There are plenty of terrifying monsters in the history of literature, but not all that many of them have mothers. Why do you think Grendel’s mother might figure so importantly in this poem? How does she fit into the wider world of Beowulf?

Despite its records of superhuman heroics, Beowulf is deeply concerned with mortal weakness. Why might the poem juxtapose these two aspects of humanity?

The meaning of good kingship is a major question in Beowulf. What, according to the poem, makes a good leader? What hampers good leadership? Why does leadership matter?