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Teacher Study Guide Beowulf

Beowulf The epic battle between man and monster

Performed by Charlie Bethel

A Message from Southwest Shakespeare Company

Dear Educator,

Welcome to Southwest Shakespeare Company’s 21st season! We are thrilled to continue to provide quality matinee productions to Arizona’s students, and we are excited that you have chosen to bring your students to our performance of The Odyssey. We appreciate that you are dedicated to bringing the classics alive for your students.

In this age of high stakes testing, many schools and educators feel forced to limit their focus in the classroom to test-‐taking skills, thus eliminating enrichment activities such as attending theatrical performances. But as you know, these experiences often make the learning objectives relevant to students and must be valued as much (if not more!) as high AIMS scores and meeting AYP. You are providing your students with lasting memories and helping to create a new generation of theatre-‐goers and lovers of Shakespeare. This experience will stay with your students long after the last bubble sheet has been marked and the latest mandate has been met. We applaud your efforts to keep the learning process memorable and meaningful for your students.

This year, we have brought new and exciting study guides for you to use as you and your class embark upon the journey to discover classical theatre. We’ve designed our curriculum guides to encompass information about the play, information on how to prepare your students for the theatrical experience and discussion questions and lesson plans you can use within the classroom before and after the performance; all designed with the Arizona Common Core in mind.

It is our sincere hope that you find our resources helpful and entertaining. If you have any suggestions for activities or topics not already found in this study guide, pleas feel free to contact us at [email protected]. We are always interested in hearing new ways to excite your students (and you!) about Shakespeare and live theatre.

Happy Teaching!

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In his boyhood Beowulf gave evidence of the great feats of strength and courage which in manhood made him the deliverer of Hrothgar, King of Denmark, from the monster, Grendel, and later in his own kingdom from the fiery dragon which dealt Beowulf a mortal blow.

I. Beowulf's first renown followed his conquest of many sea-‐monsters while he swam for seven days and nights before he came to the country of the Finns. Helping to defend the land of the Hetware, he killed many of the enemy and again showed his prowess as a swimmer by bringing to his ship the armor of thirty of his slain pursuers. Offered the crown of his native land, Beowulf, just entering

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manhood, refused it in favor of Heardred, the young son of the queen. Instead, he acted as guardian and counsellor until the boy-‐king grew old enough to rule alone.

II. For twelve years, Hrothgar, King of Denmark, suffered while his kingdom was being ravaged by a devouring monster, named Grendel. This Grendel bore a charmed life against all weapons forged by man. He lived in the wastelands and nightly prowled out to visit the hall of Hrothgar, carrying off and slaughtering many of the guests. III. Beowulf, hearing from mariners of Grendel's murderous visits, sailed from Geatland with fourteen stalwart companions to render Hrothgar the help of his great strength. Landing on the Danish coast, Beowulf was challenged as a spy. He persuaded the coastguards to let him pass, and he was received and feasted by King Hrothgar. When the king and his court retired for the night, Beowulf and his companions were left alone in the hall. All but Beowulf fell asleep. Grendel entered. With a stroke he killed one of Beowulf's sleeping men, but Beowulf, unarmed, wrestled with the monster and by dint of his great strength managed to tear Grendel's arm out at the shoulder. Grendel, mortally wounded, retreated, leaving a bloody trail from the hall to his lair. IV. All fear of another attack by Grendel allayed, the Danes returned to the hall, and Beowulf and his companions were sheltered elsewhere. Grendel's mother came to avenge the fatal injury to her monster son and carried off a Danish nobleman and Grendel's torn-‐off paw. Following the blood trail, Beowulf went forth to dispatch the mother. Armed with his sword, Hrunting, he

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came to the water's edge. He plunged in and swam to a chamber under the sea. There he fought with Grendel's mother, killing her with an old sword he found in the sea cavern. Nearby was Grendel's body. Beowulf cut off its head and brought it back as a trophy to King Hrothgar. Great was the rejoicing in the hall and greater was Beowulf's welcome when he returned to Geatland, where he was given great estates and many high honors. V. Shortly afterward, Heardred, the boy-‐king, was killed in the war with the Swedes. Beowulf succeeded him to the throne. VI. For fifty years Beowulf ruled his people in peace and serenity. Then suddenly a dragon, furious at having his treasure stolen from his hoard in a burial mound, began to ravage Beowulf's kingdom. Like Grendel, this monster left its den at night on its errand of murder and pillage.

VII. Beowulf, now an aged monarch, resolved to do battle, unaided, with the dragon. He approached the entrance to its den, whence boiling steam issued forth. Undaunted, Beowulf strode forward shouting his defiance. The dragon came out, sputtering flames from its mouth. The monster rushed upon Beowulf with all its fury and almost crushed him in its first charge. So fearful grew the struggle that all but one of Beowulf's men deserted and fled for their lives. Wiglaf remained to help his aged monarch. Another rush of the dragon shattered Beowulf's sword and the monster's fangs sunk into Beowulf's neck. Wiglaf, rushing into the struggle, helped the dying Beowulf to kill the dragon. VIII. Before his death, Beowulf named Wiglaf his successor to the throne of Geatland and ordered that his own ashes be placed in a memorial shrine at the top of a high cliff commanding the sea. Beowulf's body was burned on a vast funeral pyre, while twelve Geats rode around the mound singing their sorrow and their praise for the good and great man, Beowulf.

http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/bull42.html

Beowulf is the oldest epic in English. Drawing from Danish history and folk tales, it was written down, probably in the early 8th century, by an English scribe or maybe two of them. No one really knows exactly when or who.

The manuscript containing this ancient poem is a thousand years old, or even older. The story, kept alive through performance, was well-‐known to the Anglo-‐Saxons and had been elaborated upon for centuries by minstrels who recited the heroic exploits of Beowulf, King of the Geats, whose realm was what is now Southern Sweden.

