Beowulf's Heroism - Virtue or Flaw?
analytical Essay
1771 words
Beowulf's fight with the dragon is a puzzle. On the surface, it appears to be the hero's final victory, and a fitting end to his noble life. Yet, the circumstances surrounding the battle – Beowulf's disregard for his thanes' advice and the Geats' bleak future without their king – raise pointed questions about Beowulf and his motivations. No where else in the poem are the hero's actions portrayed as anything but right and good.ǂ Not surprisingly, this issue has drawn considerable critical attention. Some critics insist that Beowulf's decisions regarding the dragon are entirely in accord with the heroic ideal.1 Others argue that Beowulf sought out the dragon for selfish and prideful reasons.2 In a way, the puzzle of the dragon-battle is the key to Beowulf. Any serious attempt to make sense of the episode inevitably leads to conclusions about the arc of Beowulf's life and the theme of the poem as w hole. Here, I will examine two opposing views of Beowulf's heroism in the context of the dragon and put forward my own reading of the poem, in which Beowulf's heroism against the dragon and the Grendelkin is a counterpoint to the inexorable violence of the Anglo-Saxon world. Broadly speaking, there are two ways to interpret Beowulf's final fight and the arc of his life; one either sees Beowulf's heroism as a virtue or as a flaw. Among the defenders of Beowulf's virtuous heroism is John D. Niles, who in 1986 pointed out that prior to the second half of the 20th century, most readers of Beowulf were “untroubled by suspicions that the poem's surface simplicity is undercut by moral ambiguities.”3 Yet, no where else in the poem is the juxtaposition of heroic triumph and human sorrow so pronounced as in the aftermath of the dragon-battle. Thi... ... middle of paper ... ...wler through the dark” is not some Grendel, but man's own violent nature. Works Cited Halsall, Guy, “Violence and Society in the Early Medieval West: An Introductory Survey,” in Violence and Society in the Early Medieval West, (Boydell Press, 2002). Heaney, Seamus, Beowulf: A Verse Translation. ed. Daniel Donoghue, Norton Critical Edition edn (Norton, 2002). Leyerle, John, “Beowulf the Hero and the King.” Medium aevum 34, no. 2 (1965). ---, “The Interlace Structure of Beowulf,” in Beowulf: A Verse Translation, ed. Daniel Donoghue. Murtagh, Alfred, “Absent Beowulf.” The Heroic Age, no. 11 (May 2008) http://www.heroicage.org/issues/11/ba1.php (accessed February 4, 2010,). Niles, John D, Beowulf: The Poem and Its Tradition. (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1983). Whitelock, Dorothy, The Audience of Beowulf. (Clarendon Press, 1951).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes beowulf's heroism against the dragon and the grendelkin as a counterpoint to the inexorable violence of the anglo-saxon world.
- Analyzes how the juxtaposition of heroic triumph and human sorrow casts a shadow over beowulf's heroic achievements.
- Analyzes the negative view of beowulf's heroism, as first pronounced by john lyerle in 1965, by postulating a causal relationship between the two.
- Analyzes how a man of magnificence, whose understandable, almost inevitable pride commits him to individual, heroic action and leads to national calamity by leaving his race without mature leadership.
- Analyzes the fatal contradiction at the core of heroic society: the hero follows a code that exalts indomitable will and valour in the individual, but society requires kings who act for the common good, not for his own glory.
- Analyzes leyerle's argument that the geats' downfall is a consequence of the lack of heroic qualities among the next generation of geatish leaders.
- Analyzes how niles and leyerle are too narrowly concerned with apportioning blame for the geats' downfall. the world of beowulf is rife with the conflicts and feuds of men, which simmer at the edges of the poem.
- Analyzes how beowulf's heroic stature arises from his ability to put a halt to the violence of the monsters.
- Analyzes how the juxtaposition of beowulf's victories over the monsters and impending human violence is a motif that runs throughout the poem.
- Explains that the poem's events take place in a scandinavia of "days gone by", but the feuding and violence it depicts were contemporary realities for the anglo-saxons.
- Analyzes the juxtaposition of heroic triumph and mortal despair at the end of beowulf's poem.
- Explains halsall, guy, "violence and society in the early medieval west: an introductory survey."
- Explains heaney, seamus, beowulf: a verse translation, ed. daniel donoghue, norton critical edition, 2002.
- Cites murtagh, alfred, "absent beowulf." the heroic age, no. 11 (may 2008).
