Beowulf is brimming with a variety of symbols, motifs, and themes. When examined through a through an analytical lens, it is obvious that the poem uses simplicity to reveal much deeper meaning. Beowulf’s slaying of monsters is not transparent, on the contrary, the majority of the text’s substance is found within the encounters that Beowulf has with these creatures. The hero’s encounter with the dragon is an allusion to the sin of greed, while his battles against the monsters in general show his heroic nature. In addition, the events in the story show Beowulf’s internal struggle of simultaneously being a hero and a king and the importance of self-reliance. Beowulf’s combat against the various monsters in the text show his true heroic nature, …show more content…
Throughout the text, there are many examples of a moment in which a character has to rely on themselves and cannot employ the help of others. This theme is illustrated in the constant failure of swords in the poem. Often, when Beowulf uses a sword it fails him, in other situations he chooses to not use a sword at all. Before his fight with Grendel Beowulf announces “I count myself no less active in battle…I will not send [Grendel] to sleep with my sword…this night, [we] / shall forego the use of weapons” (90-91). Beowulf chooses to not use weapons as a showing of pride, he wants to fight Grendel without a perceived advantage, the most important aspect of this battle for Beowulf is pride. Having the egotistical nature of a hero, Beowulf is confident in his abilities and believes he will easily emerge victorious. As a result, he would like to gain as much fame from defeating Grendel as possible and chooses to face him in hand to hand combat. Even when Beowulf entrusts a weapon it fails him, in the fight with Grendel’s mother Beowulf “whirled his blade, / swung his arm with all his strength… his gleaming blade could not bite into her flesh” (112). Beowulf was battling with Hrunting, a sword said to have never failed in battle until that point. After the hero realizes his blade is useless, he decides to “[trust] in his own strength” (112). The emphasis on self-reliance becomes obvious in the word “trust”, one should not have to rely on outside forces to face their challenges. It is important to have the strength to overcome obstacles alone, even when Beowulf finds a new sword among the creature’s horde of treasure and decapitates Grendel’s mother, the sword melts at the touch of her blood. If Beowulf did not have the strength to slay her with one strike, the second sword would have been rendered useless and Beowulf could easily have met his demise. Beowulf his victorious by his strength and
In the length of the poem, Beowulf goes from abandoned child to gallant warrior to King. This transformation, expressed in the tone and content of the poem, shows the importance of the relationship between lord and thane and expresses the ultimate value of that connection. From the difference in battle scenes to Beowulf’s speeches, it is clear that he has gone from a somewhat self-loving hero to a selfless king. Within this change he also goes from serving a lord to becoming a lord, and in that way the poem shows us the importance of both sides of the relationship.
In the epic poem, Beowulf, “The Beowulf” is depicted as the big bad guy. Though he is not seen as a big bad guy who resembles a villain, but a big bad guy who is boastful and arrogant. Beowulf is shown as a superhuman where nothing or no one can defeat him. However, the author does not show Beowulf with the same characteristics as he transitions from a good warrior to a questionable good king. During Beowulf’s new beginning of a king, he still lingers in the mindset of a warrior.
In the poem, Beowulf fights against Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon which Beowulf is very brave for doing. In addition to Beowulf's bravery once he defeats Grendel’s Mother, he waits fifty years to fight the Dragon when he is seventy years of age. Beowulf is a great hero because he possesses the quality of bravery. Beowulf is also a hero because while he was fighting the dragon, all his men except for Wiglaf abandoned him, he continued to fight the dragon even though he knew he was in grave danger. “His weapon had failed him, deserted him, now when he needed it most, that excellent sword. Edgetho’s famous son stared at death, unwilling to leave his world, to exchange it for a dwelling in some place--a journey into darkness that all men must make, as death ends their few brief hours on earth(734-741)”. Even though the dragon fatally wounded Beowulf, all of his men still looked up to him as a great noble and courageous warrior who did not back down to any
Beowulf's deeds and actions toward others reflect his heroic personality. He is described as "…greater/And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world," although there is no information as to how he has received this reputation. We learn about the main character more through the eyes of the Danish soldier patrolling the cliffs. Beowulf's appearance, size and armor command immediate respect and attention. Beowulf is also very courteous, patient, and diplomatic when he meets with Hrothgar, from whom he hopes to receive permission to battle Grendel. His good manner shows that his previous accomplishments have not gone to his head. Beowulf's heroic personality is reflected by his willingness to risk his life for his ideals, especially in his fight with the dragon. Even when he fights the dragon, when old age has robbed him of his physical strength; his courage is truly heroic. Reading the poem, we can see that the main character is a person with a definite purpose.
