Though set in a pagan background, Beowulf was, in fact, written by an author with the knowledge of God, possible being a Christian himself. The book proves this in the many references before and after Beowulf defeats three monsters: Grendal, Grendal’s mother, and a great Dragon.
A great monster strikes against the nation of the Danes. This monster, referred to as “a God-cursed brute” (121), was a demonic creature named Grendal. Grendal was terrorizing the land, feeding on its people at nighttime. The Danes, as the book states, were a pagan people. “The Almighty Judge of good deeds and bad, the Lord God, Head of Heavens, and the High King of the World, was unknown to them” (180-183). They gave offering to their idols in hope that they would send a hero to release them from the wrath of this monster. Off in the neighboring land of the Geats, the mightiest man on earth, Beowulf, heard of the Danes distress and after confirmation from his king, sailed to their aid. When Beowulf arrives and confronts the king of the Danes, King Hrothgar, with his help, King Hrothgar is thankful and trusting God when he states, “ which ever one death fells must deem it a just judgment from God” (440-441When night comes, Grendal makes his appearance, coming to the dining
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A treasure was stolen form his lair and he takes flight, burning everything in sight, to revenge it. Man and beast fight. The beast is killed, but Beowulf, now and old man, is fatally wounded. A boy, Wiglaf, was there with him. By Beowulf’s orders, he went and fetched some of the treasure from deeper inside the dragon’s lair and set it next to the fallen Geat. Beowulf gave thanks” to the everlasting Lord of All, to the King of Glory” (2794-2795) that he was given defeat over the dragon and that he could see the treasure in front of him. Beowulf dies, and the Geat people conduct a funeral for their much loved
After fighting and winning many battles, Beowulf's life enters a new stage when he finally becomes king of his homeland, Geatland. Even in his old age, his code of honor still obligates him to fight against an evil, fiery dragon. For fifty years he has governed his kingdom well. While Beowulf is governing, the dragon "...kept watch over a hoard, a steep stone-barrow" (Norton 55). Under it lays a path concealed from the sight of men. Over centuries no one had disturbed the dragon’s kingdom until one day when a thief broke into the treasure, laid hand on a cup fretted with gold, which infuriated the dragon. "The fiery dragon had destroyed the people's stronghold, the land along the sea, the heart of the country" (Norton 57).
Which is to slay the dragon that continues to attack the villages and farms of Geatland.“ Beowulf spoke, made a formal boast for the last time:” I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his earth-fort and face me in the open.” (lines 2510-2515), being his final words to his people before he sets out to slay the dragon. While battling the dragon Beowulf gets burned and injured badly. All his men are frightened by this and run off besides Wiglaf. “ The nobel son of Weohstan saw the king in danger at his side and displayed his inborn bravery and strength(lines 2694-2626).... Once again the king gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife he carried on his belt, sharpened in battle , He stuck it deep into the dragon’s flank. Beowulf dealt it a deadly wound. They had killed the enemy, courage quelled his life; that pair of kinsmen, partners in nobility, had destroyed the foe. So every man should act, be at hand when needed;”( lines 2702-2710). Even though beowulf and wiglaf slay the dragon king Beowulf dies from his injuries. “ The dragon from underearth, his nightmarish destroyed as well.” (lines 2824-2826). After this tragic loss Wiglaf orders seven men to collect the dragon 's treasure. What remained after was placed in the barrow as a memorial
After Beowulf’s arrival in Herot, King Hrothgar recalls a time when Beowulf’s father also entered the land of the South-Danes. However, Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow, arrived under much different circumstances. Ecgtheow was running from a dispute and Hrothgar gave him refuge and healed the feud, indebting Ecgtheow to the gracious King Hrothgar. Beowulf most likely had heard this story from his father, giving him knowledge of the South-Danes and his family’s debt. Thus, it is no coincidence Beowulf chooses to cross treacherous seas, pursuing a vile creature by the name of Grendel. Beowulf sees Grendel as an opportunity to repay a family debt. The fight against Grendel causes Beowulf to suffer the pain of battle, but ultimately Beowulf defeats the beast, repaying his father’s debt. Beowulf’s repayment of his father’s debt displays the power of his word and his growing
After the sight of the dragon, the slave hurries and grabs one of the treasures around him and runs away. The dragon then becomes angry at the fact that he was robbed and decides to burn down the houses of the citizens of Geatland at nightfall. Penny 6 So Beowulf (being the brave and heroic person that he is) decides to defeat the dragon. He has an iron shield made and is prepared for even the worst to occur (his death).
Throughout his reign as the ruler of the Geats, Beowulf is a benevolent leader - bringing peace and power to his nation as Hrothgar instructs him to after the great warrior defeats Grendel's mother. Hrothgar relates to him a story about the Heremod, King of the Danes, who "brought little joy to the Danish people, only death and destruction" (1711-1712), and that "suffered in the end for having plagued his people" (1720-1721). That is, Hrothgar claims that one cannot be a successful leader unless one is virtuous ruler. Furthermore, he tells Beowulf to "learn from this and understand true value" (1723-1724). Therefore, Hrothgar's intends that this information be carried on with Beowulf. During his final moments, after he kills the treasure hording dragon, Beowulf reflects on his reign over the Geats, and those reflections demonstrate that he understands the importance of virtue and honor. He claims that he "cared for and stood by things in [his] keeping, never fomented quarrels, never swore to a lie" (2736-2739). His goodwill and righteousness is highly regarded by the warrior, for he continues, "the Ruler of mankind need never blame me [.
