1. Who are the main characters? Describe each in one sentence.

Beowulf
The protagonist of the epic, and demonstrates traits of heroism and extreme physical strength.
He fights the demon, Grendel then kills his mother and finally fights the dragon. Beowulf also
displays other character trait such as fearlessness.

King Hrothgar

He is the second son of the King Healfdene and younger brother of Heorogar, who ruled
Denmark after his father. King Hrothgar is brave, generous and honest and has won battles to
bring peace in his land.

Grendel

Grendel is a monster and descendant of Cain, from the Bible. He is capable of thinking and
acting like a human being, He is a monster that is half-man and half-fied he is enormous and
possesses superhuman strength. He is the first monster that Beowulf kills.

Mother of Grendel

She doesn’t have a name but is commonly addressed as a monster and Grendel’s mother. She
attacks Heorot hall to exact revenge for her son’s murder. Beowulf is again assigned to find her.

The dragon
An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards a horde of treasure in a hidden mound.
Beowulf’s fight with the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic.

Shield Sheafson

The legendary Danish king from whom Hrothgar is descended, Shield Sheafson is the mythical
founder who inaugurates a long line of Danish rulers and embodies the Danish tribe’s highest
values of heroism and leadership. 

Beow
The second king listed in the genealogy of Danish rulers with which the poem begins. Beow is
the son of Shield Sheafson and father of Halfdane. 
Hygelac
Beowulf’s uncle, king of the Geats, and husband of Hygd. Hygelac heartily welcomes Beowulf
back from Denmark.

Scyld Scefing

 As the founding father of the Danes, he conquered other surrounding tribes in battles. He was
also very caring and loving towards his people, providing them everything abundantly.

Unferth

A Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf, Unferth is unable or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus
proving himself inferior to Beowulf.

Wiglaf
A young kinsman and retainer of Beowulf who helps him in the fight against the dragon while
all of the other warriors run away.He is from the kingdom of the Geats and relative of Beowulf
and follows him until his death.

Ecgtheow

He is Beowulf’s father. He was involved in tribal feuds for killing people from the enemy tribes.
He sought refuge with Hrothgar and pay indemnity.

King Hrethel
The Geatish king who took Beowulf in as a ward after the death of Ecgtheow, Beowulf’s father.

Breca
Beowulf’s childhood friend, whom he defeated in a swimming match. Unferth alludes to the
story of their contest, and Beowulf then relates it in detail.

2. What are the main events in the epic?

Grendel Attacks Hereot

On a cold night in Denmark there stood an evil monster within the walls of Herot. This horrific
beast, Grendel, attacked an estimate of thirty townsfolk, because he lived in jealousy of the
human race. On this dreadful night the mysterious monster raised raged in the walls of Herot
devouring all who dared abide there, until the hall stood empty to all besides Grendel.

Beowulf vs Grendel

As Grendel had entered the hall, for his annual killing, he came not to kill any ordinary person
he came to attempt the murder of Beowulf. Beowulf charged at the evil monster with fury. The
epic hero grabbed the beast by his hand and struggled twisting his arm completely around.
Then Beowulf repeatedly in order to tear his arm off. Once his arm came off Grendel ran away
in pain to his lair. After he left Beowulf tied the arm to the top of the door way.

Beowulf vs Grendel's Mom

Once Grendel's mother could make out Beowulf's image in the water she swam out to strangle
him down to the lair. Then the battle began when the hero breathed air he was ready to fight.
He swung Hrunting at her head only making a dent in the sword. They wrestled until Beowulf
got a chance to grab an abnormally sized sword from the cavern wall. Once he gasped the
sword its size sliced her head like butter on hot toast.

Beowulf vs Mythical Dragon

Once they arrived Beowulf started to walk towards the in-caved lair the dragon brought on the
fight. Beowulf blocked its fire with his shield then he acted back swinging his sword at the
beasts head continuously until the hero wore out of energy. Then the dragon fiercely charged
at Beowulf uncertainly that he would blow back with a killing swing. Then of course the epic
hero pulled off another win, until Beowulf stumbled and fell against the wall of the cave.
Beowulf's last words were that his fellow warrior, Wiglaf, to rule Geatland. Then Beowulf died.

3. How did Beowulf resolve the problems he encountered?

Grendel is the first opposing force that Beowulf faces within the story and challenges Beowulf’s
courage tremendously. When Grendel raids the city havoc breaks out, people are fleeing, but
Beowulf turns and fights with no armor despite how many men had lost their lives over many
years, trying to defeat the beast. Beowulf faced a beast that had killed hundreds of many for
many years and yet he didn’t back down.

The second major form of adversity Beowulf faces very soon after his first form is Grendel’s
mother which put his strength to the test. Beowulf enters the fiery lake to face Grendel’s
mother at the bottom. He swung Hrunting at her head only making a dent in the sword. They
wrestled until Beowulf got a chance to grab an abnormally sized sword from the cavern wall.
Once he gasped the sword its size sliced her head like butter on hot toast.
The final form of adversity that Beowulf faces in later years of his life and even costs him his
own life is the dragon. This form of adversity also shows the true extent of his men’s loyalty
who he thought had his back. When hearing of the dragon and its destruction and knowing it
was headed towards his city and his people that Beowulf was now king over.

Beowulf faces many opposing forces, finds himself in some bad situations, and even has some
peaceful prosperous time just like in our lives. What we can learn from this tory is that
everyone responds to hardships differently and some are stronger willed than others. How we
resond to it makes us who we are. Even failing at overcoming something and learning from it
can even further measure our strength than after our victories. This is exactly what Beowulf did,
he overcame many situations that had cost many their lives and succeeded. This should be a
message to us all that no challenge is too big to overcome and that nothing is impossible.

4. What is the theme of the epic?

Heroic Code

The theme of the heroic code of chivalry is the leading theme of Beowulf. The honorable
behavior and manners have dominated the Anglo-Saxon culture. Courage, bravery and the will
to fight were considered basic norms of that heroic code. Beowulf sticks to these norms from
the very beginning as he comes across the Danes. He fights against Grendel and kills him after
pledging that he will “settle the outcome in single combat.” These words resonate again when
he goes to find Grendel’s mother. When he is older, he proves his bravery again when fighting
the last enemy, the dragon. He becomes a dragon slayer but at the cost of his own life. Wiglaf,
his young companion pays tribute to him saying, “vowed you would never let your name and
fame / be dimmed while you lived.” This heroic code lasts until Beowulf’s death.

Glory and treasure

 Beowulf comes to Hrothgar's aid not just out of generosity but out of a desire to win glory.
Beowulf's quest for glory never ends and drives him, in his old age, to face the foe that kills him.