Although centuries distance the creation of Beowulf from The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien took inspiration of different essential morals and character traits from Beowulf. In Beowulf, an epic hero Beowulf experiences significant tribulations and an ultimate battle that leads to his demise. In The Hobbit, Bilbo experiences similar tribulations, however, he gains courage and reverence throughout his journey. The nature of each book, how Bilbo experiences maturation when Beowulf experiences death, does not discredit Tolkien’s inspiration from Beowulf, it instead promotes the idea that each book was written for a different audience.
The parallelism between Bilbo and Beowulf's internal and external struggles expresses the influence of Beowulf on The
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Thorin Oakenshield's final words to Bilbo illuminate the growth in the public view of Bilbo. When Bilbo is carried back to Oakenshield by Gandalf the wizard, Thorin greets Bilbo with high regard which emphasizes Bilbo’s character development. Oakenshield, who is close to death, says that “there is more in you of good than you know… some courage and some wisdom blended in measure” (Tolkien 263). Thorin’s accreditation for Bilbo’s character shows that he is of high esteem. Similarly, the general public in Beowulf reveres Beowulf as an epic hero. After Beowulf and his men arrive at the land of the Dane’s, a watchman questions Beowulf. Although the guard challenges Beowulf’s arrival, he acknowledges that the man in front of him, Beowulf, must be great: “Nor have I seen/ a mightier man-at-arms on this earth/ than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken,/ he is truly noble. This is no mere/ hanger-on in hero’s armour” (Beowulf lines 247-251). The watchman sees Beowulf as the mightiest man on Earth and a nobleman. He carries the attitude of a strong warrior because of his various struggles and pursuits. As Bilbo develops courage and the high esteem of others throughout his journey, Beowulf conquers battles and commands the respect of others. Despite the different difficulties each character faces, both grow in …show more content…
However, they also experience an internal conflict that either leads to the evolution of an epic hero or the ultimate demise of an established epic hero. The character development in both Beowulf and Bilbo is reversely proportionate in every part of the book, as Beowulf loses his life, Bilbo gains recognition and thrives “for [The Hobbit] is a story of spiritual maturation and not of spiritual death [as in Beowulf]” (Chance, Jane). The nature that each book was written in provides a reason behind the different endings of each book. Beowulf is an epic poem created to prevent tragedies; however, The Hobbit is an inspiring book written for children. Despite these innate differences, the influence of Beowulf on The Hobbit The parallelism of Bilbo and Beowulf’s external struggles and each respective character’s flaws express on the influence of Beowulf on The
In the epic Beowulf, the reader can clearly find the very distinct conflicts, although some go unnoticed. This poem came to be around the birth of Christianity and the dying out of paganism. In Beowulf, the battles between the monsters and the warriors are interpreted as a battle between the old way of faith and the coming of Christianity. Beowulf himself comes across many conflicts of his own. A literary critic, Alfred Bammesberger, analyzed the person who gives Beowulf the idea to go to Herot and fight Grendel, “.... Beowulf wanting to fight single-handed and challenge Grendel based on the information he had given to his uncle, the Great King Hygelac” (Bammesberger). The Danish king asks not for help however, Beowulf goes anyways. While he has many physical battles with enemies, he also has internal conflicts that seem to hold heavy in his mind. These conflicts include but are not limited to, “Battle of Grendel”, “The Battle with Grendel’s Mother” and “The Last Battle.”
In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.
Beowulf and “Lord of the Rings” are two very similar stories because of how the hero is portrayed in each. In Beowulf, the hero is strong and has to overcome great physical force. However in “Lord of the Rings” Frodo is a feeble hobbit that has to overcome great interior force. When comparing both heroes it is easy to notice reoccurring characteristics such as them both having chain mail and a magical sword. Beowulf and Frodo are similar by how they receive their call to adventure, their strength, and their motives. Although similar in many ways, each hero still has a unique presence that can’t be changed.
In the lecture Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics by J. R. R. Tolkien, he discusses Beowulf through a different aspect. Tolkien argues that the epic poem is infact, overlooked and not seen by the true aspect of the poem. He argues that Beowulf is a piece of literature that should be viewed as a piece of art, an epic poem, rather than just a composition of history. Tolkien supports his argument by carefully analyzing the text, including literary elements and themes the creator includes in Beowulf.
Throughout the story, Beowulf fights three battles against frightening monsters. Beowulf, the prince of the Geats, was a well known warrior with extreme strength who makes a promise to protect his people under any circumstance. In the poem, his strength is tested, but he uses it to save many people in battles against: Grendel, Grendel 's mother, and a dragon. Before, during, and after each of these battles Beowulf shows many similarities and differences in his actions.
