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Topics:

Pagan elements
Christian elements
Mixture of pagan and Christian elements
Relationship between the lord and his warriors (Thanes)
Use of Kennings
Ubi Sunt
The exile or the wraecca/wrecca
Dreams and visions in old English Poetry
Fate or Wyrd

The Wanderer
Elegiac and nostalgic images in The Wanderer
The Wanderer as an elegy
The Wanderer as a wisdom poem
The Prologue and Epilogue of The Wanderer
Features of the wise man in The Wanderer
Transience of life
Mixture of pagan and Christian elements
Tone and mood in The Wanderer

The Seafarer
Elegiac and nostalgic images in The Seafarer
Contradictory/conflicting attitude towards the sea
Mixture of pagan and Christian elements
Beowulf
Characters: (Broad)
Beowulf
Hrothgar
Grendel

Characters (Short)
Grendel’s Mother
Unferth
Shield Sheafson/Scyld Scefing
The dragon
Wiglaf
Sigemund and King Heremod as foils to Beowulf/Hrothgar/Hygelac
Queen Modthryth as foil to Queen Wealhtheow/ Queen Hygd

Other topics:
Heroic codes/values in Old English poetry
Mead Hall/ Heorot
Role of a King
The importance of the comitatus relationship
Role of women in Anglo- Saxon period (especially as peace- keepers)
Digressions in Beowulf
Treasure
Reputation
Revenge
Good vs. Evil
Grendel’s Cave
The dragon’s treasure trove

Sample Questions:
1. What role does the mead-hall play in Anglo-Saxon warrior culture? What is the proper relationship
between a lord and his warriors? What examples can you find throughout Beowulf?
2. What is the role of women in the heroic culture of Beowulf?
3. How does treasure function in Beowulf? How do the characters and the poet seem to feel about the
element of gold, as it appears throughout the poem?
4. What role do the digressions play in Beowulf? What light do they shed on the main action?
5. Is Beowulf an ideal hero and king? Is there anything lacking in his character?
6. Would you say that the characters in Beowulf are as psychologically complex those in modern works of
literature? Do they undergo any development as the poem progresses?
7. 1. What conflicts does the poem Beowulf set up between the qualities of a good Germanic epic hero and
a good king?
8. In Beowulf’s three fights with three monsters he uses a different technique and achieves different kinds
of "trophies" each time. What does this series of techniques and trophies tell us about Beowulf’s
development as a hero?
9. How does the quest for fame necessary to an epic hero conflict in Beowulf with Christian ideas of pride
and eternal reward? (Remember Hrothgar’s speech to Beowulf before Beowulf leaves)
10. Did Beowulf save his people or doom them by fighting the dragon? What kind of a hero is Beowulf in
this last fight?
11. How is the young Wiglaf in his first fight different as a hero from the young Beowulf in his fight against
Grendel?
12. Why does the poem Beowulf set up Grendel and his mother as monsters with human qualities? Or
humans with monstrous qualities? Which is closer to the truth, and why?
13. Why is there so much magic in this poem? Does it conflict with any Christian messages, as in the "magic
sword from God" in the lair of Grendel's mother?
14. Where are the women in Beowulf and what roles do they play?
15. Discuss the significance of the heroic code of comitatus in Beowulf, considering specifically the actions
of Beowulf as a young warrior, Wiglaf as a young warrior, and the cowardly retainers at the dragon
fight.
16. Consider two of the following as symbols: Heorot, Grendel's claw, the cave, or the dragon's treasure-
hoard.
17. How does the poet use the theme of revenge in the poem? Consider the motivation of characters such as
Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon, as well as Beowulf.
18. Other than Beowulf, who is your favorite character in the poem? Why?
19. What is the importance of Hrothgar's sermon? Cite at least two specific points that he makes and how
they affect our understanding of Beowulf.

Dream of the Rood:


Image of Christ
Pagan and Christian elements
Diction (words used) of the poem
Dream of the Rood as a dream poem
Dream of the Rood as a religious poem
Incorporation of Anglo- Saxon Heroic Elements in the Dream of the Rood (Reasons and Effects)
Structure of the poem

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