(Notes) Beowulf Devising Week One

Beowulf

Week One

Tuesday 

Beowulf is a hero of the Geats, problems Grendel slaughters everyone, goes and kills her mum, 50 years later he Beowulf is king, goes to fight the dragon but is killed by the dragon

Beowulf is a compound name, sometimes thought to mean "Bee-wolf" or Bear, as the bee is not afraid of the bear (trying to steal their honey), and is therefore like a wolf.

Tribe was Geat

Written here in Britain 800 AD

Based in Denmark/Scandinavia/Sweden

Britian had just Converted to Christianity from Paganism

Written by a Christian but about a pagan story

Heroic Epic Poetry, not about the rhyme, about the plot/narrative

Alliteration has to cross over a Caesura (…//)

Some examples of compound-rhymes or Kennings

• Kenning - Compound words
• Whale road = the sea
• Whale rider = boat
• Ring giver = king

Germanic form, four stresses two on each side of the caesura

Often translated into prose story as this can be easier for a modern audience

One of the themes is the Germanic heroic warrior code:

• "Loyalty, bravery, strength, hospitality generosity political skill"

Names mean many things like lineage

Latsey – nothing to do with the plot, designated point something not important to the plot

Wednesday

No costume (thought they can source) but we have make up

Darkly humorous

Use different angles,

Fecund the mermaid song spy monkey

Five stages of the Beowulf  

Mead hall is called Heorot

The noise disturbs Grendel at the bottom of a mear

He kills 30 of the warriors in their sleep

12 years of fear of Grendel

Beowulf Prince of the Geats

Sets sails from southern Sweden

Greeted in the mead hall

Beowulf wrestles the monster and pulls his arm off and displays it

The mother monster steals the arm and the Ashear

·      Beowulf makes army

·      Celebration for Beowulf and army

·      Beowulf kills Grendel (monster) (rips of monsters arm) and gets treasure from King

·      Dive under cave kill Grendel mother

·      50 years later fights dragon rips out heart cuts off own arm (and dies)

Light

Tent

Artuadian

Sensory theatre

Distant light source

Finger puppetry

Strobe light

Sound effects