Beowulf’s Script

Intro
Sound Team: Intro Music Plays
Narrator: Silence! Please lend us your eyes and ears for you will now witness the epic story of
the mighty hero, Beowulf!
1st Scene
Sound Team: Turn off music
Narrator: The great King of the Danes, Hrothgar of Southern Denmark has earned success in
battle and has become rich and mighty. As a symbol of his power and prosperity, he builds a
magnificent mead-hall, called Heorot.
Stage Scene: King Hrothgar talks to his people.
King Hrothgar: Come! Let us build a mead-hall where we can feast, drink, boast, and listen to
the tales of the Anglo-Saxon bards.
Stage Scene: Workers Enters the Stage to build the foundations of the mead hall. Once the
mead-hall is finished, the towns people have a feast and celebrations.
Narrator: But soon after Heorot is finished, the mirth of the men and the music of the scop
anger Grendel, a monster descended from Cain.
Sound Team: Growl and some loud footstep played.
Stage Scene: Grendel enters the stage slowly.
Narrator: Grendel raids the hall, snatching men and eating them, then returns to his home in the
marsh.
Stage Scene: Grendel destroys the prop Heorot and returns when told.
Narrator: He repeats his nightly raids until no one dares to sleep in the hall. Heorot once the
symbol of the Scyldings’ greatness, is now a place of shame and terror. This continues for twelve
years.
Stage Scene: Shows the ugly/destroyed version of the Mead-Hall Heorot and
Stage Instruction: Stage light fades away while the narrator says “shame and terror”. Curtain
closes after the word “terror” has been said by the narrator.
2nd Scene
Narrator: Until Beowulf…
Sound Team: An intense sound plays after Beowulf’s name has been mentioned.
Stage Scene: Beowulf enters the stage
Narrator: a young warrior of the Geats in Southern Sweden, hears about the monster Grendel.
Narrator: A warrior shows up and approaches Beowulf.
Stage Instruction: An intense music play.
Warrior: Beowulf, I heard there was a monster in Danes and it’s named Grendel and it has been
terrorizing King Hrothgar’s Land for a very long time.
Beowulf: A monster? Grendel? *grins*
3rd Scene
Narrator: Beowulf and his companions board a ship and gets ready to sail. Beowulf delivered a
speech before they depart.
Beowulf: Everyone, we are heading to Hrothgar’s land to defeat this monster called Grendel, and
all of us are coming back successful.
Stage Scene: Beowulf’s companions cheers about his wonderful speech.
Narrator: Beowulf determined to fight the monster, sails to Hrothgar’s lands with his
companions.
4th Scene
Stage Scene: Beowulf and his companions reached Hrothgar’s Land.
Narrator: Hrothgar, who knew Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow, accepts Beowulf’s offer to fight
Grendel.
Beowulf: *Bows* King Hrothgar, may I fight this monster called Grendel.
King Hrothgar: Yes, you may, this monster has been attacking Heorot for twelve years and I
am grateful that a strong person like you came to help.
Beowulf: You will not regret your decision oh king I shall slay this monster Grendel and free
this land from his terrors.
King Hrothgar: Let me offer you a feast as a thanks.
Narrator: Unferth shows up to object the offer of the king.
Unferth: Why give a feast to this dead man? He dares challenge Grendel when this beast has
already been wreaking havoc in Heorot for over twelve years.
Beowulf: You dare mock me? I have slayed countless monsters and demons far bigger than this
Grendel.
Queen Wealhtheow: Enough! Beowulf has come here to fight Grendel not you.
Narrator: And with that, King Hrothgar gives Beowulf a feast despite Unferth’s objections.
5th Scene
Narrator: Beowulf and the towns folk eat and drink. Later that night some got drunk while
others kept watch including Beowulf.
Stage Scene: The extras fell asleep and others are awake to kept watch including Beowulf.
Sound Team: Growl and loud footsteps played.
Stage Scene: Grendel appears in the stage.
Narrator: Grendel appears and consumes one of the warriors, then reaches for Beowulf.
Stage Scene: Grendel grabs Beowulf.
Narrator: Beowulf, famous for his powerful grip, which is as strong as the grip of thirty men,
struggles with Grendel, tearing off the monster’s shoulder and arm.
Stage Scene: Beowulf tears of Grendel’s shoulder and arm.
Sound Team: In pain growl after the shoulder is torn.
Narrator: Realizing his defeat, Grendel now retreats to the fens and he eventually dies.
Narrator: Beowulf grabbed the arm and raise it as high as he can as a sign of their victory.
Stage Scene: Everyone is happy for Beowulf’s success.
6th Scene
Narrator: King Hrothgar gives a second feast to celebrate Beowulf’s victory.
King Hrothgar: Let’s celebrate everyone! Beowulf, a hero, has finally freed us from this
monster.
King Hrothgar: Let me reward you with some treasure. As a sign of my generosity of what you
did for the kingdom.