The epic poem Beowulf centers around the hero. From the character of Beowulf, the reader can see the importance of community, orality, and heroism. Beowulf, as a result, is an icon of his ancient Germanic heritage. He is mimetic of the world around him. In addition, he reflects the past?s tradition of heroes; he follows in Shield and Sigemund?s footsteps, mirroring their characteristics and actions. Thus, when Beowulf passes on, both the ancient world and the new world collapse.
Beowulf jumped into the murky lake, where he sunk for hours and hours. When he encountered Grendel’s mother, she clutched him in her claws and took him to an area which was similar to a battle-hall. Beowulf mightily fought the mother as he swung his sword at her, knowing nothing could kill her evil skin. But, he did not give up; for all he wanted to prove was his bravery, honor, and courage. After being knocked off of his weary feet, Beowulf pulled himself up and continued fighting. This part of the story proved Beowulf to excel in skill, strength, and courage; just a few characteristics of an epic hero. After getting up, Beowulf discovered a sword hung on the wall, so massive no regular man could lift. The story states, “Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy sword… But so massive that no ordinary man could lift… He drew it from its scabbard, broke the chain… and struck with all the strength he had left” (lns. 530-538). Beowulf had once again defeated another strong demon. Back on land, the Danes and Hrothgar left assuming Beowulf had been defeated. Many believed they would never see Beowulf again. Shortly after, Beowulf appeared, sword and all. “He who rules time and seasons, He who is truly God” (lns. 582-583). The people celebrated and showered Beowulf with rich treasures. Another characteristic of an epic hero, which Beowulf proves himself to own in this section, is honor.
Next, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands. He could have easily obtained some kind of weapon to fight with. Beowulf was the first warrior ever to have enough sheer bravery to go up against such a monster with neither help nor weapon or shield to aid him. he was a warrior that believed somewhat in fate and in God. Believing that God made the decisions and was in control, Beowulf trusted that his life was in good hands. Defeating Grendel with his bare hands, Beowulf not only proved his bravery but also his loyalty.
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).
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 is a poem about strength and courage. This is illustrated in the eighth section of the story called “Beowulf and the Dragon.” A slave, a hero and a dragon play a big role in this section. The characters are well developed, as is the setup for the conclusion of the poem.
Beowulf, written between the 8th and 10th centuries, is an epic poem set in southern Sweden. The poem illustrates the Anglo-Saxon’s strong belief in the heroic code. The loyalty between the warrior and his king bound the culture together. The warrior was the ultimate hero who represented strength and courage. Beowulf, the hero in the poem, illustrates the Germanic principles of the heroic code. Through the battles and character interactions, Beowulf converges loyalty, strength, courage and forgiveness into the hero archetype.
Beowulf outlines turmoil between three opponents: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon. These separate discords each serve to fulfill different metaphoric purposes. Grendel’s character epitomizes the adverse persona of how an Anglo-Saxon warrior should not be. His mother represents everything that a woman during the time era should seldom be. Lastly, the Dragon embodies all the values that an Anglo-Saxon king should not dare retain. Without a doubt, the symbolic implications of the monsters in Beowulf bring the context to a new level of understanding.
The most supporting quote from the epic poem Beowulf, is on page 48, lines 264-269. Beowulf says, “My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were too afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linden shield: my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster.” It is in this moment that Beowulf shows that he doesn’t want Higlac’s respect for him to drop or be any less. He would rather fight by hand than to let someone, especially the lord think any less of him or lose any respect. To Beowulf, it seems that respect from not only highly respected people, but the common people as well, means a lot to him. He earned the respect that he has and to do something to make him seem like a weaker or lesser person is not an option for him. Although Beowulf uses armor and weapons to fight other monsters, this does not lower anyone’s thoughts for him. This is due to the fact that both Grendel’s mother and the dragon are stronger, more difficult battles to face and the people don’t want to see him fail. Simply by being able to defeat these monsters and keep the Dane’s safe earns their respect for him. Although Beowulf may not have known it, he was extremely respected, even in death. So much that they buried him with the silvers, jewels and treasures that were taken once he killed the dragon. It’s quite clear that Beowulf was respected throughout
Beowulf is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.
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”.