While engaging the Dragon in combat, Beowulf runs into complications with it and realizes that his sword can do no damage. Beowulf finds himself in defeat for the first time. However, Wiglaf, one of Beowulf’s kinsmen, comes to his aid and together with the combination of courage and strength delivers a deathblow to the Dragon. Although Beowulf is mortally wounded and is about to die, he passes the throne to Wiglaf and gives thanks to God for the treasure they receive from the Dragon’s hoard. This ends Beowulf’s third and final heroic battle in this case with the
The character Beowulf, “a man of great strength and bravery” (Magill 388), is a hero in the way he defends his neighboring country, Denmark. When the word that a hostile creature, known as Grendel, was killing tons in Denmark, Beowulf set sail to help defend the people and rid them of the hideous monster.
When Beowulf hears about the Grendel, he decides for himself to go to the rescue of the Danes. Beowulf is not mandated to assist the Danes; he simply performs the task out of good will. And before the battle against Grendel, Beowulf speaks his faith, “And God in His wisdom shall glory assign, / The ruling Lord, as He deems it right” (516-517). Beowulf is unsure of what the outcome of the battle would be, but he trusts that God will make the right decision. When Beowulf is summoned to assist with the battle against Grendel’s mother, Beowulf accepts the challenge again with nobility. And before the fight against Grendel’s dam, Beowulf speaks his faith, “O gracious ruler, gold-giver to men / As I now set forth to attempt this feat, / Great son of Healfdene, hold well in mind / The solemn pledge we plighted of old, / That if doing your service I meet my death / You will mark my fall with a father’s love. / Protect my kinsmen, my trust comrades, / If battle take me. And all the treasure / You have heaped on me bestow upon Hygalec” (578-586). Many years pass after the battle against Grendel and his mother, Beowulf is met with yet another challenging force. As a king Beowulf could have sent his men to slay the fire drake since he is the king. Instead, Beowulf decides to lead his men into battle. Prior to the battle, Beowulf speaks to his men with faith, “Not one foot’s space / Will I flee from the monster, the ward of the mound. / It shall fare with us both in the fight at the wall / As Fate shall allot, the lord of mankind. / Though bold in spirit, I make no boast / As I go to fight with the flying serpent”
There are three prominent monsters in the Beowulf text, Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. While the dragon proves to be the most fatale of foes for Beowulf, Grendel and his mother do not simply pose physical threats to the Germanic society; their roles in Beowulf are manifold. They challenge the perceptions of heroism, a sense of unrivalled perfection and superiority. Moreover, they allow the reader to reconsider the gender constructs upheld within the text; one cannot help but feel that the threat that these monsters present is directed towards the prevalent flaws in Beowulf’s world. Moreover, what makes these monsters is not their physical appearance; it is what they embody. Both Grendel and his mother have humanlike qualities yet their monstrous appearance arises from what their features and mannerisms represent. The challenge they pose to societal paradigms makes them far more terrifying to our heroes than any scaled flesh or clawing hand. These monsters provide the ‘most authoritative general criticism […] of the structure and conduct of the poem’. Their presence provides contrast and criticism of the brave society (Heaney 103).
The pessimism of the poor Danes was palpable. They had even despaired of appealing to the Christian God and had reverted to offering sacrifice to their heathen idols. Grendel had killed 30 warriors the first night and had taken even more the next night. But their pessimism is dispelled by one Beowulf who is ready and willing to sacrifice himself to repay the debt of Ecgtheow, Beowulf’s father, to Hrothgar. This Geat warrior possesses almost miraculous qualities: “He was the strongest of men a...
Beowulf begins with Grendel attacking the Danes out of vengeance and hatred. Grendel is the relative of Cain which means that he is outcast to eternal darkness as punishment for the crime of Cain killing his brother Abel. Therefore, when Grendel hears laughter in the hall named Heorot, he is angry and a little envious, so he goes on a killing spree in order to put an end to the warriors’ happiness. Because of Grendel’s attack upon the Danes, Beowulf arrives in order to put an end to the killing spree: “And now alone I shall settle affairs with Grendel the monster, the demon” (Donaldson, p.8). The author offers no other solution to solving this issue with Grendel but battle, and after the battle is fought and Beowulf wins, Grendel’s hand is preserved as a trophy. Beowulf is rewarded with gifts for his courage, and now the Danes are at peace.
Towards the end of Beowulf’s epic hero cycle and life as king, he had to take on one last monster, the Dragon. He commuted back to Geatland with his men. As he begins to fight the Dragon, his sword failed him, and Beowulf was left with no weapons. Then ten of the eleven men he brought fled in fear and Beowulf was left with only Wiglaf. They took on the Dragon together and successfully killed him only after being badly wounded in the neck. Beowulf then collapsed and passed on. This finished his cycle as hero and as
The first opponent Beowulf must face in the land of the Danes is Grendel, textually described as “a fiend out of hell … [a] grim demon / haunting the marches, / marauding round the heath / and the desolate fens” (Beowulf, line 100 – 104). The author also provides us with a moral description, explaining how Grendel is “merciless … malignant by nature, he never showed remorse” (line 135-137). As we can see here, the author’s physical and moral portrayal of Grendel is rather unforgiving. We also resent Grendel further once we learn that he has wreaked havoc upon the Heorot hall for twelve years, “inflicting constant cruelties on the people / atrocious hurt” (line 165).
...agon goes on a rampage across Beowulf's kingdom. Beowulf ends up dying defeating this dragon, and the treasure that he and so many others died for is buried with the him "and a trove of such things as trespassing men had once dared to drag from the hoard" (Beowulf 3164-3165).
Somehow the story just takes a big fast forward jumping fifty years ahead to when Beowulf is now an elderly king of the Geats. Now a fierce dragon has settled in Beowulf’s kingdom and he declares that he will take it on.