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From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes Beowulf Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.
A short summary of Anonymous's Beowulf. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Beowulf.
Beowulf exemplifies the traits of the perfect hero. The poem explores his heroism in two separate phases—youth and age—and through three separate and increasingly difficult conflicts—with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.
Tensions Between the Heroic Code and Other Value Systems. Much of Beowulf is devoted to articulating and illustrating the Germanic heroic code, which values strength, courage, and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, and political skill in kings; ceremoniousness in women; and good reputation in all people.
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A list of important facts about Anonymous's Beowulf, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists.
His people give him a glorious funeral, but they have been left unprotected, and they foresee “enemies on the rampage, bodies in piles, / slavery and abasement” (ll. 3154-5). This ending crystallizes the poem’s argument that the ancient Northern warrior code was ultimately misguided.
