Beowulf

Beowulf is a poem written between 700 and 1000 A.D. Beowulf was written in England and there is no know author. The setting of Beowulf is in Denmark and Geatland. The main character is Beowulf and in this epic poem he is conquering three monsters. They are Grendal, who is a man-eating, troll like creature, Grendals mother who is seeking revenge on Grendals behalf, and a fire-breathing dragon.

King Hrothgar has built a mead-hall where his warriors can come together to drink, socialize and listen to music. Grendal is a man-eating troll creature that likes to terrorize the Danes every night. Whenever a Dane tries to fight Grendal they always come out on the losing side. So, now the people of Hrothagar’s kingdom live their lives in fear. Beowulf, a young Geatish warrior, hears of this travesty and travels to Denmark by boat with a group of men to defeat Grendal and save the people of King Hrothgar’s kingdom. When Beowulf arrives the King is more than happy to see him and welcomes Beowulf with a feast. Later that night Grendal comes out as usual, but this will be his last night as he is to face Beowulf. Beowulf fights Grendal unarmed and Grendal is frightened by the fact that Beowulf is stronger than him. As Grendal tries to escape Beowulf rips off Grendal’s arm. Now this is a mortal wound that will kill Grendal. So, he goes back to the swamp and dies there. The Danes hang the arm in the mead-hall as a trophy.

Another feast is thrown for Beowulf in honor of him defeating Grendal. As the feast draws into the night Grendal’s mother comes to avenge her son’s death. She kills one of King Hrothgar’s most trusted advisors and then she goes back to the swamp. To avenge the death of the King’s advisor, Beowulf goes to the swamp, dives in and kills Grendal’s mother with a sword. He then finds Grendal and cuts off his head to bring back as a trophy for King Hrothgar.

Beowulf then returns to Geatland, and there he tells the king and queen of his adventures and the king rewards him for his bravery. After awhile the king passes away and his son takes the throne. Then the son dies and Beowulf is next in line to the throne. For fifty years he does a great job at keeping the kingdom prosperous and in good standing. As he approaches old age, a thief disturbs the place where a dragon lies guarding a massive amount of treasures. The dragon