The poet revives the heroic language of German oral poetry. Beowulf is undoubtedly written in the style of other Old English poems, “but there are also an extraordinary number of what linguists call hapax legomena–that is, words recorded only once in a language” (30).
The poem centers around the Danes and the Geats, two tribes originating in South Scandinavia. The poem reflects both Christian and pagan traditions, typical for the mystical Christianity of the medieval period, derivative of the blending of the Christian and Celtic religions.
The poems demonstrates the warrior society, “the most important of human relationships was that which existed between the warrior–the thane–and his lord, a relationship based less on subordination of one man’s will to another’s than on the mutual trust and respect. When a warrior vowed loyalty to his lord, he became not so much is servant as his voluntary companion, one who would take pride in defending him and fighting in his wars. In return, the lord was expected to take care of his thanes and to reward them richly for their valor” (31).
Quotations from above are taken from the following source: The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. W. W. Norton & Company: New York, 2006.
The synopsis, slightly edited for grammatical correctness and spelling, is taken from the following source: https://vademecumgre.phebinhvanhoc.com.vn/en.com/english-literature-2/medieval-and-early-british-literature/beowulf/
First Battle: Grendel
Beowulf begins with the story of King Hrothgar who built the great hall Heorot for his people. In it he, his wife Wealhtheow, and his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating, until Grendel (angered by the singing) attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hrothgar’s warriors. Hrothgar and his people, helpless against Grendel’s attacks, abandon Heorot.
Beowful, a young warrior, hears of Hrothgar’s troubles and (with his king’s permission) leaves his homeland to help Hrothgar.
Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot. After they fall asleep, Grendel enters the hall and attacks, devouring one of Beowulf’s men. Beowulf, feigning sleep, leaps up and grabs Grendel’s arm in a wrestling hold, and the two battle until it seems as though the hall might fall down due to their fighting. Beowulf’s men draw their swords and rush to his help, but there is a type of magic which aids Grendel and makes it impossible for swords to hurt him. Finally, Beowulf tears Grendel’s arm from his body and Grendel runs home to die.
Second battle: Grendel’s mother
The next night, after celebrating Grendel’s death, Hrothgar and his men sleep in Heorot. Grendel’s Mother appears, however and attacks the hall. She kills Hrothgar’s most trusted warrior in revenge for Grendel’s death.
Hrothgar, Beowulf, and their men track Grendel’s Mother to her lair under an eerie lake. Beowulf prepares himself for battle; he is presented with a sword, Hrunting, by a warrior called Unferth. After stipulating a number of conditions (upon his death) to Hrothgar (including the taking in of his kinsmen, and the inheritance by Unferth of Beowulf’s estate), Beowulf dives into the lake. There, he is swiftly detected and attacked by Grendel’s mother. Unable to harm Beowulf through his armor, Grendel’s mother drags him to the bottom of the lake. There, in a cavern containing her sons’ body and the remains of many men that the two have killed. Grendel’s mother fights Beowulf.
Grendel’s mother at first prevails, after Beowulf, finding that the sword (Hrunting) given him by Unferth cannot harm his foe, discards it in a fury. Again, Beowulf is saved from the effects of his opponent’s attack by his armor and, grasping a mighty sword from Grendel’s mother’s armory (which, the poem tell us, no other man could have hefted in battle), Beowulf beheads her. Traveling further into the lair, Beowulf discovers Grendel’s corpse; he severs the head, and with it he returns to Heorot, where he is given many gifts by an even more grateful Hrothgar.
Third battle: The dragon
Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own people. One day, late in Beowulf’s life, a man steals a golden cup from a dragon’s lair. When the dragon sees that the cup has been stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning up everything in sight. Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon, but only one of the warriors, a brave young man named Wiglaf, stays to help Beowulf, because the rest are too afraid. Beowulf kills the dragon with Wiglaf’s help, but dies from the wounds he has received. The dragon’s treasure is taken from its lair and buried with Beowulf’s ashes.