In the 5th century, Germanic tribes overran England after the Roman withdrawal. They brought with them the Anglo-‐Saxon language (also called Old English), which is the basis of Modern English. They brought also a specific poetic tradition, the formal character of which remained constant until the termination of their rule by the Norman-‐French invaders six centuries later. This period extends from about 450 to 1066, the year of the Norman-‐French conquest of England.

Old English poetry was meant to be declaimed aloud before an audience. The minstrel-‐poet, or Scop, was both a creative and a performing artist. Accompanied by harp he would

A Brief Overview

Teacher Study Guide Beowulf Southwest Shakespeare Company


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Beowulf -‐ The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-‐breathing dragon. Beowulf’s boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler.

King Hrothgar -‐ The king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military success and prosperity until Grendel terrorizes his realm. A wise and aged ruler, Hrothgar represents a different kind of leadership from that exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf. He is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind of king that Beowulf becomes.

Grendel -‐ A demon descended from Cain, Grendel preys on Hrothgar’s warriors in the king’s mead-‐hall, Heorot. Because his ruthless and miserable existence is part of the retribution exacted by God for Cain’s murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world of the poem.

Grendel’s mother -‐ An unnamed swamp-‐hag, Grendel’s mother seems to possess fewer human qualities than Grendel, although her terrorization of Heorot is explained by her desire for vengeance—a human motivation.

The dragon -‐ An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards a horde of treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf’s fight with the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic.

Shield Sheafson -‐ The legendary Danish king from whom Hrothgar is descended, Shield Sheafson is the mythical founder who inaugurates a long line of Danish rulers and embodies the Danish tribe’s highest values of heroism and leadership. The poem opens with a brief account of his rise from orphan to warrior-‐king,

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concluding, “That was one good king.”

Beow -‐ The second king listed in the genealogy of Danish rulers with which the poem begins. Beow is the son of Shield Sheafson and father of Halfdane. The narrator presents Beow as a gift from God to a people in need of a leader. He exemplifies the maxim, “Behavior that’s admired / is the path to power among people everywhere”

Halfdane -‐ The father of Hrothgar, Heorogar, Halga, and an unnamed daughter who married a king of the Swedes, Halfdane succeeded Beow as ruler of the Danes.

Wealhtheow -‐ Hrothgar’s wife, the gracious queen of the Danes.

Unferth -‐ A Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf, Unferth is unable or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus proving himself inferior to Beowulf.

Hrethric -‐ Hrothgar’s elder son, Hrethric stands to inherit the Danish throne, but Hrethric’s older cousin Hrothulf will prevent him from doing so. Beowulf offers to support the youngster’s prospect of becoming king by hosting him in Geatland and giving him guidance.

Hrothmund -‐ The second son of Hrothgar.

Hrothulf -‐ Hrothgar’s nephew, Hrothulf betrays and usurps his cousin, Hrethic, the rightful heir to the Danish throne. Hrothulf’s treachery contrasts with Beowulf’s loyalty to Hygelac in helping his son to the throne.

Aeschere -‐ Hrothgar’s trusted adviser.

Hygelac -‐ Beowulf’s uncle, king of the Geats, and husband of Hygd. Hygelac heartily welcomes Beowulf back from Denmark.

Hygd -‐ Hygelac’s wife, the young, beautiful, and intelligent queen of the Geats. Hygd is contrasted with Queen

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Modthryth.

Wiglaf -‐ A young kinsman and retainer of Beowulf who helps him in the fight against the dragon while all of the other warriors run away. Wiglaf adheres to the heroic code better than Beowulf’s other retainers, thereby proving himself a suitable successor to Beowulf.

Ecgtheow -‐ Beowulf’s father, Hygelac’s brother-‐in-‐law, and Hrothgar’s friend. Ecgtheow is dead by the time the story begins, but he lives on through the noble reputation that he made for himself during his life and in his dutiful son’s remembrances.

King Hrethel -‐ The Geatish king who took Beowulf in as a ward after the death of Ecgtheow, Beowulf’s father.

Breca -‐ Beowulf’s childhood friend, whom he defeated in a swimming match. Unferth alludes to the story of their contest, and Beowulf then relates it in detail.

Sigemund -‐ A figure from Norse mythology, famous for slaying a dragon. Sigemund’s story is told in praise of Beowulf and foreshadows Beowulf’s encounter with the dragon.

King Heremod -‐ An evil king of legend. The scop, or bard, at Heorot discusses King Heremod as a figure who contrasts greatly with Beowulf.

Queen Modthryth -‐ A wicked queen of legend who punishes anyone who looks at her the wrong way. Modthryth’s story is told in order to contrast her cruelty with Hygd’s gentle and reasonable behavior.

www.sparknotes.com

Meet the Characters

Teacher Study Guide Southwest Shakespeare Company Beowulf


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http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/mdrout/GrammarBook/HistoryOfOE.html

Much of Old English poetry was probably intended to be chanted, with harp accompaniment, by the Anglo-‐Saxon scop, or bard. Often bold and strong, but also mournful and elegiac in spirit, this poetry emphasizes the sorrow and ultimate futility of life and the helplessness of humans before the power of fate. Almost all this poetry is composed without rhyme, in a characteristic line, or verse, of four stressed syllables alternating with an indeterminate number of unstressed ones (see Versification). This line strikes strangely on ears habituated to modern patterns, in which the rhythmical unit, or foot, theoretically consists of a constant number (either one or two) of unaccented syllables that always precede or follow any stressed syllable. Another unfamiliar but equally striking feature in the formal character of Old English poetry is structural alliteration, or the use of syllables beginning with similar sounds in two or three of the stresses in each line. All these qualities of form and spirit are exemplified in the epic poem Beowulf written in the 8th century. Beginning and ending with the funeral of a great king, and composed against a background of impending disaster, it describes the exploits of a Scandinavian cultural hero, Beowulf, in destroying the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a fire-‐breathing dragon. In these sequences Beowulf is shown not only as a glorious hero but as a savior of the people. The Old Germanic virtue of mutual loyalty between leader and followers is evoked effectively and touchingly in the aged Beowulf's sacrifice of his life and in the reproaches heaped on the retainers who desert him in this climactic battle. The extraordinary artistry with which fragments of other heroic tales are incorporated to illumine the main action, and with which the whole plot is reduced to symmetry, has only recently been fully recognized. Another feature of Beowulf is the weakening of the sense of the ultimate power of arbitrary fate. The injection of the Christian idea of dependence on a just God is evident. That feature is typical of other Old English literature, for almost all of what survives was preserved by monastic copyists. Most of it was actually composed by religious writers after the early conversion of the people from their faith in the older Germanic divinities. Sacred legend and story were reduced to verse in poems resembling Beowulf in form. At first such verse was rendered in the somewhat simple, stark style of the poems of Caedmon, a humble man of the late 7th century who was described by the historian and theologian Saint Bede the Venerable as having received the gift of song from God. Later the same type of subject matter was treated in the more ornate language of the Anglo-‐Saxon poet Cynewulf and his school. The best of their productions is probably the passionate Dream of the Rood. In addition to these religious compositions, Old English poets produced a number of more or less lyrical poems of shorter

