Structure of Beowulf
Events in the past, not in
chronological order
Main story, in the present,
mostly in chronological
order
Prologue: story of Scyld,
genealogy up to Hrothgar &
Heorot
(lines 1-85)
Events in the future (for
the characters, though
still the past from the
reader’s perspective)
Heorot will later burn down
(82-85)
Grendel’s attacks (86-193)
Cain & Abel (106-114)
Hrothgar remembers B.’s
father & the feud Hr. helped
to end (369-381 and
456-472)
B’s swimming contest
(535-581)
Beowulf travels to Heorot and
offers his help (starting at line
194)
Unferth taunts Beowulf and
Beowulf responds (starting at
499)
B. fights Grendel (starting at
710)
Celebration (starting at 836)
Deeds of Sigemund and
Heremod (873-914)
brief reference to later
troubles among Danes
(1017-1018)
poet sings of fight at
Finnsburh (1066-1158)
gifts given to Beowulf
(1191-1214)
Wealhtheow hopes B. will have
hoard of treasure and be role
model of loyalty for her sons
(1215-1231)
Grendel’s mother attacks
(starting at 1251)
the necklace will be lost
when Hygelac fights Franks
(1202-1214)
B fights her (starting at 1383)
the destruction of the giants
in the Flood (1688-1693)
more about Heremod
(1709-1723)
story of (Mod)Thryth
(1932-62)
B. returns home (starting at
1888)
B. tells his story and passes on
gifts (2009-2099)
fast forward--brief references
to Hygelac’s death,
subsequent fighting
(2200-2210)
dragon’s motivation
(2214-2286)
dragon attacks (2210-2323)
story of the people who
gathered the treasure and
left it, arrival of the dragon
(2232-2280)

recalls his successes at
Heorot (2352-2354)
 Hygelac’s death in Frisia,
how Beowulf escaped by
swimming, turns down
offer to become king
(2354-2376)
 Heardred’s reign &
fighting with Swedes
(2377-2396)
 B’s youth in Hrethel’s
reign, fighting with
Swedes and Franks
(2326-2509)
(Footnote 6 on p. 88 is
helpful for straightening out
the series of events)
B. prepares to fight dragon
(starting at 2324)
expects trouble when
Freawaru marries Ingeld
(2020-2069)
Beowulf enters the dragon’s
lair (starting at 2538)
Weohstan killed Eanmund
(2610-2619)
Others run away, but Wiglaf
stays (2596-2630)
dragon & Beowulf both killed
(2699-2728)
recounts story of earlier part
of feud with Swedes
(2924-2988)
a warrior takes news of the
death back to the people
(2892-3028)
Beowulf’s funeral (3110-3182)
expects trouble from Franks
and Swedes (2910-3008)