Beowulf is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. Check out the quiz and test your knowledge in the field on English literature here!
Barbarism
Romanticism
Ignorance
Violence
An epic celebrates a hero’s deeds.
An epic is a short story
The earliest epic tales survived as oral traditions
Many epics were based on historical fact
Old English
Middle English
Victorian English
Standard English
"helpless people"
"the almighty's enemy"
“sin-stained demon"
“hell’s captive"
Herot
Hrunting
Hygelac
Scylding
They are at war with the Geats
Grendel’s mother is threatening them with revenge
Grendel continues killing each night keeping them out of their hall
The warriors are not able to use their weapons against the monsters
David
Hrothgar
Unferth
Cain
He tells stories of his previous battles with men and monsters
He challenges King Hrothgar to a fight
He pulls a sword from a stone
He offers none, just his help
Protagonist
Sidekick
Foil
Stock character
A symbol
A kenning
A simile
A greeting
Beowulf stabbed him with a sword called Hrunting
Beowulf uses a giant’s weapon that is enchanted with magic to slice his arm off
He is stabbed by Beowulf’s knife
As he tears out of Beowulf’s grasp he is severely injured and returns to the marsh to bleed to death
Beowulf is able to stay alive under water for what seems like hours
Other sea monsters join him, biting on Beowulf
Beowulf is able to find and use a giant’s sword against the monster
Both A and B
All of the above
Wiglaf helps defeat the monster with his bare hands
Beowulf kills her with a giant’s sword he found in the lair
King Hrothgar shoots an arrow
Grendel’s mother dies of a broken heart
He passed his crown over to him
He sang a song in his honor
He gave him treasures and gold
He offered his daughter’s hand in marriage
He needs food and desires human blood
He is not being worshiped anymore
A thief had stolen a cup from out of his treasure
He is lonesome like Grendel
Grendel’s mother stabs him in the heart
He is betrayed by Unferth
He doesn’t die; he is taken up to the heavens to live forever
The dragon wounded him in the neck
They were trying to strike at the Dragon when Beowulf said not to
He was proud of their actions and how they waited in the woods as told
He was disgusted that they did not come to the aid of their king when he was suffering
He will most likely be their king so he needed to begin to lecture them
Death
Bravery
Marriage
Treasure
They are of ordinary birth
They exhibit traits or qualities that the society looks up to
They perform courageous, fantastic feats that reflect values of their society
Their actions affect large groups of people
The plot and conflict involves courageous, sometimes superhuman beings
The theme reflects timeless values and universal ideas
The story must include magic or supernatural forces odf some sort
Both A and B
All of the above
Great strength makes things right
Intelligence is greater than strength
Good will triumph over evil
A king must be wealthy
An epic poem
A lyric poem
A narrative poem
An ode
Sweden
Denmark
Geatland
Finland
Bravery and cowardice
Saints and devils
Good and evil
Strengths and weaknesses
Blood bubbled on the lake
His mail coat was found
A dragon appeared
His horn ceased
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