Battle With Grendels Mother Summary

Beowulf'due south fight with Grendel'due south Mother picks up right where his fight with Grendel left off. Read on to see how Beowulf continues to prove himself a hero among barbarians and Christians.

PLOT SUMMARY

Exposition – The Groundwork

Having celebrated Beowulf's defeat of Grendel, Hrothgar ushers him off to a splendid bedchamber for a much deserved night'due south sleep.

Inciting Incident – The Problem

Picayune do they know, however, their troubles are not really over. Another monster, Grendel'due south Mother, breaks into Heorot, snatches up ane of the men named Aeschere, and carries him off.

Ascent Action – The Build-up

When Beowulf learns of this the next morning time, he immediately organizes an expedition to seek out Grendel's Mother. No longer the fearful men they were during Grendel's feasting days, the Danes join the Geats. Together they runway Grendel's Mother all the manner to an eerie lake where they find Aeschere's head staked on a mail service.

Though the surrounding terrain is frosted with water ice, the lake itself is ablaze with fire and total of evil monsters. Hrothgar marks 1 with his bow and shoots it dead, proving that he has regained his battle prowess and still worthy to be king in his own correct.

Climax – The Breaking Signal

Merely this fight, like the last one, is actually for Beowulf. He alone is dauntless enough to dive into the strange waters and proceed the chase for Grendel'southward Mother. Every bit he plunges deeper and deeper, he suddenly feels himself held fast past a tremendous creature with a hairy breast. It is none other than Grendel'southward Female parent.

She pulls him into her lair, which consists of a dry out area at the greatest depth of the lake. She seems to have the advantage, existence on her home turf and then total of an evil want for revenge. But then Beowulf spots an aboriginal sword forged past giants with magic from the Sun and manages to kill her with it.

Falling Action – The Unraveling

As he looks around the lair, his eyes take a chance upon Grendel's body. (The monster had gone domicile to the lair to die afterward his arm was ripped off). Desiring another trophy, Beowulf chops off Grendel'due south head, which gushes blood all the mode up to the surface.

Hrothgar sees it, assumes Beowulf was killed, and departs for Heorot. Even so hopeful, the Geats remain longer and see Beowulf sally victorious with Grendel's grisly head.

Resolution – Problem Solved

The Danes host some other banquet for the Geats, showering upon them even more treasures. The monsters are dead; peace and accolade accept been restored once and for all. Hrothgar and Beowulf bid 1 some other a sad farewell, now sharing a bond of loyalty and love akin to a father and a son.

PLOT ANALYSIS

Structurally, Beowulf's fight with Grendel'southward Female parent mirrors his fight with Grendel. Just swap out i monster for another, one battleground for some other, and y'all have pretty much the same story. So why have Beowulf practise everything all over again? Is it but a inexpensive way to stretch out the storyline and take more thrills?

Not exactly. As my students realize during our class discussions, the second fight is all nigh character growth. Let'south start with Hrothgar. After Grendel's defeat, he had regained his legitimate status as king and was once once more able to provide for his people in the great hall of Heorot. But it is not until the fight with Grendel'due south Mother that Hrothgar proves himself strong in battle, worthy of respect and even fear. His transformation is now complete. We know that he will live out his days as a fit king of the Danes.

Allow's turn to Beowulf at present. As ever, he'south really the character to focus on.

Fighting Grendel is zip to sneeze at, merely it pales in comparison to fighting Grendel's Mother at the lesser of her eerie lake. That's because the lake symbolizes Hell, the source of all the problems in Denmark. Beowulf dives into its very depth, kills Grendel's Mother at great peril to his own life, and thereby cleanses the lake of all its monsters. At that place is zilch left to terrorize Heorot, and so the Danes can sleep easy once and for all.

Figuratively, Beowulf's role as a messianic character comes full circle when he faces Grendel'southward Mother. Having previously left his father in Sweden to serve a strange people, nosotros now encounter him offer his life to relieve them from non i monster merely all of them. When the story closes, Beowulf gets to return to his father, knowing his mission is fully accomplished. Amend however, he did it all out of kindness, taking only the glory of his groovy deeds every bit a prize. Beowulf truly is a Christian-barbarian hero.

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