Beowulf :: The Summary

The Beowulf Project

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In Herot, all the people of Hrothgar are partying, and then Grendel, who is a descendant of Cain (which signifies his evilness), comes and wrecks havoc on the people, killing 30 men with his bare hands. He kept attacking Herot for 12 winters. Finally Hrothgar had had enouogh, and sent for Beowulf to come and rid his hall of Grendel and the sadness that was in the hall - Hrothgar's men had been murdered, so the place was sad and empty.

So Beowulf cmae and told Hrothgar that he would fight Grendel, and do so without any weapons. Hrothgar praised Beowulf and gave him a pep-speech, and threw a party for him. Then Unferth, who is in Hrothgar's ahll, criticizes Beowulf, reminding hom of the how he swam a race against Brecca and had lost. Beowulf says that he did lose, but he also fought a bunch of sea monsters and made that sea safe for sailors.

So Hrothgar has faith in Beowulf and wishes him well. Beowulf's men stay in Herot for the night, so that Grendel will come and they can fight.

Grendel comes, and kills one of the men and then goes for Beowulf, but Beowulf grabs his arm and they fight all around the hall. Beowulf's men try to kill Grendel with their swords, but they can't. So Beowulf and Grendel are fighting, and Beowulf rips Grendels' arm out while Grendel is seeing his life flash before him. SO, with one less arm, Grendel hobbles off to his lair to die.

Herot is safe again, and everyone praised Beowulf for killing Grendel. But Grendel's mommy comes to Herot, because they killed her son, and takes away a close friend of Hrothgar, ,and Grendel's lost arm that Beowulf had hung from the ceiling of the hall. So Hrothgar tells Beowulf where Grendel and his mommy live, which is in a cave really REALLy deep in the lake.

Beowulf goes down to the cave, swimming for hours, of Grendel's mommy, but takes his sword with him this time. He tries to fight her with his swords, but he can't get to it to use it and can't fight Grendel's mommy. They toss and turn and flip and wrestle, and she's holding onto him so he can't fight back, and all seems to be lost. Yet, Beowulf sees a sword on the wall of the cave, that was made by Giants, and gets it off the wall and cuts off her head. Then Beowfulf finds the body of Grendel and cuts his head off too.

50 years later, Beowulf, who is now the king of the Geats, has to go fight this dragon who is ruining the land because someone stole a cup from him.

This time, Beowulf isn't quite so brave, but still says that he'll go and fight this dragon. He says that he'll fight the dragon alone, yet takes his men with him. He goes to the dragon's cave, and tries to fight the dragon, yet his sword fails him and won't cut the dragon.

His men flee, yet Wiglaf says to the others that they are supposed to stand up for Beowulf in his time of need - he is their king and they are his men. So Wiglaf goes and helps Beowulf kill the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded. He talks to Wiglaf and gives him his last speech, and dies. Wiglaf gets angry at the warriors because they didn't help Beowulf and tells them off.

They cremate Beowulf and lay his ashes with the dragon's treasure and praise his strenght and bravery.