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length, which do not contain specific Christian doctrine and which evoke the Anglo-‐Saxon sense of the harshness of circumstance and the sadness of the human lot. The Wanderer and The Seafarer are among the most beautiful of this group of Old English poems.

Poetry in the Context of Performance: The Scop

The scop had to be a master of his art, being able to recite thousands of lines from memory (the epic Beowulf alone has 3182 lines) and no doubt poor performances would mean ridicule for the scop and the withdrawal of patronage. This is not to mean that the scop worked purely from memory as there is evidence that the swift composition of fitting verse was also the mark of a skilled man. After Beowulf has slain the monster Grendel and is returning triumphantly to Heorot with his companions we are told that...

"From time to time, the tried-‐in-‐battle their gray steeds set to gallop amain, and ran a race when the road seemed fair. From time to time, a thane of the king, who had made many vaunts, and was mindful of verses, stored with sagas and songs of old, bound word to word in well-‐knit rime, welded his lay; this warrior soon of Beowulf's quest right cleverly sang, and artfully added an excellent tale, in well-‐ranged words, of the warlike deeds he had heard in saga of Sigemund."

These few lines demonstrate clearly the scop's skill in maintaining a large store of verse, his ability to construct new material at need and also the intertwining of tales, which must surely have already been known to his audience.

Old English poetry was very formulaic, with the same patterns being re-‐used with variations time and again. Additionally, alliteration and stress were used in the place of rhyme, which can sound strange but powerful to the modern ear. Another striking feature of Old English poetry was the use of many metaphors or kennings for common subjects: The sea could be referred to as the “whale's way,” the “gannet's bath,” the “swan's riding” and so on.

Unfortunately, being an almost purely oral tradition, only about 30,000 lines of Old English poetry remain for us to enjoy today.

http://lib.blcu.edu.cn/per/981/en/e-‐l-‐2.htm

Anglo Saxon Poetry



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According to the Venerable Bede, the first significant body of Germanic settlers in England had been hired as mercenaries by the British Prince Vortigern during fifth-‐century struggles for power among British Celts that broke out when Roman colonial troops were withdrawn. After a falling-‐out with their employer, these Germanic warriors seized British territory in the south of England for themselves and brought their families over the English Channel to settle it. Archaeological evidence also reveals a gradual infiltration of Germanic peoples into England along the rivers of east central England, then a low-‐lying bayou country that would have been impossible to police. Bede tells us that the Germanic settlers came from Anglian and Saxon regions of continental Europe, within the modern territories of Holland, Southern Denmark, and Western Germany. The settlers brought with them, in their heads, an extensive body of lore encoded in alliterative verse, including versified laws as well as historical and legendary narratives. Some of the settlers could use a runic alphabet to carve brief messages, mostly on wooden sticks, but writing was not used for Old English historical or literary material until the conversion to Christianity, when manuscript technology entered from Rome and Ireland. Old English literature includes a number of works based on native Germanic legend, including the remarkable Beowulf, a complete epic peopled by half-‐Christian Germanic warriors. The interweaving of Christian elements with native Germanic materials in this work is so thoughtful and intricate that the two cultural strands are very difficult to unravel. Other epic poems in native style use imported Christian narratives. Two of

Anglo-‐Saxon Culture

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the best, by a poet named Cynewulf, have heroic female protagonists. As in Celtic saga, representation of gender roles in Old English narrative may seem quite strange to a modern reader. In Beowulf, for example, Queen Wealhtheow uses her own treasure to pursue a political agenda independent of her husband’s and to some extent in conflict with it. It is clear from Germanic law and legend that wives retained possession of their own property and could count on their blood kin, especially their brothers, for protection against abuse. Their roles were strikingly different from that of wives in the Greco-‐Roman patriarchal system, which gave the husband absolute power over the wife and forbade her relatives to interfere in any way (read The Ancient City by Fustel de Coulanges if you are interested in the origins of European patriarchy) . Modern readers of Beowulf may also be surprised to find that the feelings of monsters are represented in some detail and that use of deadly force against them is supported by painstaking legal argument. After Latin learning came in with Christianity, the Anglo-‐Saxons produced academic and scientific works of remarkable quality for this period of European history, but the small intellectual establishment was quite fragile and often had to restart practically from scratch after Viking invasions that devastated monastic libraries. The most successful Viking invasions established a Scandinavian territory in northern England, and we find Norwegian kings like Eric Bloodaxe ruling in English cities like York. The Scandinavians eventually blended in, making important contributions to the English language (for example, nouns like skirt and pronouns like they, them). The power of the Anglo-‐Saxons was finally broken in 1066 by the


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Normans, who might almost be regarded as Vikings, since they came originally from Denmark, though after settling on the French coast they had adopted French customs and a dialect of the French language. The Norman invasion of King William I (a.k.a. the Conqueror) established a strong beachhead in Southern England. Sporadic resistance elsewhere was eventually crushed through advanced military technology involving moats and stone castles (Anglo-‐Saxon castles or halls were made of wood). After this period, Anglo-‐Saxon elements of English culture survived primarily in the working class, while French and Latin elements predominated in aristocratic circles. The animals tended by working-‐class herders, for example, often had Germanic names (cow, lamb, pig), while the finished products, served up on the aristocratic table, had names derived from French (beef, mutton, pork). Important elements of Anglo-‐Saxon law were incorporated into English law, however.


