ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos

Beowulf 113100 Views


Share It!


Description:

Written in Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries, Beowulf is an epic poem that reflects the early medieval warrior culture of Europe. Basically, it's a poem about warriors who battle monsters... and each other, of course.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:00

<<Loogie hocking sound, spit>>

00:04

I

00:19

suppose you're here looking for Beowulf, eh?

00:22

Oh, you're... you're looking for me... Unferth?

00:28

... so I can tell you all about Beowulf. Well, that's just great.

00:32

Well, come on then, pull up that Ye Olde Ikea chair and have a seat.

00:39

Everything was hunky-dory here in the court.

00:42

I was beloved by my king, Hrothgar <<roth-garr>> who showered me with tons of bling -- swords,

00:48

armor, rings, you name it.

00:55

I was a real up-and-comer. Chicks dug me. Okay, so I haven't done anything to get rid

01:02

of Grendel, that horrifying creature who's been terrorizing Hrothgar's hall...

01:08

...but it is totally on my to-do list, I swear. Anyway, a couple of days ago, this Beowulf

01:17

goober shows up out of the blue.

01:20

He's one of a race of people called the Geats. Dumb name, if you ask me.

01:25

"Oh, honey, the "Geats" are coming over tonight." Stupid.

01:30

I've heard a rumor he's addicted to online shopping, too. More like eBay-owulf.

01:35

Anyway, he's immediately "in" with Hrothgar.

01:40

I guess Beowulf's dad and Hrothgar were friends or something. Used to tool around the links

01:45

together, who knows.

01:49

Nepotism will never die, right? Oh, but get this -- Beowulf is now promising

01:54

Hrothgar he's going to get rid of Grendel himself.

01:57

How cocky can you be? Hrothgar's buying it though. Someone's got

02:02

himself a new pet. But look -- I know this Beo-turd isn't as

02:11

mighty as he seems.

02:13

Take that swimming match with his friend Breca <<Bray-ka (roll the r)>> back in Geatland.

02:19

Everybody's talking about how Beowulf whooped him by swimming across the sea in full armor...

02:23

...but I have it on good authority that he actually LOST.

02:32

Not to mention that he ran up a ridiculous armor-cleaning bill.

02:38

And his boasts about how he's going to bring down Grendel?

02:41

Pfft. Whatevs. Put your money where your big, fat mouth is, Beo-dork.

02:46

Oh, and by the way... he claims he's going to take down Grendel... with his bare hands.

02:52

Seems to me this guy is a few screws short of a hardware store.

02:57

The ladies may be flocking to him now, but just wait.

03:01

In a few days, everything will be back to normal.

03:04

Beowulf will be lying in pieces on the hall floor, and I'll be Hrothgar's favorite again.

03:16

I'm not worried. Do I look worried? I'm not. Seriously.

Up Next

The Importance of Being Earnest Summary
123040 Views

They say that honesty is the best policy, but Jack lies about his identity and still gets the girl. Does that mean we should all lie to get what we...

Related Videos

The Giver Summary
105893 Views

Ever wish you could remember everything that you ever studied? How about everything that everyone has ever studied? Yeah, pretty sure our brains ju...

Invisible Man (Ellison)
1818 Views

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is an American classic. Hope you're not expecting any exciting shower scenes though. It's not that kind of book.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
1257 Views

Do not go gentle into that good night. In fact, if it's past your curfew, don't go at all into that good night. You just stay in your good bed and...

Quotes: A fool's paradise
296 Views

Find out the meaning behind "a fool's paradise."