Narrator: The scop sings again, and Beowulf is praised until midnight and at that same night,
Grendel’s mother comes to the hall from her home at the bottom of a lake, seeking revenge for
the death of her son.
Stage Scene: Play roar sound after hearing the word “same night”. Grendel’s mother appears in
stage when called.
Narrator: She grabs Aeschere, a favorite warrior and adviser of Hrothgar’s
King Hrothgar: Aeschere!
Narrator: She consumes Aeschere, after the she returns home at the bottom of the lake.
7th Scene
Stage Scene: Warriors follows her track to the lake.
Narrator: In the morning, the warriors follow her tracks to her lake, where they see Aeschere’s
head. Beowulf enters the lake, and swims for hours before reaching her cave at the bottom.
Stage Instruction: Stage background turned into underwater and there should be a treasure
hoard with a sword on top.
Narrator: He fights with Grendel’s mother, but the sword Hrunting, which Unferth lent to
Beowulf as a sign of fellowship, fails for the first time.
Stage Scene: Beowulf’s sword Hrunting breaks.
Narrator: From the treasure hoard in the cave, Beowulf seizes a sword forged long ago by
giants and kills Grendel’s mother.
Stage Scene: Beowulf will look at the treasure after the word treasure hoard and take the sword
from the top and uses it to kill Grendel’s mother. The only thing that’s left in the sword forged
by the giants is the hilt.
Narrator: Beowulf sees Grendel’s body, and removes the head, and takes it and the hilt of the
giant’s sword back to Hrothgar.
8th Scene
Stage Scene: Beowulf came back with the head and the hilt of the sword and everyone is happy
from his successful battle.
Beowulf: King Hrothgar, I have slayed the monster.
King Hrothgar: I guess this is parting time.
Sound Team: Plays sad music fitting for the scene.
Beowulf: Yes, King Hrothgar
King Hrothgar: You’re like a son to me, Beowulf.
Beowulf: I am grateful, that you see it that way.
King Hrothgar: Let me offer you a feast for the last time.
Sound Team: Music stops
9th Scene
Narrator: After the feast, Beowulf and his men return to Geatland, the land of the Geats.
Stage Scene: Beowulf and his men boards a ship and returns to Geat in Southern Sweden.
10th Scene
Narrator: After he arrives his uncle the king, Hygelac, and Hygelac’s queen Hygd, greet
Beowulf, accepting the treasure Beowulf gives them, and in turn rewarding Beowulf a sword,
praise, and land.
King Hygelac: Welcome home young warrior
Beowulf: I have a few gifts for you, my king. Please accept my offer.
King Hygelac: Of course, I will, and in return I will give you something.
Beowulf: Thank you, my king.
Stage Scene: King Hygelac gives Beowulf a sword, his praise and a land.
11th Scene
Narrator: Hygelac eventually got killed by the Swedes
Stage Scene: King Hygelac gets killed by swedes.
Narrator: His son Heardred, at a young age, takes the throne with Beowulf’s support.
Stage Scene: Everyone celebrating for their new king with Beowulf.
Narrator: At Heardred’s death, Beowulf takes the throne of the Geats, and rules in great
prosperity and fame for fifty years.
12th Scene
Narrator: In Beowulf’s old age, a thief finds a passageway into an old barrow. Inside he found a
treasure trove left there long ago by the last survivor of an extinct people. The thief steals a cup.
Stage Scene: The thief took the cup
Narrator: But the thief hasn’t noticed the threat that has been guarding the treasures. A dragon!
Sound Team: Roaring dragon sounds
Stage Scene: The curtain opens revealing the dragon behind it
Thief: A dragon!
Narrator: The dragon finds out about the thief.
Narrator: The thief runs for his life while the dragon chases him and at the same time the
dragon is burning the land, including Beowulf’s mead-hall.
13th Scene
Narrator: Beowulf, knowing his death is near, decides to fight the dragon.
Stage Scene: Beowulf enters the scene
Beowulf: I am too old now. But I shall use my remaining time to defend my kingdom.
14th Scene
Narrator: Accompanied by his kinsman Wiglaf, some warriors, and the thief, Beowulf sets out
to confront the dragon.
Stage Scene: The dragon and Beowulf fights
Narrator: But when Beowulf and the dragon fight all of Beowulf’s men flee except Wiglaf.
Stage Scene: Wiglaf helps Beowulf to fight the dragon.
Narrator: With Wiglaf’s help, Beowulf kills the dragon
Stage Scene: Beowulf stabbed the dragon to its death
Narrator: But after the fight Beowulf himself is terribly wounded.
Stage Scene: Beowulf dropped on the floor
Wiglaf: Beowulf! Your wounded. I must save you.
Beowulf: You don’t need to do that. I am too old now. My time draw near that’s why you must
rule the kingdom in exchange of me. I have another request; can you please build me a funeral
barrow that overlooks the sea.
15th Scene