Discussion Topics for Beowulf, Part 1

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Michael Miller
  • What elements of the Epic genre (as you are so far familiar with them) are present in Beowulf? How does this English Epic differ from the Homeric or other epic forms you’ve read?
  • What elements of oral performance survive in the printed text? Give specific examples.
  • There are several embedded narratives in Beowulf (e.g. Sigemund and the dragon, ll. 883-914; and the Fight at Finnsburg, ll. 1070-1157). What is their function in the narrative and, considering their placement, in the action of the story?
  • Who and what are Grendel and his mother? What is the source of their animosity toward the Danes?
  • While the events of Beowulf take place in a pre-Christian Europe, the narrator has a distinct Christian perspective. Find some examples of both “pagan” and Christian elements in the poem and analyze how they compliment or contradict each other. (Hint: Look at Grendel’s attack on Heorot in lines 86-188.)
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