Get Beowulf - Advanced Placement Teaching Unit

Much of Beowulf is devoted to articulating and illustrating the Germanic heroic code, which values strength, courage, and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, and political skill in kings; ceremoniousness in women; and good reputation in all people.

Many readers have seen the mere as powerfully symbolic of the human subconscious, or of the mysteries that lie beyond human knowledge. To these readers, Grendel's mother represents the dangers that await anyone who seeks to confront the unknown, either in the world or in themselves.

Grendel symbolizes evil and jealousy, as well as the antithesis to human civilization. He wants to destroy whatever humans have built, and it is only Beowulf, the most powerful human warrior, who can defeat him. When Beowulf fights Grendel, he does so with his bare hands, ripping Grendel's arm off at the shoulder.

Beowulf is most heroic when he defeats the dragon. This is not because he is such a strong warrior that even in old age he can defeat a dragon but because he fills the role of a king in his society, showing his bravery while going out to certain death fighting to protect his people.

Grendel Symbols The Ram, Bull, and Goat. These three animals come to epitomize Grendel's understanding of nature as indifferent and mechanical. ... The Intertwining Trees. Hrothgar dreams that he sees two trees that have grown together, twisting around each other. ... The Oak Overlooking the Abyss.

Beowulf's character traits provide great insight into the values of the Anglo-Saxons. As a hero, one of his narrative functions is to uphold the values of his culture. Beowulf's characteristics are aspirational; they are often hyperbolic, but they provided Anglo-Saxon men with a role model.

The longest surviving and most important Old English text is the epic poem Beowulf (8th century CE). Beowulf tells a tale of heroism and sacrifice in the vein of thousands of stories told throughout human history, yet its significance lies in how it preserves the ancient Anglo-Saxon language and culture.

Grendel is envious, resentful, and angry toward mankind, possibly because he feels that God blesses them but that the ogre himself never can be blessed. Grendel especially resents the light, joy, and music that he observes in Hrothgar's beautiful mead-hall, Heorot.

It's not just Grendel's ancestry that makes him evil; Grendel's actions are evil as well. He breaks into the Herot and kills warriors as they sleep. He creeps around the moors, snatching and eating people one-by-one. Grendel does not fight honorably, at least not until he is confronted by Beowulf.