In many literary works centering heroes, not often do you see main heroes in different stories be completely different from each other. Bilbo and Beowulf are considered heroes in their respective stories but they differ greatly in personality and heroics. The image of an epic hero is that they must be a character who has skills unmatched, surly Beowulf would be the perfect example of this but not Bilbo. Before Beowulf’s story starts he had already established himself in reputation and heroic exploits. His character was already formed and developed which is not the case for Bilbo Baggins. Both Bilbo and Beowulf, however, are strong characters in their stories and they both symbolize good and heroism in their own way.
The epic poem, Beowulf, coming from the years of 600 to 700 AD has been translated in many different styles. In these excerpts by Burton Raffel and Lucien Dean Pearson, provides a clear understanding of this epic poem. Reading the two different translations, Raffel tends to provide the reader with a better understanding of the evil nature of Grendel and the heroic characteristics of Beowulf.
Beowulf is a complex character that is cast as the ultimate hero and champion, whose greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. Though his obsession with power yield him courage and strength that allow him to defeat enemies most other warriors cannot bring themselves to fight, his unilateral quest for glory leaves his citizens and kingdom desolate and unprepared for the difficulties they face. Beowulf may be the greatest warrior of one of the greatest epics written, but as is said in the last words about him in the book, his most notable trait is not his greatness as a leader and king but that he is the “keenest to win fame”.
Rogers, H.L. “Beowulf’s Three Great Fights.” Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation Backgrounds and Sources Criticism. Tuso, Joseph F. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1975. Print.
On the other hand, when we look at Bilbo Baggins, the picture that we come up with is a small hobbit from a far away and relatively unknown land. He is portrayed as someone that is very insignificant. He is insecure of seemingly on the edge of losing control every step of the way. Where Beowulf would represent they type of hero people will follow into battle, Bilbo Baggins would represent the type of person that stays at home smoking a pipe by the fire. However, this is the reason why we see Bilbo Baggins as a hero.
“In my youth I engaged in many wars”, Beowulf boasts to his warriors, which is certainly true. Throughout his life, he faces many deadly foes, all of which he handily defeats, save one. His story focuses on the most challenging, as well as morally significant of foes, Grendel and the dragon. These creatures reveal much about society as well as Christian virtue at the time. Even after Grendel and the dragon are defeated physically, the two monsters pose a new threat to the hero on a higher plane. Beowulf is not only at risk of losing his life, but his humanity, virtue, and even spirituality.
There are many similarities and differences between the movie "Beowulf and Grendel", to the poem. Major differences between the movie and the poem would be Grendel himself. In the poem, he is described as an evil monster born from two demons. In the movie, Grendel is actually human, but known as a troll to the warriors and Danes. The poem doesn’t give the background of Grendel or show how the Danes killed his father and the possible reason of his revenge, like in the movie. If the witch, Selma, was not included in the storyline of the movie, the audience would not have known key information that she was used to show from more flashbacks. The witch gives more of an idea about Grendel’s past life that could have been the possibility to reasons for his actions. Some major similarities are the battles. Both epics include the battles between Beowulf and Grendel, as well as Beowulf and Grendel’s mother. The end results are the same, leading to their death, but the journey and process to the two tales are different.
Beowulf and King Arthur share many similarities that depicts them as epic heroes. Both men are fearless leaders, strong, brave, and admired warriors for their powerful reputation. Both stories display a supernatural intervention; a deus ex machina. While in battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf’s sword fails to protect him. Suddenly, Beowulf spots a sword on the wall, as if a supernatural force placed it there, and uses it to behead Grendel’s mother. Likewise, in the story of King Arthur, it is the ability to remove Excalibur from the stone that displays supernatural powers. King Arthur’s tremendous physical strength upon the removal or the sword from inside the stone, suggests that he is chosen as one of God’s elect to become King. Beowulf
After fighting off the elves and enormous spiders in the movie’s first major battle, Bilbo gains a tremendous amount of respect from the dwarves. Once Beowulf defeated Grendel and tore off his arm, also in the first major conflict of the poem, the people of Herot believed the stories they had heard about him respectfully. Neither of the heroes are parts of the kingdoms that they are fighting for, yet they fight bravely with them. Bilbo is not a dwarf, yet works in unison with them to challenge their conflicts. Beowulf is not a part of Hrothgar’s kingdom, yet takes care of the king’s difficulties as if they were his own.
The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the reader’s perception of Grendel and his role in Beowulf by narrating the story through Grendel’s point of view. John Gardner transforms the perceived terrible evil fiend who is Grendel into a lonely but intelligent outcast who bears a striking resemblance to his human adversaries. In Grendel, John Gardner portrays Grendel as an intelligent being capable of rational thought as well as displaying outbursts of emotion. He portrays Grendel as a hurt individual and as a victim of oppression ostracized from civilization. The author of Beowulf portrays Grendel as the typical monster archetype as compared to John Gardner’s representation of Grendel as an outcast archetype.