Beowulf, a famous ancient poem that is still being talked about in the 21st century. Beowulf spoke of events from the 6th century and was said to be published in the 19th century, in the year of 1815. Beowulf was a confident man like no other. He kept his word and whatever he proclaimed with his mouth, came to pass as if he was a God. Beowulf was not just an ordinary man, he was known as an undefeated warrior and hero. He was a hero to the Danes and much others. The Danes were residents who were constantly tormented by Grendel because of their praise every night in the mead-hall. The mead- hall was also called Heorot. Grendel was an angry demon who hated loud noise. But due to the fact that the Danes would have lots of celebration, it irritated …show more content…
During the day in the mead-hall, the Danes would eat, drink, tell stories, and listen to music there. The Danes also had celebration, special events, season festivals, and religious observances in the mead-hall. During the night time, some of the warriors would sleep in the mead-hall to protect the land. It was as if the mead-hall was their home in the Anglo-Saxon life. In the poem it states “The hall was called Heorot, and there the men gathered with their lord to drink mead, a beerlike beverage, and listen to the songs of the bards.” (Hinds, Gareth. Beowulf. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2007. Print.) Grendel’s first attack was made in the mead- hall when everyone was sound asleep. That is what made the Heorot so significant. Nobody in the Danes could beat Grendel because he was undefeated, so they thought. Until one day, Beowulf came along and demanded to fight off Grendel for the Danes. “During the night Grendel comes from the moors, tears open the heavy doors, and devours one of the sleeping Geats. He then grapples with Beowulf, whose powerful grip he cannot escape. He wrenches himself free, tearing off his arm, and leaves, mortally wounded.” (http://www.alibris.com/Beowulf-Michael-Morpurgo-M-B-E/book/9565982 Morpurgo, Michael, and Michael Foreman. Beowulf. Cambridge. MA: Candlewick, 2006. Print.) In the text, it shows how Beowulf always keeps his word. Beowulf fought Grendel as he said and broke his arm. In anger, …show more content…
A warrior is a person involved with fighting or combat. A warrior can also be known as a soldier. Whereas, a lord is a superior captain that has power and authority and can be described as a King. The proper relationship between a lord and his warriors in Anglo- Saxon warrior culture was kind of family orientated. The Lord depended on the warriors and the King depended on both the warriors and the lords. The Warrior and Lords job was to protect the people of their land. Not only the people of their land but also their King himself. As the warriors are protecting the King, the King is also protecting them by giving them the necessary needed to fight any battle or handle any obstacle that may come their way. The King has the wisdom and knowledge, which is why the warriors and lords gave their loyalty and strength to protecting the King and it’s people. In the “Beowulf” text it states, “The King is astonished at the little-known hero’s daring but welcomes him, and after an evening of feasting, much courtesy, and some discourtesy, the King retires, leaving Beowulf in charge.” (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Beowulf “Beowulf.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.) In the poem, “Beowulf”, all the warriors would sleep in the mead- hall every night just to protect the land and the King. The King then allowed Beowulf to come into the mead- hall as well to protect them. The King
Beowulf is among the earliest surviving works of literature. It was written in Old English and dates back sometime before the tenth century A.D. The poem is set in Scandinavia, and tells the story of the heroic warrior, Beowulf. Beowulf was the perfect hero. He fought for his people and defeated evil with his ability to bring on justice. Three of Beowulf’s traits that serve as evidence of this were his remarkable physical strength, his ability to put the well-being of others before his own well-being, and his courage.
Beowulf is an epic poem that was written in the late tenth-century, at the kingdom of the West Saxons. The two main characters are Beowulf, a young man; and Grendel, a furious dragon. Beowulf's world is a very violent society with wars as a dominant part of daily life. Dragons and monsters are a constant threat to the Danes and the Geats. Warriors are a necessity to this war-like society. Beowulf is a hero as well as a great, and honorable, warrior.
In the Anglo-Saxon society, warriors were in wars daily, as they looked for prominence, success, and fortune. Kings of various kinship groups were not just secretly planners; they also fought in wars. Beowulf shows great qualities of a good and successful king throughout his life. Such as rare physical strength, having courage while fighting, and loyalty.
In times before printed books were common, stories and poems were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. From such oral traditions come great epics such as England’s heroic epic, Beowulf. In Beowulf, the monster Grendel serves as the evil character acting against the poem’s hero, as shown by his unnatural strength, beast-like qualities, and alienation from society.
Beowulf, an epic poem, written by unknown and translated by Seamus Heaney, is an artifact of the Anglo-Saxon era because it is a piece of literature that was documented once. During the time it was written, writing was not common. The poem reveals a lot of the Anglo-Saxon practices and beliefs, but it also is compared to Christianity because was written down by a christian monk.
