“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird What is courage? How would most people today define courage? Do Now Activity

The 13 th Warrior Beowulf: Customs and Culture

Love of Glory Pagan warrior society Stern, barbarous life Mixture of savagery and nobility

Allegiance to lord or king Comitatus: Germanic code of loyalty Thane (warrior)– swears loyalty to the king for whom they fought and whom they protected

More Anglo-Saxon Ideals Love of Personal Freedom Honoring the Truth Repression of Sentiment

Warrior Culture  Wergild: “man-payment”; a fee paid to the family of a slain man to atone for his murder and to prevent the family from seeking revenge.  A religious feeling that was strongly fatalistic (wyrd)

Part I: Battle with Grendel Grendel attacks Herot for 12 years. Beowulf gains permission from King Hrothgar to fight Grendel. His plan is to put his Geat warriors in the hall to await Grendel. Beowulf uses his bare hands to rip Grendel’s entire arm off because the dragon’s spell does not allow a sword to harm him. Grendel escapes to his lair to die. Beowulf places Grendel’s arm on the rafters of Herot.

Do Now- Journal Activity What qualities do you believe a good leader should possess? Discuss leadership in our society. Name some modern leaders. What are the characteristics of contemporary leaders? What do we admire about them?

Characterization: What makes Beowulf a Hero? “They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of the night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned.

Part 2: The Coming of Beowulf Grendel’s mother attacks the mead hall to avenge the death of her son. At Hrothgar’s request, Beowulf seeks out Grendel’s mother in her underwater lair. Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother and cuts off Grendel’s head. He presents the monster’s head to Hrothgar as a symbol of his victory and then returns to Geatland with his men.

Point of View The perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told. First person First person Is a character in the story “I” Third Person Third PersonOmniscient The narrator knows and tells about what each character feels and thinks The narrator knows and tells about what each character feels and thinksLimited Relates the inner thoughts and feelings of only one character Relates the inner thoughts and feelings of only one character

Point of View Activity Write a journal entry from Grendel’s mother’s point of view. Use your imagination; place yourself in the character of the distraught monster. In your journal entry, describe Grendel’s mother’s reasons for attacking the mead hall and her decision to kill Hrothgar’s best friend. Describe how she feels when she finds Grendel’s claw. Why does she carry it back to her lair?

Part 3: Beowulf and the Dragon Beowulf eventually becomes king of the Geats, and after a fifty-three year rule, the hero fights his last great battle to protect his people from a menacing dragon. Although deserted by all but one of his warriors, Beowulf fights and kills the dragon. However, he is mortally wounded, and he dies beside Wiglaf, the faithful warrior.

Small Group Activity

Pagan vs. Christian Consider the role of religion in this epic. The narrator is a Christian; the characters are pagan. How does this affect the overall tone of the poem? What are the contradictions?

Good vs. Evil The idea behind good conquering evil is played out between Beowulf and the enemies he fights. Beowulf vs Gendel Beowulf vs Gendel Beowulf vs. Grendel’s mother Beowulf vs. Grendel’s mother Beowulf vs. the Dragon. Beowulf vs. the Dragon.

Heroism Beowulf is the ultimate hero of his time demonstrating kinship and fearless leadership. Consider how heroism is defined today. Why is Beowulf still considered a hero today?