- 1
What changes do you notice in the repetition of the story? Why do you think they appear? What may be the purpose of the repetition overall?
Once students have identified key differences (e.g., the inclusion of Freaw and her marriage to Ingerd, the naming of the soldier killed by Grendel, and the mention of Grendel's pouch), challenge students to consider the purpose of these changes in two respects: the context of the events within the poem, and the context of the poem as an enduring literary work that would have been transmitted orally.
- 2
Why do you think the story of Thrith is included in Beowulf?
Perhaps to contrast with Grendel's mother, a similarly fierce...
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