Конспект урока "Beowulf, the mighty hero" 8 класс

There once was a king in England named Hrothgar,
who had won a lot of battles against his enemies. He had
rooms full of treausure and hundreds of loyal soldiers to
protect him. But besides being rich, he was wise and kind
and his people were happy. Hrothgar loved to give feasts
for his friends and warriors, and for miles around people
could hear the music and laughter from Horthgar’s great
hall. Life seemed perfect for the king and the people of
England.
But deep in the nearby forest,
the monster Grendel wasn’t happy.
He was half-man and half-monster.
He hated Hrothgar, and even more,
he hated the happy sounds coming
from the great
hall. So one
night he left his
cave in the forest, and crept into the hall
where Horthgar’s soldiers lay sleeping. When
Horthgar came down from his chamber the next morning, he found
nearly all of his men dead. Horthgar was furious that the monster had
killed his friends and he wanted revenge. But he couldn’t fight
Grendel by himself and most of his soldiers were
dead. There wasn’t a hero left in all England to
fight for him.
Across the sea in Denmark, a great hero
named Beowulf /ˈbeɪ.ɵwʊlf/ heard about
Grendel’s terrible deed. He knew Horthgar was
a good king, so he came to him and suggested
a plan to kill the monster. That night, Beowulf set a trap for Grendel.
He put his soldiers in the hall, and pretended to have a feast. When
Grendel heard the noise, he stormed to the castle, determined to kill
all those within.
But as Grendel entered the castle, Beowulf jumped out at him.
Grendel roared at the trick and attacked Beowulf. The two fought so
fiercely, that they nearly destroyed the castle.
Grendel seemed to be winning until Beowulf
ripped Grendel’s arm off. Grendel cried out in
pain, and with his good arm threw Beowulf to the
ground. Before Beowulf could get back on his
feet, Grendel ran back to his cave. Beowulf
chased the monster, but by the time he got to
Grendel’s cave, the monster lay dead.
Hrothgar and his people were saved! And to honour their new
hero many long and happy feasts were held in the castle.
1. Number the events below in the order that they happen in the story:
Grendel killed many of Horthgar’s men. _____
Beowulf fought Grendel. _____
Beowulf found Grendel dead. _____
Beowulf set a trap for Grendel. _____
2. Be a newspaper editor and fill in the blanks with the correct word or
phrase:
There was once a king in England named …………………………
(who), who had won many battles against his enemies. But deep
…………………………….. (where) the monster Grendel wasn’t
happy. Beowulf went to Horthgar and suggested a ……………….
(what)to kill the monster. ………………………. (when)Beowulf set a
trap for Grendel. When Grendel heard the noise, he stormed to the
castle ……………………………. (why).
3. Beowulf is an Old English heroic epic poem. It is not known who wrote
it, but it was originally written down between the 8th and the 11th
century. The only copy of Beowulf that still exists is from about 1010.
Beowulf is 3182 lines long.
The protagonist of the poem is Beowulf. The poem is named after him.
In the poem, Beowulf fights three monsters: Grendel and Grendel's
mother, and later in his life an unnamed dragon. The tale takes place
in that part of Scandinavia from which Germanic tribes emigrated to
England. Beowulf comes from Geatland, the southeastern part of what
is now Sweden. Hrothgar, king of the Danes, lives near what is now
Leire, on Zealand, Denmark's largest island.
4. Story
Hrothgar, a Danish king, has built a big mead hall (a simple building,
the residence of a lord), which is called Heorot. Hrothgar and his
people live a good life and celebrate in Heorot. But then they are
attacked by Grendel, who comes to Heorot (Хеорот)every night and
kills some of Hrothgar's people.
Beowulf is a Geatic (гаутский военначальник) warrior from Geatland
(modern southern Sweden). He hears of Hrothgar's troubles with
Grendel. Beowulf and his men leave Geatland to help King Hrothgar.
Beowulf and his men stay the night in Heorot. When Grendel comes to
kill them, Beowulf fights him. Beowulf tears Grendel's arm off from his
body and sticks it on the wall as a trophy. Grendel runs to his home in
the marshes, where he dies. Everyone is happy that Grendel is killed
and celebrates. But the next night, Grendel's mother comes to Heorot
and kills many people for revenge and grabs Grendel's arm. Beowulf
then goes to the marshes where Grendel and his mother lived. Beowulf
fights Grendel's mother and kills her.
Beowulf later becomes a king. He fights a dragon that was living in a
barrow (гора). With the help of the young man Wiglaf, Beowulf kills the
dragon. But Beowulf is wounded in the final battle and dies.
5. A quiz about Beowulf
1. Who is the author of Beowulf?
a) A monk
b) Anonymous
c) A scop
2. What literary period does Beowulf represent?
a) Old English
b) Middle English
c) Modern English
3. What is the length of the poem?
a) 3214 lines
b) 3821 lines
c) 3182 lines
4. Where does Beowulf come from?
a) Denmark
b) Geatland
c) Heorot
5. Who is the king of the Danes?
a) Beowulf
b) Horthgar
c) Arthur
6. How does Beowulf kill Grendel?
a) He chops off his head
b) He cuts his heart
c) He tears off his arm
7. What is Grendel’s mother’s name?
a) Hygd
b) Gretyl
c) It is never mentioned
8. Grendel’s mother lives in
a) The woods
b) The island
c) The swamp
9. After Beowulf kills Grendel, his mother seeks to avenge his son’s
death
a) True
b) False
10. What is the name of the sword Unferth gives Beowulf to fight
against Grendel’s mother?
a) Heorot
b) Werling
c) Hrunting
11. Grendel’s mother is killed with
a) A sword
b) A dagger
c) A catapult
12. Beowulf never received treasures for his brave deeds
a) True
b) False
13. Beowulf returns to Geatland and eventually becomes a king
a) True
b) False
14. The dragon wounds Beowulf while fighting
a) True
b) False
15. The poem doesn’t tell about Beowulf’s death
a) True
b) False
16. Beowulf receives kingly burial after his death
a) True
b) False