THE STORY OF

BEOWULF
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF
THE OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE
• In the fifth century A.D., several tribes landed in
England.
• They were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes.
• They are referred to as Anglo-Saxons.
• The island got its name from the Angles- Anglo-land,
later shortened to England.
• The present English literature is based on the language of
the Anglo-Saxons.
•The longest and earliest surviving piece of
the Anglo-Saxon literature is Beowulf.
•It is based on ancient traditions which the
Anglo-Saxons brought from their home
continent.
 CHARACTERS
• Beowulf
• King Hrothgar
• King Hygelac
• Unferth
• Wiglaf
• Grendel
• Grendel’s Mother
• Dragon
 QUESTIONS FOR
COMPREHENSION
1. Who is Beowulf? How is he
described in the story?
1.Beowulf is a very brave and
strong warrior. He decided to
fight Grendel with his bare
hands.
2. What kind of enemy is
Grendel?
2. Grendel is a monster who
was threatening King
Hrothgar’s kingdom.
3. How did Beowulf overcome
Grendel in the fight?
3. He ripped Grendel’s
arm off with only his
bare hands.
4. How is the underlined word below
used in a sentence? Support your
answer.
“For they had heard fearsome tales
about the murderous fiend that they
had come to fight.”
4. It means an evil spirit or
demon.
 5. Can you say that the fight
between Beowulf and Grendel is
over? Support your answer.
5. No, because Grendel’s
mother plans to make a
revenge against Beowulf.
6. Why do you think people fight?
6. People fight because they
have indifferences against
each other.
 7. Given a chance, are you also
willing to fight for someone? Why
or why not?
 7. (Answers may vary
because it depends upon
your opinions.)
DO ACTIVITY 3 ON PAGE 10
 The Story of
The Story of Beowulf
Lam-Ang