Beowulf

1
Beowulf

• Section IIGrendels Mother

2
Grendels Mom- Characteristics

• Human Qualities
• and prepared/ To avenge her only son (622-623)
• Monster Qualities
• no sword could slice her evil/ Skin (599-600)
• Different than Grendel
• Has a purpose for killing
• Takes her sons claw

3
Battle- Spiritual and Moral

• Beowulf attacks alone, unarmed
• To avenge the death of his men
• He leaped into the lake, would not wait for
  anyones
• Answer (570-571).
• Grendels mom also attacks for vengeance- not for
  money, land or gain of power
• Squatting with her weight on his stomach, she
  drew
• A dagger, brown with blood, and prepared
• To avenge her only son (621-622).

4
Beowulf's Motivation

• But Beowulf longed only for fame, leaped back
  into battle (605-606).
• So fame comes to the men who mean to win it and
  care about nothing else (610-612).
• But Beowulf repaid him for those visits,
• Found him lying dead in his corner,
• Armless, exactly as that fierce fighter
• Had sent him out from Herot, then struck off
• His head with a single swift blow. The body
• Jerked for the last time (660-665).

5
Battle Beowulf versus Grendels Mom
Atmosphere Mood

• Beowulf is uncertain
• Natural environment
• Evil creatures, underwater, blood and gore all
  around
• They live in secret places, windy
• Cliffs, wolf-dens where water pours
• From the rocks, then runs underground, where
  mist
• Steams like black clouds, and the groves of
  trees
• Growing out over their lake are all covered
• With frozen spray, and wind down snakelike
• Roots that reach up as far as the water
• And help keep it dark (545-552).

6
Images of Light Dark

• LIGHT where Beowulf will win.
• The brilliant light shone, suddenly as though
  burning in that hall, and as bright as/ Heavens
  (646-647)
• DARK cave and surrounding area- evil and
  unknown
• wolf-dens where water pours/ From the rocks,
  then runs underground, where mist/ Streams like
  black clouds, and the groves of trees/ Growing
  out over their lake are all covered/ with frozen
  spray, and wind down snakelike/ Roots that reach
  as far as the water/ And help keep it dark
  (546-552)