- Explains niles, john d., beowulf: the poem and its tradition.
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- Analyzes how the fifth canadian edition of "sociology in our times" summarizes karl marx's ideologies on conflict and change and that is the premise of beowulf.
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1300 wordsRead More - Epic of Beowulfanalytical essayThe 8th century epic poem Beowulf illustrates a loss of community, cultural values and tradition. On the other hand, an elegiac passing of an extraordinary hero and the relationship between the themes of mortality and heroism are well discussed in Beowulf. Beowulf’s character exemplifies the Germanic and the Anglo-Saxon ideals of the hero: strong, fearless, bold, loyal, and stoic in the acceptance of fate. Despite his lack of humility, Beowulf was the definition of a hero in his own time by his demonstration of chivalry and his important roles in society.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes beowulf's "supernatural hero" character and how he proved his valor and bravery.
- Compares beowulf's leadership skills to those of a germanic king — he valued community and camaraderie.
- Analyzes how beowulf's character exemplifies the germanic and the anglo-saxon ideals of the hero: strong, fearless, bold, loyal, and stoic in accepting fate.
- Analyzes how wiglaf, a "youth", showed his true heroism by racing into the dragon’s lair and helping the old warrior.
1103 wordsRead More - An Analysis of the Arguably Unified Poem, Beowulfanalytical essayNicholson, Lewis E., ed. Preface. An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1963.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how beowulf's structure is rudimentary, with themes of kingly wisdom, tribal loyalty, aristocratic wealth, and moral virtue. they argue that its two parts present too many dissimilarities to be unified.
- Argues that the beowulf poet creates suspense through the device of dramatic audience, that is, the fictional audience within the poem.
- Analyzes how lumiansky focuses on the three fight sequences, each of which uses the device of dramatic audience.
- Analyzes how goldsmith points out that hrothgar foreshadows the fall of beowulf in his advice about kings.
- Explains beowulf. trans. charles w. kennedy. the oxford anthology of english literature. j. b. trapp.
- Explains lumiansky, r. m., and donald frye's the beowulf poet.
- Explains nicholson, lewis e., ed. preface. an anthology of beowulf criticism.
- Argues that beowulf is a less than unified work, more important for its historical and philological content than its literary merit.
- Argues that lumiansky's position provides an example of a literary technique found in all three of the fight scenes and in both parts of beowulf.
- Analyzes w. p. ker's argument that the digressions in beowulf detract from its structural unity and put the important episodes where they don't belong.
2967 wordsRead More - Beowulf and Other Old English Poems. Trans. Constance B. Hieatt. New York; Odyssey Press, 1967.
In this essay, the author
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- Argues that impact on today's life, seems to imply that it is not entirely true that the impact isn't completely true.
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- Explains beowulf and other old english poems by constance b. hieatt. gies, frances and joseph.
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- Explains that heroes have been stereotypically described as men who possess qualities such as courage, strength, leadership, and determination. in modern society, heroes can simply be average people who sacrifice their own happiness for the welfare of others.
- Analyzes how heroes step beyond borders to provide hope and help to those who have none. beowulf departed his native sweden to defend the danes from the monster grendel. angelina jolie left her wealthy state in america to help less fortunate countries.
- Explains that heroes often put their lives in danger to offer a shield of protection to the people who are needy. beowulf fought three battles in which he risked his life.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the similarities between the events and characters in the poem beowulf and the saga of king hrolf kraki, an iceland saga representing 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the 1300’s when it was written.
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- Analyzes how beowulf is a nephew of hygelac, king of the geats, who goes to hrothgar's assistance when the grendel problem continues for twelve years.
- Explains that in the saga of king hrolf kraki, biarki travels over water to come to the danish court, just as beowulf did.
- Analyzes how bodvar's warriors are helpless against the monster in the saga of king hrolf kraki.
- Analyzes how hrothgar congratulates beowulf and rewards him with rich gifts. the queen presents hygelac with a valuable necklace.
- Analyzes how hygd, king hygelac's wife, is praised, and she is contrasted with thrytho, the wife of offa, who, in her youth, had killed any man who looked her straight in the face.
- Analyzes how bodvar avenges wrongs done to his family by killing the one who did the injustices; beowulf oocupied the geat throne and reigned gloriously for fifty years.
- Analyzes how beowulf, preparing to attack the dragon's lair, considers his former exploits. he escaped by swimming when hygelac lost his life in the land of the frisians.
- Analyzes how kraki bodvar shows great compassion for the weakling son of a poor farmer.
