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Symbols and themes in beowulf
Themes and symbols of beowulf
The cultural influence of beowulf
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Beowulf, an important piece of literature in history, was passed down orally. This epic has an interpretation as a manual for morality, having different meanings and opinions. (Cory 1) There are various subjects that come from this epic, but the most emerging ones are: Dignity, Loyalty and Courage.
Even though Beowulf can be over confident sometimes, he shows dignity throughout the book. For instance, Hrothgar is being confronted by “a fiend out of hell,” (100) attacking during the night, causing havoc in Hereot while the Danes are having fun. Beowulf receives notice about this and he instantly leaves his land to defend Hrothgar. “So they duly arrived duly with their grim war-graith and gear at the hall…weapons clashed.” (323-328) Beowulf
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exhibits his dignity “When he throws away his armor before leaving for his fight with Grendel,” while having the honor to say that Grendel “has no idea the arts of war, / or shield or swordplay.” (Cory 1) Beowulf shows honor in the process of getting ready to fight with Grendel’s mother, “I ask you to recall what we said earlier… my comrades in arms.” (1475-81) Cory demonstrates that Beowulf demonstrates honor before fighting with Grendel without any kind of weapon or war-gear. In the other hand, we see that the epic presents Beowulf demonstrating honor by saying “If I should fall and suffer death while serving your cause.” (1477-78) He is risking his life to defend Hrothgar and that brings us to Loyalty. Loyalty is shown through numerous characters. “Beowulf’s actions are clearly motivated by loyalty, starting with his decisions to help the Danes.” (Corey 2) Beowulf and Wiglaf traveled to encounter the Dragon and once they got there, Wiglaf showed loyalty to his king. He followed Beowulf into the quarrel and said, “I shall stand by you.” (Corey 2) As a result, Wiglaf ends up proving Beowulf that he is loyal to him. Beowulf is also loyal to Wealhtheow in the same manner because she is giving Beowulf a torque for providing protection, strength and guidance to the Danes. “Be acclaimed for strength, for kindly guidance to those boys, and your bounty will be sure.” (1219-20) Beowulf demonstrates loyalty for the Danes by giving them protection and guidance for “Hrethric and Hrothmund.” (1188) Giving protection, guidance, and strength for the Danes shows that Beowulf is loyal to the others. Even though Beowulf demonstrates loyalty to Hrothgar’s Kingdom, he also shows Courage throughout the epic. There is simply no hero without courage.
Courage is one of the most important traits of a hero. “The root of the word courage is from the Latin word for heart.” (Garcia 1) Courage defines a hero’s ability to face pain, difficulty and mostly danger. (Dictionary) Beowulf does not only fight Grendel, but also fighting Grendel’s mother and decapitating her. (Garcia) The meaning of fighting without armor, facing challenge and placing his life in danger gives Beowulf the honor to be called courageous. It is extremely difficult to put his life in danger but he does is anyways even if he’s risking his life for his people. Beowulf also shows courage when he faces his biggest challenge, the Dragon. “I would rather not use a weapon if I knew another way to grapple with the dragon…as I did against Grendel in days gone by.” (2518-21) Beowulf shows the same courage even though he is older and weaker. He is not scared of the dragon whatsoever. Being courageous gives him confidence and with confidence he manages to defeat but giving his life up as well. “The serpent on the ground…lying facing him. The fire-Dragon was scaresomely burnt, scorched all colours.” (3039-42) After all the suffering, Beowulf manages to defeat the Dragon, taking him to an end. Beowulf shows courage at all costs. He gave his life for the benefit of his
people. In summary, Beowulf and a variety of characters show numerous elements throughout the epic. Dignity, Loyalty and Courage are shown and used as morals to this day as a result. These emerging principles are important to the point of this epic’s development. Without these principles, Beowulf would not be an important piece of writing to this day. Work Cited Cory, Eleanor. "“Bravery, Honor, and Loyalty as Morals in Beowulf”." Digitalcommons.imsa.edu. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. Garcia, Matt. "Courage of Beowulf." Prezi.com. 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2015. Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. 1st ed. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print. Kardaun, Maria. "Beowulf and Archetypal Evil." PsyArt: An Online Journal for the Psychological Study of the Arts. Maastricht University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Literature, 11 July 2013. Web. 14 Sept. 2015. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.
society. In Beowulf, Beowulf shows extraordinary courage and strength that gives him special status. This notion is shown, when Beowulf fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother, but it is especially noticeable when he fights the dragon. When Beowulf fought Grendel others had the courage to attempt to fight him. The same is true with Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf goes to fight the Dragon, the other warriors cower away into the woods. Beowulf shows his courage by fighting the Dragon. Even when Beowulf is fighting the Dragon and realizes that his sword can do no damage he continues to fight. After Beowulf is on the verge of death he shows a combination of courage and strength by delivering the death blow to the Dragon, and not just laying down to die. Beowulf’s strength is shown when he is able to actually do battle with the Dragon; any normal man would have fallen to the dragon immediately.
