EXTEND – Beowulf and the dragon

Read the passage again and choose the correct alternatives. Then complete the sentences 4-6 with your own words to paraphrase the text.

1 Beowulf boasts about his ________.
2 Though a king and much older now, he ________.
3 He ordered his men to ________.
4 In this crucial moment, Beowulf's invincible sword …
5 Beowulf knew he was dying. He wished he …
6  The thought of having been a powerful ruler comforted him: …

Match the kennings to their meanings. Then create more kennings in your exercise book referred to Beowulf and the dragon.

1 Ruler of mankind ________
2 cave-guard ________
3 mound-keeper ________
4 sky-borne foe ________

In the passage 'Beowulf and the dragon', Beowulf tends to act more as a hero-warrior than a king. Complete the extract with the correct words then look at the prompts in bold and write some extra reflections in your exercise book. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.

What is different about Beowulf's fight against the dragon from his previous two challenges against the monsters is that now Beowulf is no longer a warrior but a ________. As such, he should prioritise his people's ________. Instead, if we examine the events of the extract 'Beowulf and the dragon', we cannot fail to notice Beowulf's ________ behaviour. (Refer to the previous activities and reflect on the heroic traits he shows.) Even looking at the event from the point of view of the dragon, the situation presents itself as different from the previous duels. The dragon, unlike Grendel, receives an ________ when someone steals a cup from the treasure it has guarded for years. It retaliates and destroys because it has been deprived of something and is distant from being a creature of ________ or an offspring of Cain. Comparing Beowulf to Hrothgar, we can observe that the latter never takes arms against Grendel, knowing it is better to set aside ________ as his premature death could put his people in ________. (Use your answers on Beowulf's reflections on death to add some important details.)
We can almost consider the dragon as a representation of ________: it is responsible for the death of Beowulf, a man who was unable to ________ to the role of king. (Would you have fought the dragon in Beowulf's place? Why / Why not?)

Choose the correct alternative to create an alliteration. Then create your own alliterative verse, by completing the half-lines given in your exercise book. If you like a challenge, try and think of the effect they create.

Steadfast and strong, he bears his shield and ________.
Effect: firm, determined
1 Beowulf sailed the swan-road to …
2 Fierce and furious, the dragon …
3 The sword's bite …

Look at the alliterated sounds and select the effect they want to convey.

1nor is it up to any man except me / to measure his strength against the monster
________
4Now is the time when I would have wanted / to bestow this armour on my own son
________
5All this consoles me, / doomed as I am and sickening for death
________

Read the passage and reorder the main events. Write the correct numbers (1-10) in the gaps.

Beowulf makes his final boast. 1
Beowulf strikes the dragon. ________
He orders his men to stay where they are. ________
He knows fate will decide who will win the fight. ________
He wishes he had an heir. ________
The blow was not as powerful as Beowulf had expected. ________
He consoles himself thinking about the strength with which he had ruled. ________
The hero knows he is about to die. ________
He is confident that his good deeds will be acknowledged by the divine. ________
He intends to face death to win the gold. ________

Choose the correct alternative.

1 Examining lines 2-5, in which Beowulf compares his youth to his old age, it is evident that, though older, he ________.
2 The fact that Beowulf wishes to face the dragon single-handed, shows an attitude that is more typical of a ________.
3 Hrothgar, more than Beowulf, embodies the figure of the king as he ________.
4 The lack of a strong, direct heir which Beowulf laments will ________ other populations.
5 At the end of the extract, Beowulf seems more concerned about ________.