobility and magnanimity expected of traditional heroes. Has a major flaw, is usually angry. Is isolated from others

A narrative device that hints at coming events (The old woman and Grendel)

(yo grendel is basically a repeating flashback), A plot-structuring device whereby a scene from the fictional past is inserted into the fictional present or dramatized out of order.

figure of speech comparing two different things

A device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities, as in "ring-giver" for king and "whale-road" for ocean.

An extreme exaggeration

A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. ("I don't really want any birthday presents" as she pulled up her amazon wishlist)

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

warrior society- their values: dignity, bravery, and prowess (courage) in battle. equal in battle. opponent needed to be worthy.

By dying gloriously one might achieve immortality. A paradox appears contradictory but actually makes sense

Experience from the senses is the only source of knowledge:

Morbid Humor

An anonymous, traditional story that explains a natural phenomenon, an aspect of human behavior, or a mystery of the universe

Trivial, poorly constructed verse (Grendel's poems)

belief that events are determined by forces or fates beyond one's control

the main character or protagonist in an epic that heroically larger than life, often the source and subject of a legend or a national hero

A literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy

A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. ALL PIGS EAT CHEESE! (Simple minded human conclusions)

fiction that concerns the nature of fiction itself, either by reinterpreting a previous fictional work or by drawing attention to its own fictional status. (Grendel is based off of the epic Beowulf (DUH)

A literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur.

Chapters 1 and 2 Grendel looks at a wild ram which he thinks is stupid "stupid war" with humans - always eats them easily questions he asks his mom - she never answers Reflects on childhood - playing games in subterranean home - plays with shadows discovers pool w/snake guardians - can't hurt him - crosses it and sees world charged by bull - learns to avoid attack encounters men for 1st time - think he's god - then they want to kill him - mother saves him Chapters 3 and 4 observes human society - slaughtering animals w/o eating them and waging wars against each other disturbed they're related (common language) watches rise of Hrothgar - collecting tribute for defense - build roads (tribute transport + unification) Shaper (blind singer) - tells story of Scyld Sceffing and includes Hrothgar in story really good at poetry - even Grendel believes him (spends many nights after listening) notices him changing facts to make stories better Story of Cain and Abel - light and dark thinks he's bad and begs mercy - attack him - flees goes to forest searching for answer - ends up sleeping where dragon dwells Chapters 5 Meets dragon (ancient, red-gold large creature) - guarding treasures claims he knows Grendel's thoughts tries to engage Grendel in deep philosophy but Grendel can't understand tells Grendel's existence inspires them Shaper's words are nonsense Chapter 6 Dragon has put a charm on him (weapon immune) angry now at Shaper's poetry b/c of human self-deceptions begins raids - meets Unferth later - follows him - argument of heroism - Grendel returns him

Chapter 7 Hrothgar deals with Helmings led by Hymgod - Wealtheow he attacks but restrains himself from killing Wealtheow. Chapter 8 Hrothulf (Hrothgar's nephew) joins household after his father's death. - Grendel and Hrothgar feels deception in his heart Hrothulf wander in woods with Red Horse (peasant mentor) - declares all gov. evil Hrothgar realizes all around him are potential enemies Chapter 9 Grendel sees the people rebuilding circle of carven gods that he once destroyed pretends to be the destroyer - Ork - king of gods is irrational and reason - measure by which all other entities measure their concreteness. other 3 priests don't believe him - 4th priests believes him Chapter 10 Goat keeps climbing - even w/broken skull Shaper dies - everyone is sad Story of Finn and the golden age of the Danes Chapter 11 Geats show up (15) Unferth makes fun of Beowulf but Beowulf makes a comeback Chapter 12 Beowulf defeats Grendel - rips his arm out

The protagonist and narrator of the novel. A great, bearlike monster, Grendel is the first of three monsters defeated by the Geatish hero Beowulf in the sixth-century poem Beowulf. In Grendel, he is a lonely creature who seeks an understanding of the seemingly meaningless world around him. As an outsider, Grendel observes and provides commentary on the human civilization he battles.

