reading comprehension:
1. who comes to beowulf’s aid in beowulf’s final battle with the dragon?
why does he help beowulf?

2. what sad scene concludes this epic?

3. what happens to the dragon’s hoard?

thinking critically:
4. a hoarded treasure in old english literature is usually a symbol of
spiritual death or damnation. how does this fact add significance to
beowulf’s last fight with the dragon?

5. what details does the poet use to describe the dragon? keeping those
details in mind, explain what the dragon might symbolize as beowulf’s
final foe.

6. given what you know about the structure of anglo - saxon society,
explain what is especially ominous about the behavior of beowulf’s
men during the final battle. what does it suggest about the future of the
kingdom?

7. the epic closes on a somber, elegaic note - a note of mourning. what
words or images contribute to this tone?

8. epic poetry usually embodies the attitudes and ideals of an entire
culture. what values of anglo - saxon society does beowulf reveal?
what universal themes does it also reveal? list more than one. use
specific examples from the poem to support your answer.

9. the connection on p.49 describes the culture of the vikings. how does
this picture of viking society relate to what youve read in beowulf?

Question

reading comprehension:
1. who comes to beowulf’s aid in beowulf’s final battle with the dragon?
why does he help beowulf?

2. what sad scene concludes this epic?

3. what happens to the dragon’s hoard?

thinking critically:
4. a hoarded treasure in old english literature is usually a symbol of
spiritual death or damnation. how does this fact add significance to
beowulf’s last fight with the dragon?

5. what details does the poet use to describe the dragon? keeping those
details in mind, explain what the dragon might symbolize as beowulf’s
final foe.

6. given what you know about the structure of anglo - saxon society,
explain what is especially ominous about the behavior of beowulf’s
men during the final battle. what does it suggest about the future of the
kingdom?

7. the epic closes on a somber, elegaic note - a note of mourning. what
words or images contribute to this tone?

8. epic poetry usually embodies the attitudes and ideals of an entire
culture. what values of anglo - saxon society does beowulf reveal?
what universal themes does it also reveal? list more than one. use
specific examples from the poem to support your answer.

9. the connection on p.49 describes the culture of the vikings. how does
this picture of viking society relate to what youve read in beowulf?

Accepted Answer

### Question 1
# Brief Explanations:
In Beowulf's final battle with the dragon, Wiglaf comes to his aid. Wiglaf helps because he is a loyal thane (a warrior sworn to serve the king) and feels a duty to fulfill his oath of loyalty to Beowulf, especially when the other warriors flee in fear.
# Answer:
Wiglaf comes to Beowulf’s aid. He helps because he is a loyal thane who feels bound by his oath of loyalty to Beowulf, while the other warriors flee.

### Question 2
# Brief Explanations:
The epic concludes with the sad scene of Beowulf's funeral. After his death, his body is burned on a funeral pyre, and a barrow (a mound) is built in his honor by the sea. The Geats mourn the loss of their great king, and there is a sense of loss and the end of an era as they reflect on his heroic life and the uncertain future of the kingdom without him.
# Answer:
The sad scene that concludes the epic is Beowulf’s funeral: his body is burned on a pyre, a barrow is built for him, and the Geats mourn the loss of their great king, reflecting on the end of an era.

### Question 3
# Brief Explanations:
After the dragon is slain, most of the dragon’s hoard is buried with Beowulf in his barrow. The Geats decide to place the treasure in the tomb with him as a way to honor his memory and because they recognize that the treasure was the cause of the dragon’s wrath and Beowulf’s final battle, so it is fitting to lay it to rest with the hero.
# Answer:
Most of the dragon’s hoard is buried with Beowulf in his barrow (funeral mound) as a tribute to him.

### Question 4
# Brief Explanations:
In Old English literature, a hoarded treasure symbolizes spiritual death or damnation. Beowulf’s last fight with the dragon, who guards a hoarded treasure, gains significance because the dragon’s attachment to the treasure represents its spiritual corruption and greed. Beowulf’s battle against the dragon (and its hoard) can be seen as a struggle against the spiritual death that comes from greed and materialism. Beowulf, in seeking to protect his people from the dragon’s wrath (caused by the theft of the treasure), is also confronting the symbolic evil of hoarded wealth, and his own death in the battle shows the high cost of combating such spiritual corruption.
# Answer:
The dragon’s hoard (a symbol of spiritual death/damnation) makes Beowulf’s fight symbolic: the dragon’s greed for the hoard represents spiritual corruption, and Beowulf’s battle against it (and his death) shows the cost of combating greed - driven spiritual evil.

### Question 5
# Brief Explanations:
The poet describes the dragon as a fearsome, fire - breathing creature. It is large, scaly, and has a terrifying presence, with eyes that blaze like hot coals and breath that is a “stream of fire”. The dragon can symbolize several things as Beowulf’s final foe: it can represent the forces of greed (as it hoards treasure), the inevitability of death (since it is Beowulf’s final battle and leads to his death), or the destructive power of time and the end of an era (as Beowulf, the great hero, is defeated by it, signaling the decline of the heroic age). Its fiery breath and terrifying appearance also make it a symbol of chaos and destruction that threatens the order of the kingdom.
# Answer:
The poet describes the dragon as fire - breathing, large, scaly, with blazing eyes, and a terrifying presence. As Beowulf’s final foe, the dragon might symbolize greed (for hoarding treasure), the inevitability of death (Beowulf’s end), the destructive power of time/end of an era, or chaos threatening the kingdom.

