Posted on by Stephanie McGann

Beowulf #3: Fighting Grendel

From the character sketches in the last post, we already know Beowulf fights three monsters: Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Fire Dragon. Though each fight is part of a larger narrative, they have three distinct plots, defined as a series of causally-related events that revolve around a central problem, rise to a climax, and ultimately come to a resolution.

Here is the first plot, which revolves around Beowulf’s fight with Grendel.

PLOT SUMMARY
Exposition – The Background

At the outset of the story, we learn of a powerful barbarian king of Denmark named Hrothgar who has built a large hall called Heorot. Symbolic of his strength as well as his generosity, his people gather and feast there nightly, enjoying the security of armed peace.    

Inciting Incident – The Problem

The inciting incident is the problem that sets the plot in motion. Put differently, it is an event of such great proportions that it fundamentally alters the world of the story and must be played out to its fullest extent. 

That’s where Grendel comes in. One night, seemingly out of nowhere, a horrific monster named Grendel breaks up one of the feasts in Heorot and eats a bunch of Hrothgar’s men.

Rising Action – The Build-up

Grendel makes feasting on the Danes his nightly ritual. Unable to defeat such a powerful foe, Heorot is cast low, and Hrothgar finds himself king of a wasted kingdom. Though the Danes had been a brave clan, they are shamed with fear (not to mention sleep deprived) for twelve years. Even Hrothgar turns into a shadow of his former self.  

Their ill fortune finally reaches Sweden. Prince Beowulf, known far and wide as a great warrior, decides to come to their aid.

He sails to Denmark and finds Hrothgar eager to receive him. Only Unferth, a jealous Dane, resents Beowulf’s offer. He contends that Beowulf isn’t really that great, calling him both a coward and a liar. Beowulf tells a story that proves otherwise and gains Hrothgar’s blessing to fight Grendel.

The Geats and the Danes enjoy a feast in Heorot, fully knowing that Grendel will eventually show up. In anticipation, the Danes gradually slip away to their hiding places, but not before giving Beowulf and his men soft blankets and pillows. The irony of their hospitality is never lost on my students!

Climax – The Breaking Point

Scared as they are, all the Geats nonetheless fall asleep—except for Beowulf. Grendel arrives, rips off the door, snatches up a man, and eats him. He reaches for his next victim and chances upon Beowulf.

Vigilant as ever, Beowulf meets Grendel’s grip with his own. The two get locked in a type of arm-wrestling match that ends up with Beowulf ripping off Grendel’s arm, mortally wounding him. Though Grendel manages to flee, he does not live. Meanwhile, Beowulf “wildly waves in the air his blood-soaked trophy,” aka Grendel’s arm.

Falling Action – The Unraveling

Naturally, everyone decides it’s a good idea to nail Grendel’s arm to the wall and have a party like in the days of old.

Resolution – Problem Solved

At long last, Hrothgar’s honor is restored, and his men can sleep easy again. Beowulf has saved the day. In thanks, Hrothgar bestows treasures on Beowulf and his men.

PLOT ANALYSIS

When I study Beowulf’s fight with Grendel with my students, we always come up with a number of different “problems” that could serve as the inciting incident and soon realize they are all related. The most obvious, at least most literal, problem is Grendel eating the Danes. We can go a little deeper, though, and also define the problem in figurative terms with a focus on Hrothgar.

All of Hrothgar’s power, the very essence of his manhood, has been stolen. To put it bluntly, Hrothgar has turned into a weakling, unfit to rule over his people. Lucky for him, no one else is willing to kill Grendel, so none can overthrow him. We are left to wonder if Hrothgar’s rule had somehow invited Grendel in, perhaps by letting his guard down or falling into a sinful pride. Either way, Hrothgar needs to be redeemed so his kingdom can thrive.

As we know, Beowulf does that for him. Sure, Beowulf likes the sport of fighting Grendel and the glory that comes with it, but that is not his real motive. He is fundamentally looking out for Hrothgar and his kingdom by saving their lives and their honor.

Here we see the kind of Christian-barbarian blending that makes Beowulf so important historically. Whoever immortalized this epic for us had great respect for the mindset of the Germanic and Scandinavian people it represents. He knew honor was most understood and respected on the battlefield, but he also knew that Christians needed to serve a higher purpose. For them, honor was gained through service and sacrifice. Hence, Beowulf was a hero among barbarians and Christians.

