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Beowulf is the conventional title of an Old English epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature due to the fact that it is the oldest surviving epic poem of Old English and also the earliest vernacular English literature. Tragedy and epic have been much discussed as separate genres, but critics have not hesitated to designate certain characters and events in epics as tragic. For the most part, they have assumed or asserted an identity between epic and dramatic tragedy. Even in The Odyssey, Penelope and Telemachus suffer enough to rouse their deep passions and to force them like the tragic sufferer to consider their own predicaments in the world they live in. C.L. Wrenn wrote on Beowulf, “A Germanic hero is a tragic hero, who shows his highest greatness not alone in winning glory by victory, but rather by finding his supremely noble qualities especially in the moment of death in battle” (Wrenn 91). Beowulfs hubris, the representation of wealth as a profiling characteristic for the villages, and Beowulf’s ability to find his might in his moment of “death,” all show the very nature of the poem which defines it as not only an epic poem, but also a tragic one.
One of Beowulf's major flaws is his large ego. His hubris, or excessive pride, is the tragic flaw that causes his death. It's important for Beowulf to show strength even when there isn't an important heroic task to be accomplished. When there aren't demons or dragons to fight, he gets into, "swimming contests" with other warriors: “Well, friend Unferth, you have had your say about Breca and me. But it was mostly beer that was doing the talking. The truth is this: when the ...
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...ctor for Beowulf to be labeled as a tragedy is shown in a light that may not be considered tragic by normal twenty first century norms, but rather 8th century Scandinavian norms: the supreme finding of Beowulf’s true might in his moments of “death.” By normal standards, this work is seen as an epic, however when seen through the light of the very characteristics that Beowulf exemplifies while completing his daunting tasks, the “epic” can also be classified as a tragedy.
Works Cited
Foster, Edward E. “Beowulf, the Epic Hero” Masterplots, Revised Second Edition, Salem Press, Ed.
Salem, Mass. 1996.
Langer, Susanne K. Problems of Art; Ten Philosophical Lectures. New York: Scribner, 1957. Print.
Wrenn, Charles L. Beowulf: With the Finnesburg Fragment. London: Harrap, 1953. Print.
Wright, David. Beowulf. Baltimore, MD: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1957. Print.
to land he managed to kill nine sea monsters with his bare hands and still
Bravery is like a very trusted friend, it will never let you down. That statement holds true in the great epic of "Beowulf." "Beowulf" is the story of a great hero who comes to the aid of a troubled king. Beowulf hears that king Hrothgar is having trouble and immediately comes to help with no questions asked. he defeats the monster, Grendel, with his bare hands. Beowulf then defeats Grendel's mother along with a dragon until he is fatally injured. Bravery is a very admirable characteristic that few people possess.
One of the earliest Medieval Literature work and the most popularly praised epic poems, Beowulf is considered as the most prominent epic poem in the history of British Literature. Beowulf is said to be a part of a “genre of Old English long epics, but it must have been a remarkable and difficult work even in its own day”, (Greenblatt, pp.37). The poet was resurrecting the epic language of ancient Germanic oral poetry, which makes it a rare form of poetry in writing since most of Germanic poetry was spoken and not written. Beowulf is remarkable in this nature for it is a poem that gives modern readers an insight on how German Heroic Poetry was performed in those times. Nonetheless, Beowulf is considered a Heroic Poem, a story about a mortal
The poem Beowulf depicts a world inhabited by semi-civilized societies that are very loyal to members of their group, that are transitory, that have little security, that are made prey of, by even single monsters of huge strength (Thompson 16).
Another literary scholar attacks the proposition that the poem is a narrative epic as many critics say: “For the structure of the poem is not sequential, but complemental; at the outset certain parts of a situation are displayed, and these are given coherence and significance by progressive addition of its other parts’ (Blomfield 60). These attacks on the epic-narrative theory regarding the poem Beowulf leave one with the only choice left – that the poem is an heroic elegy, a poem celebrating the achievements of its hero Beowulf, and at the same time a poem of lamentation and sorrow and mourning over the death of that great he...
Beowulf is an epic poem. Why? Because (1) it is a long narrative work that relates the adventures of a great hero and (2) it reflects the values of the Anglo-Saxon society in which it was written prior to 1000AD.