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Teacher Study Guide

Beowulf

Southwest Shakespeare Company

The Main Epic Poems of Ancient Literature

When we refer to epic poetry in the context of ancient literature, we usually refer to the two Greek poems attributed to

I. Homer, 1. The Iliad (about the role of Achilles in the Trojan War), and 2. The Odyssey (about the misadventures of Odysseus trying to return from the Trojan War and the shenanigans of the suitors trying to usurp his place back in Ithaca), II. and the derivative one in Latin by Vergil,

• The Aeneid (about the travails of the Trojan prince Aeneas on his way from the Trojan War to Italy where he founds a new home for the future Romans).

Epic Features

These book-‐long poems are unlike most other poems we are familiar with, and not just for their length. They are different in that:

they switch around from scene to scene and 2. there is dialogue, like a play. Epic = Drama + Narrative Speeches make up so much of epic poems that Plato called epic poetry a mixture of dramatic and narrative literature, according to classical scholar Albin Lesky.

Oral Tradition of Epic Poetry

Lesky says the speeches might be a throwback to the oral tradition of epic, where the epic story was passed down, from master storyteller to pupil, possibly within a family. The storyteller or "rhapsode" played a lyre as he sang his improvised epic song. The epic song was composed of elements from myth and folklore welded into place by means of the rhapsode's skilled insertion of formulaic elements.

Epic Hero

The central figure of ancient epic poetry is the hero. In the 3 major ancient classical epics, the heroes are

1. the Greek Achilles, in the Iliad,

2. the Greek Odysseus in the Odyssey, and

3. the Trojan Aeneas in the Aeneid.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/literat3/ qt/EpicPoetry.htm

An Epic Class Performance

Grade levels appropriate: 6-‐12

Objective(s): Each student will collaborate on the creation of a short poem using epic characteristics.

Each student will use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description to develop experiences, events, and/or characters within the poem. (6-‐12.W.3b)

Each student will collaborate to create a documented script as a team. (S1:C1:PO 201, S1:C1:PO 301)

Each student will construct or locate props to enhance the scene. (S1:C3:PO205)

Each student will evaluate the results of implemented suggestions, ideas, and concepts generated in the collaborative process. (S3:C1:PO301)

Directions: As a class, decide upon the epic hero and themes. Then, break the class into small groups. Have each group write one adventure from the epic journey. Once the chapters of the poem are complete, have each group prepare and perform their chapter/verse in front of the class – in order.

Record each segment to watch later and enjoy… as a class.

Characteristics of Epic Poetry

§ Epic heroes come from the heroic era, which precedes the Archaic Age in ancient Greece and the founding of Rome by the legendary king Romulus.

§ Epic heroes are typically of great national importance and represent the IDEAL hero.

§ The heroes of epic literature are bound by a code of honor.

§ The form of the epic is verse -‐-‐ Dactylic Hexameters (a type of rhythmic scheme) -‐-‐ marking it immediately as poetry.

§ The language of epic poetry is often formulaic.

§ The material of epic poetry is elevated; it does not dwell on the banal details of life.

§ Epic poetry tends to have catalogues. A catalogue is a long lists of objects, places, or people. (Such as ships).

§ Speeches are frequent.

§ The setting is worldwide or larger

§ Action within the poem involves superhuman deeds in battle

§ Gods and supernatural beings take an interest and sometimes an active part in the action

Beowulf


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Beowulf Southwest Shakespeare Company Teacher Study Guide

Discussions and Activities Heroes and Villains Beowulf is considered a hero whereas Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon were considered villains. What qualities did these characters possess that gave them those titles? What qualities make up a hero? What qualities make up a villain? How has the concept of a hero and villain changed over the decades? Centuries? Compare and Contrast the difference between a modern day hero such as Superman or Wonderwoman and an Anglo-‐ Saxon epic hero? Discussion Standard: 6-‐12.SL.1, 6-‐12.SL.3, 6-‐12.RL.2

Activity 1: Have your students create a research presentation of historical figures and/or modern day social figures that demonstrate qualities of heroes and villains. They should present at least one hero with their corresponding villain(s). (6-‐12.RL.5) Activity 2: Have your students research historical figures and/or modern day social figures that demonstrate qualities of a villain and write a formal letter to that villain to explain the opposite point of their tactics in hopes to change the outcome. (AZ.6-‐12.W.4)

Write your own Epic Poem

Grade levels appropriate: 6-‐12

Background: In Anglo-‐Saxon culture, a hero was a strong, intelligent, and couragous warrior. They had to be willing to face all odds, fight to the death for the glory of the people, and still be humble and kind. Write your own epic poem with a hero that possesses Anglo-‐Saxon qualities.

Objective(s): The student will create a short poem using epic characteristics.

The student will develop imagined experiences, events, and characters. (6-‐12.W.3)

Students will engage and orient the reader by establishing context and introducing a narrator, characters, and organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. (6-‐12.W.3a)

Directions: Using the characteristics of Epic Poetry (page 7) and Anglo-‐Saxon heroic qualities – create your own short epic poem with at least three different villains for the hero to overcome.

Discussion:

How does an epic differ from other works of literature?

Standard: 8.RL.6, 9-‐10.RL.6

Discussion:

Why is the focus of the story on Beowulf as a hero rather than as a king? What is the difference?

