The Themes Of Symbolism In Beowulf

After exploring for some time, Beowulf in many ways is much more complex than it looks on the surface. Of course it 's classic theme of the clash between the forces of good and evil will always be prevalent, there are other types of symbolism in the epic poem that was either not explored or was not as evident. This is especially true in the setting of the story such as the mead hall, Heorot, where it is much more than a place to drink . Even Beowulf himself is a much more complex person than the readers might think since they might not completely be aware of the reasons why he is the embodiment of a hero.Even seemingly minor characters such as the Dragon can represent one of the biggest flaws within human beings. With the assistance of Harold Bloom’s book, “Rebirth and Renewal”, and literary websites such as Cliffnotes and Sparknotes, readers should be more enlightened on what the epic poem tries to represent.

In every way, he is the manifestation of a perfect hero that everyone aspired to be at the time. Even though he trained himself to be a a elite fighter and matured himself into a competent king, it was the divide of those two characters lead to his ultimate death. According to Sparknotes, the divide is clearly shown in the climactic battle against the fearsome dragon that the site described as “rash”. The website also brings up the point that, “by sacrificing himself, Beowulf unnecessarily leaves his people without a king, exposing them to danger from other tribes.” This type of reasoning is understandable because Beowulf could’ve allow his warriors to fight beside him,bolstering his chances of surviving the encounter. Instead, he allows his warrior pride to blind his judgement and fight the dragon alone, killing him and giving a grim reminder that even a “ideal” person like Beowulf can have his reign abruptly