There aren't many instances when you're reading a complex and appealing poem or novel that you look deep into the meaning of said story. In the epic poem “Beowulf,”, translated by Burton Raffel, it is easy to interpret what it shows us as readers. It is a larger-than-life heroic tale of the main character and hero Beowulf. “Beowulf” show us how to go beyond the human experience, battling our own devils and feats. The author of this story shows us that sacrifices need to be made in order to fight against evil.
To qualify as an epic poem, Beowulf reflects the values of the culture in which it was created. The Anglo-Saxon culture and the poem share many of the same values. They shared a heroic ideal that included loyalty, strength, courage, courtesy, and generosity. Like all epic poems Beowulf is a long narrative work that tells the adventures of a great hero and also reflects the values of the society in which it was written. Both Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons believed in those qualities as an individual.
Another literary scholar attacks the proposition that the poem is a narrative, an epic as many critics say: “For the structure of the poem is not sequential, but complemental; at the outset certain parts of a situation are displayed, and these are given coherence and significance by progressive addition of its other parts’ (Blomfield 60). These attacks on the epic-narrative theory regarding the poem Beowulf leave one with the only choice left – that the poem is an heroic elegy, a poem celebrating the achievements of its hero Beowulf, and at the same time a poem of lamentation and sorrow and mourning over the death of that great hero.
The story of Beowulf simply, is this. Beowulf has fought in many battles and returned as victor from all but his last, which he lost in a swimming match owing to having to fight sea monsters on the way. This is a lot like the story of the Trojan War as told by the Greek poet Homer in which Achilles confesses how he had a swimming race against Coriolanus, and lost it only because he was delayed, he had to prevent a battle between Neptune and Poseidon. (JM Synge, A Mirror Among Cultures: a Comparison of the Greek Hero, 1997, p. 41) So even though he is late is was because he was acting like a hero should.
When talking about his time back home in Geat, he talks about swimming contest between him and other men, “The truth is this: when the going was heavy in those high waves, I was the strongest swimmer of all.” Beowulf demonstrates in this that he had no humility, even going as far to say that he is the strongest swimmer of all. This is not even the worst part of the situation, if you have great skill or strength it is understandable to acknowledge you do but in this situation Beowulf is competing because there is no other way for him to show his strength off to others so he would challenge others to swim from a boat to the shore. Not only was this ridiculous just to show off strength but also if one of the challengers was not as strong and was overcome by the waves and current they could be killed for no other reason than for Beowulf to show
The epic poem Beowulf, is a work of fiction and was composed sometime between the middle of the seventh and the end of the tenth century of the first millennium, in the language today called Anglo- Saxon or Old English. This story is a heroic narrative, more than three thousand lines long, concerning the deeds of the Scandinavian prince, also called Beowulf, and it stands as one of the foundation works of poetry in English.
“Beowulf” is an adventurous of a hero name Beowulf, who fights monsters to protect his kin and land. The battle between Beowulf and three ferocious monsters represent the fight between human and their sins. All three enraged and vicious monsters symbolize for different sins such as, jealousy, retribution, greed and destruction.
An epic, a long narrative poem that celebrates the deeds of a legendary or heroic figure, influences literature for a long time. The earliest form of it comes from the time period of the Anglo-Saxons. One famous epic of this time period is Beowulf. In the story readers are shown the adventures that Beowulf go through to prove he is a hero. In all these adventures our hero, Beowulf, encounters conflicts with other characters such as the battles he fights against Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.
Even though he kills many monsters in his life (such as the Grendel and the dragon) it does not mean he can boast about it. In his resume to Hrothgar, Beowulf boasts, “No man swims in the sea as I can, no strength is a match for mine” (267-268). Beowulf shows his strength, but he does not do with humility but with pride. Since Beowulf’s pride is so strong, he builds himself up to say he will take down the Grendel with his bare hands, “My hands alone shall fight for me” (172-173). No ordinary man has the ability to say he can defeat a monster with his own hands, but Beowulf does. This just shows that Beowulf has too much pride, and it will lead him to his downfall. According to Tolkien, the reason for this characteristic is that this is base on old traditions of glory and defeat (Monsters and the Critics). This is the time when pride was strong among men. Yes, pride is alright, but it is to an extent. A hero is to protect the people with humility. For a person to be counted as a hero, one must be willing to protect the people with humility, and fame will