Standard: 6-‐12.RL.2

Compare/Contrast

In between every story and its audience stands a narrator who tells the story. The narrator has certain attitudes, opinions, interests and objectives in which direct the audience’s understanding of the story. After reading Beowulf: Describe the relationship between the narrator and the story, and between the narrator and the audience. (6-‐12.RL.5, 6-‐12.RL.6)

After the performance: How does Charlie Bethel establish this relationship within the performance of Beowulf? (6-‐12.RL.7)


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Discussion:

Does Beowulf have the right to be proud of himself? Why or why not?

The Anglo-‐Saxons had no problem with letting the world know who they were, who their noble parents were, what great feats they had accomplished and what they planned to do. This boasting was perfectly polite, even expected. Excerpt from Beowulf: “Hail! King Hrothgar! I am Hygelac’s thane, Hygelac’s kinsman. Many a deed Of honor and daring I’ve done in my youth… The best of my people, prudent and brave, Urged me, King Hrothgar, to seek you out; They had in remembrance my courage and might. Many had seen me come safe from the conflict, Bloody from battle; five foes I bound Of the giant kindred, and crushed their clan… And now with Grendel, the fearful fiend, Single-‐handed I’ll settle the strife.

Boasting Beowulf Objective(s): Each student will write a formal boast in Anglo-‐Saxon style (6-‐12.W.3) Each student will perform their written boast in front of the class. (6-‐12.SL.6, Theatre Standard:S1:C4:PO202, S1:C2:PO202) Directions: Write a formal boast about yourself, in Anglo-‐Saxon style (page 6). Tell us your deeds, who your parents are, what you plan to do, and how you’re not “gonna take nothin’ from no one.” Your accomplishments may be academic, athletic, musical, social, artistic, etc. Lay aside your humility! Remember, you’ll soon be applying for college or a job and may need to do a bit of boasting. Be creative and include your genealogy, your acts of courage, your victories over enemies, and any other achievements and awards. Punctuate your poem. To end your boast, state your next great act. Guidelines: Your boast must show your understanding of Anglo-‐Saxon poetry by following the Anglo-‐Saxon poetic format:

• No end-‐rhyme • A caesura in most lines • Heavy alliteration • Anglo Saxon style diction • At least three examples of an original kenning (see page 10

for examples • 10-‐15 lines

Remember: Don’t reveal your name and brag away. Bragging is a requirement on this assignment!!



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Relate: What monsters do we have to overcome in our own lives?

Beowulf fights 3 different monsters at three different times. We often have various monsters in our lives that hold us back. What monsters have you faced so far? Did you conquer them? What monsters still exist that you need to fight?

Animated Disney/Pixar movie Monsters, Inc., produced in

2001, changed the way children view monsters today. The lovable Sully and his

pal/partner in crime, Mike Wazowski fell in love with a small child, BOO, who wasn’t afraid of the “kitty” under her

bed.

Discussion:

Have you ever faced a monster of your own and discovered that it wasn’t as scary as it

seemed?

Monsters Exposed

Summary: This lesson is intended to have students investigate the idea of “monsters” in society. How have monsters been viewed, what purpose do they serve, why are they necessary? Students will begin by describing the idea of what a monster is. Students

will design and present their own conceptions of a monster.

Objectives: Each student will discuss the concept and reasoning for monsters in society. (6-‐12.L.1)

Each student will demonstrate an understanding of the concept of a monster by creating and presenting (with a visual aid) a monster of their own creation. (6-‐12.SL.3)

Each student will use internet resources to research monsters. (6-‐12.L.2)

Each student will write a brief and concise story about how his/her monster came to be. (6-‐12.W.3, S1:C4:PO105)

Directions: Discuss the following with your class

• How do we, as people, view monsters? • Why do you think monsters exist? • Can you give examples of monsters from your childhood? • Can you give examples of the way we see monsters in our society? • What are the positive aspects of monsters? • What need did monsters fill in society in the past, what need might they fill

now?

Next, have your students research monsters over the internet and choose one to present in class – with the following questions in mind:

• How are monsters depicted in social media such as movies, music, etc? • What elements are different and what elements are similar to our own views

of a monster?

Finally, have each student create their own version of a monster and write a short, illustrated children’s book about it’s adventures. The story should be concise and include the following:

• How the monster came to be • What kind of monster it is (what does it look like) • How it affects those around it and why

For further activity: When they are done they can read their short stories to the younger grade levels (1st– 3rd grades)



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Kennings Related to Battle

§ Battle metal = weapons § Battle-‐sweat = blood § Black song = reaver’s war cry § Blood-‐ember = axe § Bone-‐beak = axe § Dew of slaughter = blood § Feeding the eagle = killing

enemies § Light-‐of-‐battle = sword § Mind's worth = honor § Toast of ravens = blood § Traveling the Hel road = dying § War needles = arrows § Weather of weapons = large-‐scale

Modern Examples of Kennings § Ankle-‐biter = a very young child § Bean counter = a CPA or accountant § Bookworm = someone who reads a lot § Brown noser = person who does anything to

gain approval § Fender bender = slight car accident § First Lady -‐ wife of the president § Four-‐eyes = someone who wears glasses § Head twister = owl § Hot potato = something no one wants § Mind-‐reader = A person who knows what you

are thinking § Motor mouth = person who talks a lot and/or

fast § Pencil pusher = person with a clerical job § Pig-‐skin = a football § Postman chaser = dog § Rug rat = toddler or crawling baby § Show-‐stopper = performance receiving long

applause § Tree hugger = an environmentalist § Tree swinger = monkey § Tummy slider = penguin


Additional Resources

Additional Online Resources

http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/bull42.html

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Medieval_Studies/russom/anglos.html http://www.medievalsources.co.uk/mp_anglosax.htm http://www.kami.demon.co.uk/gesithas/index.html http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/beowulf-‐oe.html http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/early/pre1000/ASindex.html http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/English/Beowulf/eBeowulf/guide.htm http://www.angelcynn.org.uk/ http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Medieval_Studies/russom/anglos.html http://www-‐2.cs.cmu.edu/People/mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/med-‐anglosaxon-‐coll.html http://www.fayette.k12.in.us/~wgentry/anglosaxon/The_Anglo-‐Saxon_Period.html http://www.cog.jhu.edu/~slade/saxon.html http://www.library.unr.edu/subjects/guides/beowulf.html

