Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English, written between the 8th Beowulf and the early 11th century. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet. It is centred around the heroic deeds of a great warrior, who kills monsters and fights all kinds of different enemies, including a dragon.
 The story highlights the values traditionally associated with the epic genre: courage in battle, loyalty to one’s chief and people, strength, generosity and endurance. The poem is set in Scandinavia.
 This adaptation is written in modern narrative form and contains dossiers about epic poetry, the language used, and the historical and cultural context.
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities.
 
 Beowulf è il più lungo poema in Old English. Narra le eroiche imprese di un grande e valoroso guerriero che uccide mostri e combatte contro nemici di ogni genere, tra cui un terribile drago. La storia esalta tutti i valori tradizionalmente associati all’epica: coraggio, lealtà, generosità e resilienza. Una stimolante lettura che offre anche approfondimenti sulla poesia epica, la lingua usata, e riferimenti al periodo storico e culturale.

Beowulf: Presentation

Chapter 1 – Grendel the Monster

Extension: Epic poetry

Chapter 2 – Grendel’s Death

Extension: The Anglo-Saxons

Chapter 3 – The End of the Monster

Extension: The language of Beowulf

Chapter 4 – The King and the Dragon

Extension: Graves and treasure

Chapter 5 – Beowulf’s Barrow

Extension: Beowulf ’s influence

Summing-up activities

Glossary

The voyage ???? Grendel the Monster Chapter BEFORE READING 1 1 What do you know about the weapons and the protections worn by medieval warriors? Match these words with the corresponding picture. chain mail   helmet   knife   shield   spear   sword a. ..................................... b. ..................................... c. .................................... d. ..................................... e. ..................................... f. ..................................... 2 Among the following, choose five adjectives that best characterise a hero. Then explain your choices to the class. Use a monolingual dictionary for the words you do not know. affectionate   ambitious   charismatic   courageous   creative   generous   gentle   honourable   impulsive   loyal   reliable   sociable   strong 3 You are going to read about a hero who fights against a monster. Now write a paragraph about a monster that you know of   for example from a book, a film or even a videogame. St George and the Drake (Paolo Uccello, 1460 c.). 

Beowul Grendel the Monster Chapter 1 This story takes place a long time ago, in the early 6th century, in Denmark. Its inhabitants, the Danes, were a people of proud warriors1, and their kings had power and glory. The first of them was Shield Sheafson. He was a good king and ruled his land for a long time. When he died, his warriors put his body into a ship and covered it with jewels, gold and weapons. Then, when the ship was full of precious things, they let it go into the sea and nobody ever heard of it again. One of Shield s great-grandchildren was Hrothgar, a great warrior. He was very strong and brave. He won many battles and covered himself with glory. He became so famous that all his friends and relatives were happy to go and fight under his command. With time, the number of his men grew so much that they became a large army. Hrothgar, then, decided to build a mead hall2, where he could rule as a king, but also entertain his nobles, offering them banquets3 and gifts. He wanted to make a magnificent hall, so he called workmen from all over the North to do the work. In a short time, the great mead hall was completed and the king named it Heorot. It was very big and so tall that it could be seen from a distance. Every night there were banquets, the harps played and the scops4 sang poems about the adventures of famous heroes and about the origin of the world. The music and singing from the hall was so loud that it could be heard from far away. They had a good time there, everybody was happy, but outside, in a dark cave5 in the swamps6 nearby, somebody was planning 1. warrior: a very brave soldier, experienced in war. 2. mead hall: a hall for banquets of the Anglo-Saxon warriors. In it, they drank beer and mead, an alcoholic drink made from honey. From the 5th century to the early medieval times, the mead hall was also the residence of the king. 3. banquet: a formal meal for many people. 4. scop: /  p/ minstrel or poet in Old English. 5. cave: a big hole under the ground or in a mountain. 6. swamp: an area of wet land with plants growing in it. 7 

"Beowulf," il più lungo poema in Old English, narra le eroiche imprese di un guerriero. Con approfondimenti su epica, lingua, valori tradizionali

Beowulf Collana RAINBOWS

Level B1 • Pre-Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

Beowulf

Flowbooks è una piattaforma di distribuzione dedicata al mondo della scuola e dell'università.  Con questa piattaforma di distribuzione, il team di sviluppo Flowbooks  si impegna a soddisfare le esigenze degli utenti digitali, rendendo l'utilizzo accessibile e piacevole.  Entra nella tua area di interesse!

Edisco è una Casa editrice indipendente che opera prevalentemente nel settore educativo.

Edisco

Flowbooks è innovazione didattica a portata di click