1. Three speeches in Beowulf Hrothgar, ll. 1764-1784 Beowulf, ll. 2510-2537 Wiglaf, ll. 2632-2668

2. Hrothgar’s speech ll. 1724-1784 Invocations of almighty God with overlays of the Christian God Beowulf will not always by in his prime and should be aware of the toll of age Inevitability of death which makes earthly pleasures and possessions unimportant Warns of the dangers of pride at l. 1760 Hrothgar’s reference to hard reversal foreshadows Beowulf’s own with the dragon

3. Beowulf’s Speech ll. 2510-2537 Although he is a king, he reverts back to his heroic quest for glory at ll. 2513-2516 He acknowledges the influence of fate on a man’s life and death at l. 2527-2528 He also refers to the fact that he will win gold from the dragon which will help quantify his heroism at ll. 2535-2538

4. Beowulf’s Pride Good or Bad? Heroes Have only a personal responsibility to self and glory Use pride as a motivator to perform dangerous deeds to earn honor Kings Have a responsibility to protect people Should balance pride against need to preserve social stability

5. Wiglaf’s Speech Wiglaf acknowledges that Beowulf’s responsibilities have changed and might be understood as a subtle criticism of Beowulf’s decision to fight the dragon Wiglaf also states that the fighter cannot fight alone Wiglaf emphasizes that humans must demonstrate loyalty to their lord

6. What does the dragon symbolize? Pride and greed Temptation of humans The serpent in the Garden of Life who tempted Adam and Eve to eat through pride Sin