The Scop's Tale

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Background Information: Beowulf’s poet composed the epic poem to be recited aloud in the oral tradition of the Anglo-Saxon period. Most likely, a bard or scop recited or possibly even sang the poem before a company of men to remind them about legendary stories of the period.

Assignment: Imagine you are a bard living in the Anglo-Saxon period and the members of our class are your audience. Prepare a 20-line monologue in which you tell a story about significant events involving a character from Beowulf. The twenty lines should come directly from the poem, although you may add transition phrases and words to make your monologue more understandable for your audience. The twenty lines do not need to be consecutive.

My Chracter: Beowulf

The monster wrenched and wrestled with him (1269)
but Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength, (1270)
the wondrous gifts God had showered on him: (1271)
He relied for help on the Lord of All, (1272)
on His care and favour. So he overcame the foe, (1273)
brought down the hell-brute. (1274)

But now his mother (1276)
had sallied forth on a savage journey, (1277)
grief-racked and ravenous, desperate for revenge. (1278)

So the Shieldings' hero, hard-pressed and enraged, (1573)
took a firm hold of the hilt and swung (1574)
the blade in an arc, a resolute blow (1575)
that bit deep into her neck-bone (1576)
and severed it entirely, toppling the doomed (1577)
house of her flesh; she fell to the floor. (1578)

Finally, when a chance came, the fire-breathing dragon caught the hero (2688/2690)
In a rush of flame and clamped sharp fangs (2691)
Into his neck. Beowulf's body (2692)
Ran wet with his life-blood: it came welling out. (2693)

The great man (3035)
had breathed his last. Beowulf the king (3036)
had indeed met with a marvelous death (3037)

Of all the kings upon the earth (3180)
he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, (3181)
kindest to his people and keenest to win fame. (3182)

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