Episodic Structure
What kind of story structure does Beowulf have?
Episodic – told in separate adventures.
Who does Beowulf fight first?
Grendel.
What kind of hero pattern does Beowulf follow?
The hero’s journey.
What is a kenning?
A two-word phrase (like “whale-road” for sea).
What is apposition?
A noun renaming another noun.
Name one episode in Beowulf.
Grendel fight, Grendel’s mother, or dragon.
Who does Beowulf fight second?
Grendel’s mother.
Going underwater to fight Grendel’s mother is like going to the ___?
Underworld.
Give one kenning from Beowulf.
Whale-road, ring-giver, sky-candle.
Example: “Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow” – what is “son of Ecgtheow”?
Apposition.
Why does the episodic style work well?
Easy to tell and remember in oral tradition
Who is Beowulf’s final enemy?
The dragon.
Beowulf is what kind of archetypal character?
Epic hero.
What does alliteration mean?
Repeating first sounds of words.
What is diazeugma?
One subject with many verbs.
Which episode shows Beowulf as an older king?
His fight with the dragon.
What makes Beowulf vs. Dragon an “extreme conflict”?
He is old, and the dragon is very powerful.
Grendel represents what archetypal force?
Chaos or evil.
Why use dramatic diction?
To make the story sound exciting and poetic.
“Beowulf fought, struggled, triumphed.” – this shows what?
Diazeugma.
What happens after each big episode?
Celebration, reflection, or storytelling.
Extreme conflicts often show what theme?
Good vs. evil.
The dragon represents what archetypal idea?
Death or fate.
"Shepherd of evil” is an example of what?
A kenning.
Why use apposition and diazeugma?
To add detail and action.