Movie Adaptations

Beowulf – Animated movie, 2007, Director: Robert Zemekis, Starring: Robin Wright, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, PG-‐13

Beowulf and Grendel – 205, Director: Sturla Gunnarsson, R

Beowulf – 1999, Director: Graham Baker, R

Clash of the Titans – 1981, Director: Desmond Davis, PG

Grendel Grendel Grendel – Animated movie, 1981, Director: Alexander Stitt


11

History of the one-‐person show

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The One-‐Person Show

Bonney, Jo; Anthology (February 1, 1999). "preface xiii". In Jo Bonney. Extreme Exposure: An Anthology of Solo Performance Texts from the Twentieth Century (1st ed.). Theatre Communications Group; 1st edition. pp. 450. ISBN 1-‐55936-‐155-‐7.

History

We may assume that individuals have told stories in front of other members of their

tribe or society for thousands of years. They would have orally passed down many of today's myths and legends in this manner. So it is a style of performance that has been with us for generations develo ping through theatrical people such as Greek Monologists, the strolling Minstrels of Medieval England and the French Troubadors.

By the 1960s, the term performance art became popular

and involved any number of performance acts or happenings, as they were known. Many performers, like Laurie Anderson, developed through these happenings and are still performing today.

A solo theatre piece which foregrounds

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the abilities of the specific performer in a full-‐ length exploration of character, narrative, or theme. Although the essence of the one-‐person show may be found in the storytelling traditions of any culture, the form as such hails from eighteenth-‐century solo entertainments, like those of George Alexander Stevens, and the nineteenth-‐century ‘platform’ performance. Charles Dickens, who read publicly from his own work throughout Britain and the United States, epitomized the genre as a

packaging of literary material, performative skill, and charismatic presence. In the USA, Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits booked readings from stables of popular performers. By the twentieth century the one-‐person show had spread to the music hall and theatre, and might feature songs, sketches, and impersonations. Ruth Draper portrayed single characters, evoking a cast of imaginary listeners. In mid-‐ century, Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens and Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain became known for their nightly biographical incarnations.

In the latter part of the twentieth century, John Gielgud revived the ‘reading’ form of the one-‐ person show, with an acclaimed program of

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Shakespearian excerpts. Spalding Gray and Quentin Crisp built shows around autobiographical material, as have touring performers from other countries, including Africa and India; Barry Humphries satirized British life in the guise of Dame Edna Everage. Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Eric Bogosian mounted notable solo productions, each embodying a variety of sharply observed characters. In the 1990s Anna Deavere Smith used the one-‐person genre to investigate controversial cultural events.

Definition and Distinctive Traits of “Solo-‐ Performance” The term one-‐man show often referred to comedian, who would stand on stage and entertain an audience. With the advent of feminism, words and phrases such as one-‐woman show and comedienne have entered the modern-‐day lexicon.

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Teacher Study Guide Southwest Shakespeare Company Beowulf

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While a one-‐person show may be the musings of a comedian on a theme, the form can accommodate a wider scope. In the preface of the book Extreme Exposure, editor Jo Bonney uses the term "solo performance" to encompass those performers who do not necessarily have a comedic history. She suggests that "at the most basic level, despite their limitless backgrounds and performance styles, all solo performers are storytellers." This assumption is based on her assertion that a number of solo shows have a storyline or a plot. Bonney also suggests that a distinctive trait of solo performance resides in its frequent lack of a fourth wall separating the performer from the audience, stating that a "solo show expects and demands the active involvement of the people in the audience". While this is often the case, as in the shows of performers coming directly from the stand-‐up comedy tradition, it is not a requirement: some solo shows, such as Krapp's Last Tape by Samuel Beckett, are performed without the performer addressing the audience directly.

When creating a show, a solo performer is not limited to creating and performing the show themselves. They can use directors, writers, designers, and composers. An example of how Eric Bogosian builds a character can be found in the published version of his show Wake Up And Smell the Coffee, by Theatre Communications Group, New York. The backgrounds of solo performers over the decades range from vaudeville, stand-‐ up comedy, poetry, music, the visual arts, magic, cabaret, and dance.

Categories and Performers

Since solo shows have long been the domain of comic performers,[citation needed] it should be no surprise that many American comedians, past and present, have come to prominence through this genre. Performers include Lily Tomlin, Andy Kaufman, Rod Maxwell, Lord Buckley, Eric Bogosian, Whoopi Goldberg, Jade Esteban Estrada,

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Eddie Izzard, John Leguizamo, Anna Deavere Smith, Bill Hicks, Brother Blue and Lenny Bruce. Several performers have presented solo shows in tribute to famous personalities. The blueprint for this type of show may have been drafted by Hal Holbrook, who has performed as Mark Twain in his solo show, Mark Twain Tonight, more than 2,000 times since 1954. Examples since that time include Julie Harris in the Emily Dickinson biography, The Belle of Amherst; Tovah Feldshuh as Golda Meir in Golda's Balcony; Alan Safier

as George Burns in Say Goodnight Gracie by Rupert Holmes; Ed Metzger in his solo show, performing since 1978, Albert Einstein, The Practical Boheian; and Ed Metzger in another one-‐person show Hemingway, On The Edge. In what was possibly the only instance in which an actor adapted an entire novel for the stage, Patrick Stewart played all 43 parts in his version of A Christmas Carol, which played three times on Broadway and at the Old Vic in London, while the actor Gerald Charles Dickens plays 26 characters in his performances from the same work. Jack Aranson starred in a one man 13 character production of Moby Dick. One-‐person shows may be personal, autobiographical creations. This ranges from the intensely confessional but comedic work of Spalding Gray, the semi-‐ autobiographical A Bronx Tale by Chaz Palminteri, or Holly Hughes' solo piece World without End, in which she attempts to make sense of her relationship with her mother who had died. Still other shows may rally around a central theme, such as pop culture in Pat Hazel's The Wonderbread Years, relationships in Robert Dubac's The Male Intellect, the history of the New York City transit system in Mike Daisey's Invincible Summer, or fighting the system in Patrick Combs' Man 1, Bank 0. Sometimes, solo shows are simply traditional plays written by playwrights for a cast of one. Examples: Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell, I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright, The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead by Robert Hewett and Topless by Miles Tredinnick. A recent prolific performer of shows of this type is Chris Harris, whose performances in the genre include Kemp's Jig, That's The Way To Do It!, Ally Sloper's Half Holiday, Beemaster, 'Arris Music 'All and A Night At The Pantomime.

