beowulf contains severval homilies by hrothgar. find three of these "sermonlike" discuessions and?

Question

tell why each is important to the plot of the story
and how each advances the theme.
what do these homilies refect about anglo- saxon society and values !!??

Answer 1

Apocalyptic Motifs in Beowulf
Though Beowulf contains apocalyptic elements from beginning to end, the most important apocalyptic element of Beowulf, I suggest, is the poet's historicizing of the biblical monsters in his characterization of Grendel, his mother, and the dragon.
The main concern is with the monsters of Beowulf, who are related not only archetypally but also genetically, to the monsters of Apocalypse. Grendel "fits the paradigm of the apocalyptic beasts in general terms. He is the enemy of men and God (godes andsaca); he is associated with apostasy....In other words, like the apocalyptic beasts, Grendel becomes a physical projection of the world in a state of imminent collapse; and it is this level of symbolism that gives to Beowulf's battle against him its intensity and urgency"

The Allegory of the Dragon
Rome is represented by several allegories: the beast of the land, the beast from the sea, the harlot, Babylon, and the dragon. The Beowulf-poet manipulates the dragon allegory to represent Rome, but his dragon represents not Rome, pure and simple, but a hostile area of the (former) Roman empire, the Romanized Britain or the Roman-British

Rome as an Allegory of Evil in Early Christianity
Did the poet have any literary precedent to portray Rome as the apocalyptic monster? The answer is yes. In the literary tradition of the historical apocalypse, which the Christian author of Beowulf inherited, Rome is presented as a hideous apocalyptic monster--morally and literally.

It is true that St. Paul presents Rome in a favorable light and exhorts Christians to give Rome her due because political rulers receive their authority from God (Rom. 12-13). St. Paul would also counsel the Christians: "Bless those who persecute you" (Rom. 12: 14); the implication is that God in His turn will prosecute the the persecutor to avenge the persecuted (Rom. 12: 19). However, other contemporary Jewish and Christian writings (1 Peter, 2 Esdras, and the Book of Sibylline Oracles) present Rome in a negative light. The most anti-Roman Christian text is the Book of Apocalypse. It is the moral and theological view of this Christian text that underlies the Beowulf-poet's sub-human, demonic portrayal of the Grendelkin as images of the Roman Empire as well as his ethics of the desire for vengeance on one's enemies.

Answer 2

Probably all of his speeches talk about how strong and brave they are, and how many of them they are, how honorable his people are, etc. It's all bravery and honor of the people and all that. What I would do is to think of three major plot points and then see if Hrothgar made a speech there. Then, from there you can see what he was talking about in the speech. Most likely they will all be the same topic (as mentioned above). The easiest question will be reflecting about Anglo-Saxon society (you'll be able to say they were whatever Hrothgar says). Advancing the theme will probably be pretty easy to explain as well, because the theme will be exactly what he's talking about (strong men, brave troops, etc). The plot might be a little more difficult, but you will just have to figure out what the plot is and maybe think about what the plot would be like without his speeches.

Answer 3

Sweetie, everybody who goes through school has to actually read Beowulf. You might as well do it, too.