King of the Danes. Hrothgar maintains a highly powerful and prosperous kingdom until Grendel begins terrorizing the area. In Beowulf, Hrothgar is an exemplary model of kingship, but in Grendel he is more flawed and human. Grendel often describes his war with the humans as a personal battle between Hrothgar and himself.

A harpist and storyteller in Hrothgar's court. The Shaper provides the Danes with an image of the world as essentially connected and purposeful—an image that Grendel finds incredibly seductive, despite his awareness that the glorious stories of Hrothgar's court are built on a foundation of lies. The Shaper represents the power of art and imagination to create meaning in a meaningless world.

A great cranky beast that rules over a vast hoard of treasure. The dragon provides a vision of the world as essentially meaningless and empty. Throughout the novel, Grendel frequently finds himself weighing the fatalistic words of the dragon against the beautiful words of the Shaper. Some critics hold that the dragon is not actually a separate character, but rather a personified aspect of Grendel's own mind. Although Grendel only visits the dragon once, he feels its presence throughout the novel.

A Geatish hero who comes across the sea to rid the Scyldings of Grendel. Huge and exceedingly strong, Beowulf is cold and mechanical, showing little emotion or personality. In the climactic battle with Grendel, Beowulf appears to sprout wings and speak fire, prompting comparisons to the dragon.

A foul, wretched being, and Grendel's only apparent family member. Grendel's mother lives with Grendel in a cave in a vast underground realm. She desperately tries to protect Grendel from the humans and his fate. She has either forgotten or never knew how to speak, though at times her gibberish approaches coherent language.

A Scylding hero who is unable to defeat Grendel in battle. Unferth believes wholeheartedly in the heroic ideals of his warrior culture. When Grendel denies Unferth the opportunity to embody those ideals, he becomes a bitter and broken man.

Hrothgar's wife and queen of the Danes. Originally a Helming princess, Wealtheow represents love, altruism, and an ideal image of womanhood, bringing balance and harmony to her adopted community.

Hrothgar's orphaned nephew. In Beowulf, Hrothulf usurps Hrothgar's son as ruler of the Scyldings. In Grendel, Hrothulf is a young man who forms ideas of revolution after seeing the aristocratic thanes subjugate the Danish peasants.

Hrothulf's mentor and advisor. A crotchety old man, Red Horse believes that all governments are inherently evil and that revolution does nothing but replace one corrupt system with another.

An old, blind, Scylding priest. Ork is a theologian—one who studies the theories behind religion. Mistaking Grendel for the Destroyer, the supreme Scylding deity, Ork describes ultimate wisdom as a vision of a universe in which nothing is lost or wasted. Ork is one of only a few priests in the novel for whom religion is more than an empty show. ORK IS NOT REALLY AN ORK, HE IS JUST NAMED ORK, OR IS A PRIEST

A younger priest who is overjoyed at the news of Ork's encounter with the Destroyer. The fourth priest has a vision of the universe to which Beowulf alludes in his battle with Grendel. (NEW AGE LUNATIC)

The first creature Grendel encounters in the novel. The ram stands stupidly at the edge of a cliff and will not budge despite Grendel's repeated protests.

A bull that discovers Grendel hanging in a tree and attacks him repeatedly. The encounter with the bull is a formative event in Grendel's philosophical development.

A goat that climbs a cliff despite Grendel's repeated yells and screams. Grendel tries to bludgeon the goat to death with stones, but it continues to climb.

Hrothgar's teenage daughter. Hrothgar plans to marry Freawaru off to Ingeld in order to avoid a war with the Heathobards. (YOU BETTER REMEMBER HER BECAUSE SHE ONLY SHOWED UP ONCE)

A young man when he first arrives at Hart with the Shaper, the young apprentice takes over the Shaper's duties upon his death.

King of the Helmings and Wealtheow's brother. Hygmod, a young king who is gaining in power and prominence, presents Hrothgar with a constant military threat.

Concerned with image of hinmself