Beowulf is a hero that shows honor respect and courage. In lines 710-1007 is where the battle with Grendel happened. Thinking of the destruction that he will get, Grendel bursts into Heorot. Grendel tears the door from its hinges with his hands and quickly becomes a Geatish warrior while Beowulf carefully looks around. When Grendel reaches out to pick Beowulf up, he is surprised to find his arm gripped with a strength than he never knew could even happen. Confused and frightened Grendel doesn’t want to run back to the safety of the swamplands. He tries to escape, but Beowulf wrestles him down to the ground. The crash around the hall, making noise on the walls and smashing the mead-benches. Grendel begins to panic in pain and fear; the sound
Beowulf begins with a history of the Danish kings. Hrothgar is the present king of the Danes. He builds a hall, called Heorot, to house his army. The Danish soldiers gather under its roof to celebrate and have fellowship with each other. Grendel, who lives at the bottom of a nearby swamp, is awakened and disgusted by the singing of Hrothgar's men. He comes to the hall late one night and kills thirty of the warriors in their sleep. For the next twelve years Grendel stalks the mead hall known as Heorot.
For the thanes, warriors fight all their lives out of loyalty to their kings, and Beowulf, who was a well respected and highly acclaimed warrior, was getting to become that king that men would so shamelessly fight for all because of how bravely and hard he fought for king Hygelac. “So Edgetho's son proved himself,/ Did as a famous soldier must do/ If glory is what he seeks: not killing his comrades/ In drunken rages, his heart not savage,/ But guarding God's gracious gift, his strength,/ Using it only in war, and then using it/ Bravely”.
Beowulf, a poem written in the time of barbarians and monsters, in the kingdom of the Saxons, at the peak of pagan tradition, this poem displays nature as dangerous and uncontrollable forces of death. Fate picks victims and people at random, never feeling at peace with the world. Also Beowulf fails to help repair and rebuild his society. Although parts of this statement which are considered true, for the most part, it doesn't recognize Beowulf for all that he's done in the poem. As one of the heroes who tragically dies young, Beowulf accomplished many great tasks for his time.
At the feast Beowulf states he will fight Grendel not only alone but also unarmed. This shows his courage and honor because he does not want any of his men to get hurt and Grendel does not use weapons. When Grendel arrives to the mead hall that night, he is met by the strongest warrior in the land. Beowulf and Grendel wrestle inside the mead hall where the strength of Beowulf prevails when he rips the monster 's arm off its body. The injured monster retreats back to his mother 's house in the swamp where he ends up dying. As a symbol of the victory against Grendel, Beowulf hangs the arm on the wall for all the Danes. To celebrate the heroic actions of Beowulf the Danes hold a celebration where they give thanks by giving many gifts to the Geats. The battle with Grendel is just the first challenge the brave and courageous warrior
In the beginning of the novel, Beowulf takes interest in the plight of Hrothgar, King of Denmark, and wants to help him fight Grendel. Grendel is a large monster that has been harassing members in the mead-hall of the Heorot. Beowulf owes Hrothgar a favor, due to the fact that Hrothgar saved his father in years past. Hrothgar is honored to have Beowulf attempt to fight the swamp monster, and decides to hold a feast in his name. When Grendel shows up to the feast, Beowulf illustrates his bravery by fighting Grendel without any armor. When Beowulf wins the battle by ripping Grendel’s arm off, everyone in the mead-hall praises Beowulf for his acts of courage. In this scene, Beowulf proves that he is a hero by fighting off a monster that everyone else was afraid of. This made him look
The poem Beowulf is a renowned story that displays many different surroundings and religious beliefs. Some may believe the story of Beowulf portrays pagan beliefs or customs and others believe that the poem is more in agreement with Christian ethnicity. The author of Beowulf uses both Christian and pagan elements in the poem to define the heroic warrior, Beowulf, and the evil dragons. After reading Beowulf the author clearly shows how Beowulf is a man who is filled with Christian customs and is willing to die and defend the world against evil using the help of God.
Many of the characters and episodes and material artifacts mentioned poetically in Beowulf are likewise presented to us from archaeological sources and from various written sources, especially Scandinavian records, thus adding credibility to the historicity of the poem. But it is obvious that Beowulf, Grendel and the Dragon clearly belong to the classification of “myth.”
It is no question that Beowulf was one of the b est, if not the best, warrior of his time. His skills of being a tremendous warrior are not to be questioned, but his position as a king could use a closer look. While the qualities of being a great warrior and a great king can be similar, there are some differing qualities to keep in mind. There is an extensive comparison to be made between Beowulf and Hrothgar, as a warrior and as a king and the qualities that each of them bring to the table. On lines 17 00-1739 of Beowulf, Hrothgar gives his famous speech to Beowulf on what it means to be a successful king. Hrothgar feels the need to give Beowulf this advice because he knows that Beowulf will one day need to know how to more than a warrior.
Beowulf is the single greatest story of Old English literature and one of the greatest epics of all time. Ironically, no one can lay claim to being the author of this amazing example of literature. The creator of this poem was said to be alive around 600 A.D. and the story was, since then, been passed down orally from generation to generation. When the first English monks heard the story, they took it upon themselves to write it down and add a bit of their own thoughts. Thus, a great epic and the beginning to English literature was born.