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There is also room in this genre for the inclusion of other art forms. Poetry pervades the work of Dael Orlandersmith, sleight-‐of-‐hand mastery informs Ricky Jay's self-‐titled Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants, magical and psychic performance skills are part of Neil Tobin's Supernatural Chicago.

North American Fringe festivals have provided platforms for many solo artists, including T.J. Dawe, Charles Ross, Amy Salloway and Susan Jeremy.

There have also been many British comedians who have moved away from performing pure stand-‐up comedy in recent years. The shows that appear annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can involve stories of pathos and the use of technological equipment such as projectors. Examples include Howard Read, who has performed with the animated character Little Howard which was projected with the aid of computers and Dave Gorman, who has performed several shows described as "documentary comedy".

Post-‐Show Discussion: The One-‐Person Performance

How did Charlie create the different characters?

Where you able to follow along and understand the story?

Was his use of costumes and props helpful or distracting?

Standard: 6-‐12.RL.5, 6-‐12.RL.7 Theatre Standard: S3:C2:PO201, S3:C2:PO104


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A Cast of One: The History, Art and

Nature of the One-‐Person Show

By Paula T. Alekson


“In the world of the theatre, the one-‐man show is perhaps the closest thing to having it all, a supreme test of assurance and ability, of magnetism and charisma. The format is both seductive and frightening; there’s no one to play against, to lean on, to share the criticism. But, for an actor, the prize at the end of a successful solo performance in not only applause but also acclaim—unshared.”

— Enid Nemy, from “Four for the Season, Alone in the Spotlight", New York Times (October 5, 1984)

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The American one-‐person show found its roots in the “platform performances” of the late-‐nineteenth century, in which authors, public speakers, and actors “masquerading” as professional elocutionists gave readings or recitations from published works of literature to polite audiences for their cultivation and edification. These events were purposely held in non-‐theatrical venues as a way to distinguish them from theater entertainments (such as vaudeville), which, due to the long history of antitheatrical prejudice (i.e., a bias against or hostility toward the theater and those associated with it) were still regarded as immoral amusements created by sinful and degenerate individuals. The lecture, Lyceum, and Chautauqua circuits featured American platform personalities such as Edgar Allen Poe, Henry David Thoreau, Alexander Graham Bell, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Daniel Webster, Anna Cora Mowatt and Charlotte Cushman. When Charles Dickens toured both Great Britain and America reading excerpts from his various works, he caused a sensation by embodying his numerous and diverse characters as he read. Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) spent much of his non-‐writing career appearing on the platform as lecturer and humorist, and he perfected a presentational technique which transformed his literature into performance texts. Lectures and readings eventually metamorphosed into one-‐person

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performances on the platform circuit as the focus of the performative material turned from literature to character sketches and monologues written expressly for performance. Eventually one-‐person showpieces began to appear on both the vaudeville and the legitimate stages, and sketches and monologues gave way to monodramas, or one-‐character plays. A surge in the number of one-‐person shows occurred in the American theater in the 1950’s and has never really decreased, owing not only to the popularity of the form, but also to its economical nature—a cast of one and, quite often, no set!

One-‐person shows—or solo performances, as they are often called—of the late-‐twentieth century to the present are largely artistic vehicles designed to display actor virtuosity and stamina, to highlight an actor’s ability of impersonation (of either one character or a variety of characters), to present a theater-‐going audience to a larger-‐than-‐life historical (or sometimes living) figure, and/or as a means of intimate autobiographical exploration and expression.

There are two modes for one-‐person shows: monologue and monopolylogue. A monologue features a single character speaking to a silent or unheard listener (most often the audience, who may be ignored or treated as observer, guest, confidant, or as a

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specific character). A monopolylogue features multiple characters, all performed by one actor; some monopolylogues feature dialogue in which the various characters talk to or converse with one another.

There are many types of one-‐person shows, and some defy clear classification. The most straightforward forms are biographical or autobiographical in nature. A biographical one-‐person play involves an actor directly impersonating or presenting his or her interpretation of the essence of a living or historical personage. Examples of this form are Mark Twain Tonight! written and performed by Hal Holbrook, William Luce’s portrait of Emily Dickinson, entitled The Belle of Amherst, which was originally performed by Julie Harris; Golda’s Balcony, in which Tovah Feldshuh first created William Gibson’s dramatic depiction of Golda Meir; and Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife in which Jefferson Mays created the role of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf and thirty-‐four other characters with whom she interacts (including the playwright). In an autobiographical one-‐person play, a writer/performer appears as him or herself and tells sometimes extremely intimate stories about his or her own life. Spalding Gray’s Swimming to Cambodia, Lisa Kron’s 2.5 Minute Ride, and Martin Moran’s The Tricky Part are


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Lilly Tomlin performs In Search for Intelligent Signs in the

Universe

Continued


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representative of this form.

