1. BEOWULF OUTLINE

2. GRENDEL – CHAPTER 1 – PAGE 33
Grendel is outside the Mead Hall (Herot) listening to the happy warriors (singing, drinking, feasting)
Grendel is pure evil
It gets dark and Grendel attacks
Kills thirty (30) men
At daybreak, Hrothgar discovers the slaughter and weeps
Men stay away from Herot for their safety & Herot stands empty for 12 years
The story of Hrothgar’s trouble with Grendel spreads to other lands
Grendel stalks Hrothgar’s men – kills as often as he can
Hrothgar & his men do everything they can but are unable to rid themselves of Grendel

3. BEOWULF – CHAPTER 2 – PAGE 36
Healfdane is Hrothgar’s father
Higlac is king of the Geats (Beowulf’s king)
Beowulf hears of Hrothgar’s troubles
Gets a boat and 14 men and sails for Denmark
Beowulf & his men arrive and are escorted to Herot
Hrothgar knows of Beowulf & welcomes him
Beowulf tells Hrothgar he has come to help and that he will fight Grendel alone (with his men)
Beowulf states that he will fight without a weapon because Grendel does not use a weapon
Hrothgar speaks of Edgetho (Beowulf’s father) – tells how he once helped Edgetho
Hrothgar tells Beowulf and his men to join him (and his men) for a feast

4. THE BATTLE WITH GRENDEL-CH 3-PG 40
Grendel goes to Herot – sees humans – intends to kill them all
Grendel kills one
Grendel grabs for Beowulf
Grendel and Beowulf fight
Grendel experiences fear for the first time ever
Beowulf’s men try to help – they are useless
Beowulf rips off Grendel’s arm
Grendel flees back to his home in the swamp to die alone
People come from all around to see Grendel’s arm (the trophy of war) in Herot and to see the tracks to the water

5. GRENDEL’S MOTHER – CHAPTER 4 – PG 45
Grendel’s mother goes to Herot
She gets one soldier (Hrothgar’s closest friend)
Beowulf and his men are sleeping elsewhere
Grendel’s mother takes her son’s arm
All are sad because there’s another monster
Hrothgar tells Beowulf what happened and asks him to kill the mother

6. THE BATTLE W/ G’S MOTHER-CH 5-PG 47
Beowulf accepts the challenge
Beowulf “leaped” into the lake; it takes hours to reach the bottom
The mother sees Beowulf and drags him into a “battle-hall” where they fight
Hrunting (Beowulf’s sword) cannot harm the mother
Beowulf’s mail shirt saves him from the dagger
Beowulf grabs a giant-made sword (that no ordinary man could lift); kills Grendel’s mother
Beowulf goes looking for Grendel - finds him - cuts off his head
Danes at the edge of the lake see the waves and blood – believe Beowulf to be dead and leave for Herot (including Hrothgar) – Beowulf’s men continue to wait by the water
The sword blade melts from Grendel’s evil blood
Beowulf leaves with Grendel’s head and the hilt of the giant-made sword
Geats and Beowulf go back to Herot & to Hrothgar

7. BEOWULF’S LAST BATTLE-CH 6-PG 52
Beowulf (with many gifts) and his men return to Geatland.
Beowulf becomes king; rules in peace and prosperity for 50 years
A thief disturbs a dragon; the dragon begins to terrorize the Geats
Beowulf decides that he must fight the dragon; he must do it alone
Beowulf goes to the dragon’s tower and roars out a battle cry; the dragon is angered
The dragon blows fire at him; his shield melts; fate is against him
Beowulf struck the dragon with his sword; the sword breaks; the dragon is injured but not fatally
The dragon is breathing fire on Beowulf; none of Beowulf’s men came to help him; they ran for their lives – they are cowards
Wiglaf is the only man to stay & help; Wiglaf remembers & makes a speech about loyalty

8. THE DEATH OF BEOWULF-CH 7-PG 56
Wiglaf fights with Beowulf; Beowulf is wounded in the neck
Wiglaf strikes the dragon; he and Beowulf finally kill the
dragon together
Beowulf makes a speech; he knows that he will soon die
Beowulf asks Wiglaf to show him the treasure; seeing it will make his death “softer”
Wiglaf grabs as much as he can carry and takes it back to Beowulf
Beowulf is near death; I sold my life for this treasure, and I sold it well”
Beowulf wants a memorial built on a spit of land in his name “Beowulf’s Tower” – it will function as a navigational aide for seafarers
Beowulf makes Wiglaf king; Beowulf dies
Beowulf’s men came out of hiding now that the dragon was dead
Wiglaf makes an angry speech to the “warriors”
The “good” life has ended for them; they would be better off dead; and all family members, too

9. MOURNING BEOWULF-CH 8-PG 60
The Geats built the tower; it took ten days to build
The tower will help people remember Beowulf; will help seafarers on the sea
Beowulf’s ashes were sealed in the walls of the tower
The dragon’s treasure was buried in the sand at the tower
Twelve men stay to remember Beowulf; telling stories of him