Guide Note

Beowulf is both the title of an epic poem written in Old English and the name of the poem's heroic main character. It was written between the 8th and 11th centuries A.D., and it is the oldest surviving piece of English literature. The general events of the poem were adapted into an animated action-adventure movie in 2007.

Fast Facts

1. No specific author is known
2. Believed to be written between the 8th and 11th century
3. Length: 3,183 lines
4. It is the only surviving example of the Anglo-Saxon heroic epic form of poetry.
5. Believed to be an accurate representation of early Anglo-Saxon oral poetic style, although it is still under debate
6. Beowulf is a heroic warrior from the Geat people, who live in modern-day Sweden
7. Battles three monsters: Grendel, Grendel's mother and a dragon
8. Events take place in the late 5th and early 6th centuries
9. John C. Gardner's 1971 novel, Grendel, is a more sympathetically human narrative told from monster's point of view.

Literary History

The poem is the oldest surviving piece of Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry. And though it is generally considered authoritative evidence of how early Anglo-Saxon poetry, typically performed orally, was composed, scholarly debates continue as to how accurately it portrays oral poetic forms.

Plot Overview

Beowulf is a heroic warrior of the Geat people, a Germanic tribe that occupied modern Sweden. He comes to the aid of the ancient Danish king, Hrothgar, whose country is besieged by a monster named Grendel. The poem chronicles his fight with both Grendel and Grendel's mother. It concludes with the story of Beowulf after he becomes king of the Geats.

Plot Structure

The lengthy poem is essentially divided into three sections that correspond with the three monsters that Beowulf must fight. The first two conflicts with Grendel, then Grendel's mother, take place in Hrothgar's Denmark. They highlight Beowulf's youthful heroism. The third and final section takes place in the Geatish homeland, where Beowulf fights, and is killed by a giant dragon.