In “Beowulf” translated by Burton Raffel, the character Beowulf is portrayed as a brave, courageous, and very pious man. In the pagan tale the underlying motif of Good vs. Evil heightens these characteristics even to the point where Beowulf comes across as a symbol for God and Christianity. He battles “the demon” Grendel (ln. 16), Grendel’s mother, and a fierce dragon, all in order to save those who need aid, primarily the people of Herot. This too is very Christlike because he is serving those lower than himself for the sole purpose of doing the right thing. Although Beowulf is very brave all throughout, he becomes boastful and greedy from the time he first battles Grendel to when he takes on the dragon.
Ryan Waldis
English III Honors
Block 3
February 27, 2014
An Epic That Still Holds Value
With the almost sudden advancement of technology over the previous several decades, it truly is difficult to analyze and interpret a text that was written hundreds upon hundreds of years ago. As a child, one is taught to select books that seem appealing. As a child becomes an adolescent, however, works of literature are no longer selected, but instead given out by the instructor. As an adolescent becomes older, the appeal of reading decreases, and when confronted with a common epic that was written before the 10th century, it reaches an astounding low.
Though the origins of the epic poem Beowulf lie in the Pagan Anglo-Saxon era, by the time it was recorded, most Saxons had converted to Christianity. The story seems to be told partly from a heathen point of view and also partly from a biblical. Beowulf seeks glory, crediting it to God, yet a lot of his works are said to have been fated, and he seems to be trying to earn immortality on the earth, and not in an afterlife or in heaven. To determine the role of religion in the poem, the difference between fate and God’s providence must be examined, and examples of Pagan beliefs and Christian beliefs in the story should be discussed.
Beowulf is the main character of the same named Old English poem written by an unknown author. In this poem, we follow Beowulf's life from when he was young to his old age and death. Throughout his life, he has done many brave deeds and saved many lives by killing monsters, and at the same time, he remained humble and a very moral person. He truly was a hero all his life – when he was young and bold, and when he was old and wise.
Sarah Lockett
English 401
Dr. Dzon
Beowulf
Beowulf was written around 700 A.D. by an Anglo-Saxon poet whose identity is unknown. It is part Christian and part Anglo-Saxon pagan because many Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity in the late 500s A.D. The epic poem is separated into three parts, with each part centering around a monster that Beowulf has to fight. First Grendel, second Grendel's mother, and third the dragon. The Anglo Saxons had a rule of three, and that is represented in Beowulf.
In the age of heroes, a mighty warrior named Beowulf (Ray Winstone) arrives at the court of King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) and offers to rid the kingdom of a vicious demon called Grendel. He successfully slays the beast but thus incurs the wrath of Grendel's mother ( Beowulf says, “We’re all monsters.”
Lionel finished his overnight patrol and an early morning armory inventory with Gawain, Ulrich, and Perceval. Gawain had—once again—regaled them with stories of all the sex he was getting.
Grendel arrives at Herot, thirsting for blood. It was guarded heavier than before, but this doesn’t stop him from getting through the door effortlessly. After finding a group of sleeping soldiers, he rips one apart. After pinning down another one, it turns out to be Beowulf himself. Grendel ends up being seized easily. He wanted nothing more than to escape. However, Beowulf was stronger, and made escape impossible. Beowulf clutched the monster closer. The battle raged on and on, through the hall of wood, iron, and ivory. Grendel began to shriek, a blood-curdling cry. They were cries of pain and agony, pure defeat. All of the soldiers that had come with Beowulf brandished their blades, but the swords were dulled by the beast’s bewitchment. This,
Motivation by definition from a dictionary is “the act or an instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act in a certain way: I don'tunderstand what her motivation was for quitting her job. Synonyms: motive, inspiration, inducement,cause, impetus.” (Dictionary.com) Mine and everyone else's definition of motivation is a little bit different, we see motivation as a purpose to do something that takes a lot of work, sweat, and tears, something that is difficult but needs to be done no matter what. Well I strongly believe that Beowulf has the same definition that me and others have. He is a strong, very strong guy and uses his strength and integrity to kill three bad monsters, Grendel, Grendel's Dam, and a Dragon. The three motivations are, reason, honor, and finally integrity.
The Noble Beowulf
There are a two heroic acts that Beowulf accomplished that
characterize him as being noble. One example of these acts is his
altruistic behavior through out his life. When beowolf heard that the great
king hrothgar and his knights were being attacked by the evil monster
Grendel. Without even asking king hrothgar what was in it for him Beowolf
got up and took 14 of his men and sailed on a ship to king hrothgar's
palace to face the evil monster Grendel in hand to hand combat. Beowolf
told the king that he will leave his fate to god and if god wants him
killed Grendel will kill him.