- Explains that the iceland saga, the saga of king hrolf kraki, represents about 1000 years of oral traditions. the remarkable similarities between the two are just too astounding to dismiss as mere coincidences.
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- Explains the saga of king hrolf kraki, translated by jesse l. byock.
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In this essay, the author
- Compares the hero of the poem beowulf and the saga of king hrolf kraki, which represents 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the 1300s when it was written.
- Analyzes how bodvar avenges wrongs done to his family by killing the one who did the injustices.
- Explains that bodvar became ruler of the kingdom when king hring died, while beowulf became king when heardred was killed in battle.
- Analyzes how bodvar leaves gautland to travel to the kingdom of the danes, while beowulf leaves geatlands to go to king hrolf, widely known for his generosity and courage.
- Explains that bodvar is taunted in the king's hall, just as beowulf is tainted by a drunken unferth.
- Analyzes how bodvar shows great compassion for the weakling son of a poor farmer, and helps him to increase his strength and change his defeatist attitude.
- Explains that the iceland saga, the saga of king hrolf kraki, represents about 1000 years of oral traditions. the similarities between the two are just too astounding to dismiss as mere coincidences.
- Analyzes how chickering, howell d., clark, gorge, and jesse l. byock's the saga of king hrolf kraki, published in lincoln, nebraska.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the religious stance of the epic poem beowulf, stating that many clues in the poem lead us to this conclusion.
- Analyzes how pagan symbols such as ravens, dragons and monsters are found throughout the epic of beowulf.
- Analyzes how the idea of fate ruled the lives of the pagans, and its presence in the poem helps the case for beowulf being a pagan story.
- Analyzes how beowulf's revenge ethic contrasts with the christian belief that turning the other cheek is the best way to resolve a conflict with an enemy.
- Analyzes how the death of beowulf and the events that follow thereafter are almost strictly pagan ideas. this type of funeral negates any implication that this part of the story is christian.
- Analyzes how the beowulf poet makes sure to include small but meaningful references to the paganistic background of the epic poem.
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- Analyzes how the characters break the ten commandments in the epic, which makes the argument for the paganism of beowulf.
889 wordsRead More - The Pessimism of Beowulf in the Epic Poem, Beowulfanalytical essayWright, David. “The Digressions in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the scop is singing about a danish hero, hnaef, and his band of warriors who are attacked by the frisians/jutes.
- Analyzes how the dragon "began to rule," as if he were another king within beowulf's kingdom. the circumstances of the fiery dragon are presented as strong and rivaling those of our hero.
- Analyzes how the passage presents an uncollected debt to the swedes which will wreak havoc on the geats someday.
- Analyzes how the poem's first 3136 lines are the prelude to a dirge for the hero, but we feel, in our pessimism acquired from it, sorrow.
- Analyzes how hieatt's essay, "the pessimism of many germanic stories," describes beowulf as an incomparable superman and celebrates his greatness.
- Analyzes how the pessimism of the danes is dispelled by one beowulf who is ready and willing to sacrifice himself to repay the debt of ecgtheow to hrothgar.
- Analyzes how hnaef and hildeburh were given in marriage to settle an earlier feud between the danes and frisians.
- Analyzes how the fragment depicts clearly the danes defending themselves at the two doors of the hall for five days.
- Analyzes how the heroic-elegaic pattern of the whole poem is reflected in miniature in this story.
- Analyzes how the last verses set the tone for the second part of the poem; it will be a time of decline from youth to old age, from strength to weakness, for beowulf.
- Analyzes how beowulf doubts his own moral uprightness and reflects on his previous life, specifically his repayment for heardred's slaying.
- Analyzes how digresses on wiglaf's sword, indicting that it came from his father who had killed a prominent swede in combat with it.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the story of beowulf depicts a protagonist named "beowuf". his story describes his adventures of him visiting hrothgar and slaying beasts for them. it illustrates the overcoming of obstacles and the perseverance of man.
- Narrates how grendel marches towards the large mead hall to fight the danes, but is greeted by an alarmingly unarmed beowulf, who rips off the demon's arm as a trophy.
- Narrates how beowulf chases his mother into hrothgar's swamp and ruthlessly takes the head of his son.
- Narrates how beowulf must return home to his king and tell him of his courageous accomplishments. his king murdered in cold blood during a war, and he takes the throne.
- Analyzes how beowulf is an iconic character that inspires people to be strong, but also to protect those around them at any cost.
487 wordsRead More