Illustration from Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race (1910)

Posted on by Stephanie McGann

The Legend of King Arthur #6: Plot Summary

In a literary sense, plot refers to a series of causally-related events that revolve around a central problem, rise to a climax, and ultimately come to a resolution. Roger Lancelyn Green followed this classical plot structure in his version of the legend of King Arthur, while also ensuring that it maintained its traditional connections to the Bible. Each plot element outlined below has a direct and deliberate connection to salvation history.   

Try following allow by filling in this plot diagram. Or use this complete one as a quick reference. I am also sharing my chapter journal questions that deal with specifics of the plot.

Exposition 

Another word for exposition is setting. The setting for King Arthur, then, is Britain sometime after the fall of the Roman Empire but before the full onset of the Middle Ages. Here we see a match-up between actual history and the legend since Britain at that time really was ruled by various barbarian groups, most famously the Saxons, who lacked a codified rule of law. Moreover, as barbarians, they lacked a Christian worldview and the order it imparts.

Arthur becomes king in this context and thus begins unifying the people of Logres into a Realm of Righteousness and turning it into a type of “Garden of Eden.”  

Inciting Incident  

The inciting incident is the problem that sets the plot in motion. Put differently, it is an event of such great proportions that it fundamentally alters the world of the story and must be played out to its fullest extent. The dolorous stroke is the inciting incident of King Arthur. In a literal sense, the dolorous stroke refers to when Sir Balyn struck King Pelles, maiming him and his kingdom beyond the powers of human healing.

Figuratively, it matches up to the fall of Adam and symbolizes the entry of sin. All of Arthur’s efforts will revolve around trying to ward off the ill effects of the dolorous stroke and restore Logres as a Realm of Righteousness.  

Rising Action  

King Arthur sends his knights on quest after quest to right the wrongs in his kingdom. The quests are wrought with great peril, but the Knights of the Round Table continually emerge victorious because of their great skill at arms and virtuous souls. This dramatic climb eventually comes to a head with the onset of the quest for the Holy Grail.

Literally, the Holy Grail is the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper. Figuratively, it represents the source of healing for Logres, or the means by which it can once again be a Realm of Righteousness. Try as they might, none of the knights are virtuous enough to achieve the quest.    

Climax  

Enter Sir Galahad, the “holy knight of Logres.” As explained in the character sketches, he is a Messianic figure. Like Christ, he is the only one who can “drink the cup” of the Holy Grail and heal the sinful effects of the dolorous stroke. His life’s purpose is accomplished at the conclusion of the quest, which is the climax, and so he dies and goes to Heaven.

It should be noted that Galahad objectively defeats sin, but he cannot subjectively defeat it for everyone else. Through him, it is possible for Logres to once again be a Realm of Righteousness, but it is up to each individual to make it that way.  

Falling Action  

Sometimes referred to as the “unravelling,” the falling action is typically a quick descent in the drama that seems almost without control. Here, we focus on the affair between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere. The illicit nature of their relationship permeates the story, but only reveals itself in all its ugliness at this point. The couple gets swept up in their romance, leaves caution to wind, and gets discovered.

Urged on by Sir Mordred, though without the approval of Sir Gawain, King Arthur deals swiftly with the treason. Sir Lancelot manages to escape, but as Arthur’s enemy.  

Resolution  

King Arthur learns too late that Sir Mordred was using the affair as a way to break the trust of the Round Table and elevate himself to the throne. Thus ensues a great battle between Arthur and Mordred, the latter of whom succeeds in turning many of the Knights of the Round Tables.

Arthur receives a grievous wound in the battle, which may or may not have killed him—the mystery makes for a great debate! In any event, his wound is largely symbolic as it represents the presence of vice in his life.

At this point, Morgana reemerges to “heal” Arthur in the mysterious Vale of Avalon, a place akin to purgatory. My students always feel a little let down by this resolution, so some prefer to call it an anti–resolution. After all, it seems like Arthur is dead and the Realm of Righteousness is defeated once and for all. 

Yet, a figurative interpretation gives us a different spin. Arthur lives on not only through the endurance of the story, but also through eternal life. He may not have been perfect, but he was able to subjectively win a place in Purgatory, the gateway to Heaven, thanks to Galahad’s objective victory over sin and death.

Finally and perhaps obviously, the last battle is comparable to the apocalypse. It is the end of the “world” of Logres, but also the final entry point into eternity, the true Realm of Righteousness.