1. As you read the summary of the poem’s content, on the opposite page, locate on the map below the places which are mentioned.
They are Sweden and Denmark
2. Now read the extract from the poem. It describes:
- from line 1 to line 5 Beowulf’s decision to help Hrothgar;
- from line 5 to line 16 the preparations for the journey and the launch;
- from line 17 to line 30 the actual crossing of the sea and the sighting of land;
- from line 31 to line 35 the landing in Denmark
3. In lines 3-16, Beowulf is described as an ideal Anglo-Saxon warrior embodying the qualities of a character that was most admired by the people of his time and place.
Beowulf's trails are: the mightiest man on earth, high-born, powerful, canny pilot.
4. Reconsider lines 24-30.
a) The lines describe the journey by sea.
1. How long does the journey last?
It lasts one day.
2. What information is given about the land they arrive at?
We know that there are sunlit cliffs and sheer crags.
b) Focus on the ship.
1. Underline in the text the words used to describe it.
She flew like a bird;
Curved prow.
2. What aspects of the ship do the words emphasise?
The words emphasise the speed of the ship.
5. Consider the sound aspect of the text.
1. Do the lines rhyme?
No, they don’t.
2. Do the lines make occasional or frequent use of alliteration? Justify your answer, quoting from the text.
There are alliterations in the first, third, seventeenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth and third lines.
6. Focus on language.
a) Look back at the poem and find an example of a kenning used to describe the sea in the first part of the extract.
“to sail the swan’s road”.
b) Find the simile in lines 24-26 and look at the picture of a Viking ship above. Does the shape of the ship justify the comparison? Give reason.
The simile is “she flew like a bird”. The shape of the ship looks me heavy so I think it doesn't justify the comparison
7. What function/s do you think the kennings, alliteration and simile serve?
1. They create rhythm;
2. They make the poem sound different from ordinary language by using pictorial, descriptive words.
8. The poem is informative about certain aspects of the Anglo-Saxon world.
a) Beowulf is a “thane”: within the social system of the time, he belongs to the military aristocracy.
What kind of relationship is there between him and his warriors?
They respect him because they are afraid to him
b) Consider military dress on the left side of the page. What did warriors wear?
Warriors wore boots and helmet; moreover they had more weapons to defend them-self against the enemies.