Many contemporary solo performance pieces defy broad and clear categorization. For example, Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror and Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, utilize documentary material, such as personally recorded interviews and archival video recordings of public and private persons, which Smith weaves into a tapestry of monologues to tell the stories of and comment upon two dramatically explosive socio-‐historical events. Jane Wagner’s The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe, written for and performed by Lily Tomlin, at first glance seems to be a series of largely unconnected, self-‐contained, whimsical character monologues, but the play slowly reveals itself as a satirical critique and outline of the Women’s Movement in the latter half of the twentieth century. Monopolyloguist Nilaja Sun’s No Child... draws from the playwright-‐performer’s true-‐to-‐life experience as a teaching artist in the Bronx to present a monodrama of Sun’s attempts to mount a production of Our Country’s Good with a group of disaffected high school students. In one scene of the play, Sun embodies at least seven characters in an amazingly animated conversation between a classroom of students, Sun, and their teacher.

Regardless of their mode or form, one-‐person shows give the solo performer power, control, and complete responsibility over the work in performance. For the artist who is both writer and performer, there is absolute artistic freedom in the creative process and performance of his or her work. Perhaps one of the greatest reliefs for the solo actor is that he or she doesn’t have anyone depending upon him or her in the midst of a live performance, but therein lies the challenge, as he or she has no one but him or herself to depend upon—it is just the actor and the audience. It is a risky and exhilarating proposition for both sides of

Performance Opportunity: One-‐Person Show

Objectives: Each student will work individually to create characters for theatre (S1:C2: PO201) Each student will select/arrange materials such as props, costumes, furniture, or sound to create the setting/environment of the story to be dramatized (S1:C2:PO104) Each student will use available art materials, tools, and resources to convey the characters through costumes, accessories, and make-‐up designs the performance (S1:C3:PO108) Directions: Once you have created your own epic poem (see page 7 for details) or your Beowulf Boast (see page 8 for details) prepare and perform your poem as a one-‐person show in front of the class. When preparing your poem for performance -‐ please consider the following:

• Distinguish the different characters within the poem through body movement and tone of voice.

• Use props and costumes to help enforce

the action and create the different

Discussion:

Why are there so many stories-‐within-‐the-‐story in the poem? What is the relation between these so-‐called “digressions” and the main narrative in Beowulf?


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The Theatre Experience

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When you come to the theatre:

Arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the show in order to:

• Pick up your ticket from the box office.

• Go to the bathroom prior to the show – so you don’t have to excuse yourself in the middle of the production.

• Find your seat without bothering anyone or interrupting the show.

• Read the program.

Note: If the show has already started when you arrive -‐ Some theatres will make you wait for a break in the scene or performance before letting you into the theatre to find your seat. This is so you don’t disturb the viewing experience for other patrons as you find your seat.

A program will have information regarding the show, the actors in the show, and any notes from the director the audience will need in order to understand the show. Take time before the play begins to look through this information. Once the show starts, the lights will dim, and it will be very hard to read.

What to expect and how to react at the show

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During the show:

• Turn off all media devices such as cell phones, ipods, ipads, etc.

• Refrain from speaking during the performance.

• Feel free to laugh if something is funny and applaud at the end of the scene or show if you enjoyed the performance. Actors enjoy the physical feedback.

• Please stay in your seat during the entire show. Only use the restroom during intermission or after the performance UNLESS it is an emergency.

Note: No food or drink is allowed in the theatre. Be sure to dispose of such items in the lobby before the show or during intermission.


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Who’s Who at the Theatre


The Playwright writes the script. Sometimes it is from an original idea and sometimes it is adapted from a book or story. The Playwright decides what the characters say, and gives the Designers guidelines on how the play should look.

The Director creates the vision for the production and works closely with the actors, costume, set and lighting designers to make sure everyone tells the same story.

The Actors use their bodies and voices to bring the author’s words and the director’s ideas to life on the stage.

The Designers imagine and create the lights, scenery, props, costumes and sound that will compliment and complete the director’s vision.

The Shop and Stage Crew builds the set, props and costumes according to the designer’s plans. The Stage Crew sets the stage with props and furniture, assists the actors with costume changes and operates sound, lighting and stage machinery during each

The Stage Manager assists the director during rehearsals by recording their instructions and making sure the actors and designers understand these ideas. The Stage Manager then runs the show during each performance by calling cues for lights and sound, as well as entrances and exits.

The Front of House Staff welcomes you to the theater, takes your tickets, helps you find your seat and answers any question you may have on the day of performance.

The Theater is where it all takes place.

Charlie Bethel is an actor/writer with four critically acclaimed solo shows to his credit: Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Seven Poor Travellers, and Tom Thumb, or, The Tragedy of Tragedies. He has also worked as a stage manager, producer, electrician, milliner, director, and properties and set dressing artist.

Theaters: Trinity Rep, Utah Shakespearean Festival, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Econo-‐Art Theater Company, Red Bones, Next Theater Company, Apple Tree, The Jungle Theater, The Guthrie Theater, The Children’s Theatre Company, Hey City Stage, Minnesota Opera, Opera Memphis, Southwest Shakespeare Company, Walking Shadow, Chopping Block, Key City Public Theatre, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Cape May Stage and Caliban Co. to name a few.

In addition to the theater work, Charlie has worked as a creative consultant for the Diamond-‐Star /Mitsubishi Motors Company (Normal, IL), as a writer for Red Farm Films (Seattle), and as a filthy joke generator for the Innovisions Greeting Card Company (Chicago). He's also, naturally, been a barista at Starbucks, a beggar in Daley Plaza, a cleaner of baby poo, an angry sonneteer, and a propagandist for the Shedd Aquarium.

His solo performances have been presented all over the US: from The Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences (Charleston, WV), to Cincinnati Playhouse, and a couple of Fringe Festivals, to Joseph Campbell's Centenary Celebration at the Esalen Institute (Big Sur, CA-‐-‐which was a total blast),to the Mythic Journeys Conference in Atlanta.

Charlie's solo work delights audiences large and small, educated and not, well-‐heeled and plain spun.

He’s currently working on a solo version of The Odyssey to premiere at Orlando Shakespeare Theatre in March, 2013.

Charlie is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts, and he comes from a long line of talkers. Recently he was featured on the History Channel's series, Clash of the Gods as a commentator on, you guessed it, Beowulf.

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