### Question 6
# Brief Explanations:
In Anglo - Saxon society, warriors (thanes) were expected to be loyal to their king and fight alongside him. During Beowulf’s final battle, most of his men flee in fear, leaving only Wiglaf to fight with him. This is ominous because it shows a breakdown of the social bond of loyalty (the comitatus - the relationship between a king and his thanes). In Anglo - Saxon culture, the comitatus was crucial for the stability of the kingdom. The flight of the warriors suggests that the values of loyalty and bravery are failing, and it implies that the future of the kingdom is uncertain. Without a strong sense of loyalty among the warriors, the kingdom will be vulnerable to external threats and internal decay, as there will be no one to defend it as bravely as Beowulf and Wiglaf did.
# Answer:
In Anglo - Saxon society, warriors (thanes) owed loyalty to their king. Beowulf’s men fleeing the battle (only Wiglaf stays) is ominous as it breaks the “comitatus” (loyalty bond). This suggests the kingdom’s future is uncertain: without loyal warriors, it will be vulnerable to threats, and its heroic values are declining.

### Question 7
# Brief Explanations:
Words and images that contribute to the somber, elegaic tone at the end of the epic include references to “mourning”, “loss”, and the description of Beowulf’s funeral (the burning pyre, the barrow by the sea). Phrases like “sorrowful” and the Geats’ reflection on “the good king’s death” also add to the tone. The image of the barrow standing alone by the sea, and the Geats’ lament for their lost leader, with words emphasizing the finality of Beowulf’s death and the end of his heroic era, all create a sense of mourning.
# Answer:
Words/images contributing to the tone: “mourn”, “funeral pyre”, “barrow by the sea”, “loss of their king”, “end of an era”, and the Geats’ sorrowful reflection on Beowulf’s death, emphasizing finality and grief.

### Question 8
# Brief Explanations:
- **Anglo - Saxon Values Revealed**:
    - **Loyalty (Comitatus)**: Wiglaf’s loyalty to Beowulf (staying to fight when others flee) shows the importance of the comitatus (the bond between a king and his thanes).
    - **Bravery and Heroism**: Beowulf’s lifelong battles (against Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon) highlight the value of bravery in facing great threats to protect the community.
    - **Honor and Reputation**: Beowulf’s desire to achieve great deeds and be remembered (his boastful nature at the start, and his final act of defending the kingdom) shows the importance of honor and a good reputation.
- **Universal Themes**:
    - **The Inevitable of Death**: Beowulf’s death shows that even great heroes must die, and it explores how one can face death with honor.
    - **The Conflict Between Good and Evil**: Beowulf’s battles against Grendel (evil, chaos) and the dragon (greed, destruction) represent the eternal struggle between good (order, heroism) and evil.
    - **The Corrupting Power of Greed**: The dragon’s hoard and its wrath show how greed (for treasure) leads to destruction.
# Answer:
- **Anglo - Saxon Values in *Beowulf***:
    - **Loyalty (Comitatus)**: Wiglaf stays to fight (others flee), showing the bond between king and thanes.
    - **Bravery/Heroism**: Beowulf fights Grendel, his mother, and the dragon to protect his people.
    - **Honor/Reputation**: Beowulf seeks great deeds to be remembered (e.g., his boast before fighting Grendel).
- **Universal Themes**:
    - **Inevitability of Death**: Beowulf’s death shows even heroes die; he faces it honorably.
    - **Good vs. Evil**: Beowulf battles Grendel (chaos) and the dragon (greed - driven destruction).
    - **Corrupting Power of Greed**: The dragon’s hoard causes its wrath and Beowulf’s final battle.

### Question 9
# Brief Explanations:
The description of Viking society (from the Connection on p.49) likely shows similarities to Anglo - Saxon society (since Vikings and Anglo - Saxons were part of the Germanic cultural sphere). Both had a warrior - based society with a comitatus (loyalty between king/leader and warriors), a focus on honor and reputation, and a hierarchical structure (with kings/chieftains and warriors). In *Beowulf*, we see the comitatus (Wiglaf’s loyalty), the warrior culture (Beowulf and his men), and the importance of honor, which aligns with the Viking society’s emphasis on these elements. Also, both societies had a strong oral tradition (epic poetry like *Beowulf* and Viking sagas), and a connection to a warrior - led, honor - bound way of life.
# Answer:
Viking society (from the Connection) relates to *Beowulf*’s world as both are Germanic - based: they share a warrior society with “comitatus” (loyalty between leader and warriors), emphasis on honor/reputation, a hierarchical structure, and a warrior - led, oral - tradition - rich culture (seen in *Beowulf*’s epic form and Viking sagas).

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