From the moment he is introduced, it is clear that Beowulf is confident in his abilities. He boldly tells Hrothgar that he will fight Grendel, the monster causing trouble for the Danes, “hand to hand.” Beowulf also seems at peace with whatever the outcome of the battle may be, stating that “Wyrd,” also known as fate,
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.
Since the beginning of Beowulf, the character Beowulf shows courage in everything he does. This is proven when he battles Grendel, a descendant of Cain that haunts the halls of Herot. Beowulf being a mighty protector of men, holds the monster down until his life leaps out (Beowulf lines 472-475). As Beowulf battles Grendel, he is determined to
direction is like trying to hit a cloud with a bow and arrow. A hero is also
In Beowulf, the essence left behind by a true hero is extremely important. In epics such as this one, leaders tend to have the determination and boldness of a hero. On the other hand, the main character, Beowulf, does not only display these certain traits. In this heroic poem, respect and trust come naturally. Honor and integrity are present throughout the poem. There are many moments in Beowulf that manifest the many traits that a person should have. This proves how important these attributes are to the characters and the Anglo-Saxon society. Although Beowulf has no known author, it embodies many of the beliefs and morals of the early Germanic society. The author of this epic poem uses many approaches in order to demonstrate that respect and trust are fundamental characteristics of a leader and hero.
Beowulf is a hero that shows honor respect and courage. In lines 710-1007 is where the battle with Grendel happened. Thinking of the destruction that he will get, Grendel bursts into Heorot. Grendel tears the door from its hinges with his hands and quickly becomes a Geatish warrior while Beowulf carefully looks around. When Grendel reaches out to pick Beowulf up, he is surprised to find his arm gripped with a strength than he never knew could even happen. Confused and frightened Grendel doesn’t want to run back to the safety of the swamplands. He tries to escape, but Beowulf wrestles him down to the ground. The crash around the hall, making noise on the walls and smashing the mead-benches. Grendel begins to panic in pain and fear; the sound
Beowulf 's courage originates from his certainty that he can overcome creatures utilizing distinctive techniques. Hailey W. Odessa states Goodness, unwaveringness, civility, equity, and courage all portrays the attributes a perfect saint would have. At that point she says in the lyric Beowulf, there is one character that conveys all and a greater amount of these expressed attributes, and that character is without a doubt the hero known as Beowulf. We as a whole need to comprehend life is an exceptional voyage. Beowulf 's life changed when he got more seasoned. The main question is the thing that makes somebody a saint? Components of being a legend are appeared all through Anglo-Saxon fundamental qualities. A standout amongst the most prestigious
Heroes are found in every work of art. Whether it is in the television shows we watch, the movies we go to see, the poems and stories we learn about, the books we read, there is always someone or something defined as the hero of that piece. Is the hero always the good guy who defeats the evil? Or is it something more, something more meaningful. Not every story line has a good vs. evil and not every story has a defined l hero, but does that mean there is not heroism in those works? Heroism isn’t a list of actions or characteristics that someone or something could have. It is the morals behind every action, the attitude that defines the characteristics of the person; it is the person thinking about others before himself, the courage someone or something has to brace something difficult, the bravery of the hero when it comes face to face with a problem. In the readings Beowulf, Act of Courtly Love and The Wife of Bath from The Canterbury Tales heroism isn’t very present in all three. It shows itself more loudly then in some than others. Heroism is shown in different ways in all three readings.
A true modern hero is able to set aside fear and act on the matter at hand, which signifies the quality of courage. Being Courageous can set you apart from others, because you are willing to carry out actions that are beneficial for the greater good. Any one can say they are going to do something, but when the claim is backed with actions they truly display courage. Beowulf is the epitome of being courageous. He voluntarily
Beowulf also shows courage in all of his battles. His intelligence is far above any others. He used the sword made by the giants to kill Grendel’s mother. In lines 210-222, it describes how he was quick and saw the sword “hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their magic…and struck with all the strength he had left, caught her in the neck and cut it through…”
Beowulf is a good example of a courageous and strong hero. He shows all of
... enormous risk that all the instincts of self-preservation resist”(Hanning 60). Beowulf is always ready to take the risks for the fame.Beowulf “fight Grendel alone and without weapons to maximize his chance for glory; if he fails he is fully aware that it will mean death”(Hanning 61). This clearly shows his bravery and how hard he goes to gain glory, and he values them all more than his life. His bravery keeps him to fight for glory, and this quality clearly makes him an epic hero.
Beowulf displayed great courage and honor throughout his journeys and battles; he was an epic hero. An epic hero is a person who is viewed as larger than life and possesses values of a certain society. From the time of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel to his brawl against the dragon, he has showed everyone what being an honorable hero looks like. His heroism is revealed through both youth as a young warrior and wisdom as a reliable king. He never backed down and didn’t give up when situations were tough. Beowulf had obligations to fulfill and went about every aspect of his life with courage and strength. He cared for his people and was willing to take on anyone that threatened them or his kingdom. He sincerely was the hero of his time.
The usual epic hero is most of the time on a mission. Beowulf was on a mission to help his people by getting rid of Grendel. He is determined to free the Danes from Grendel.The third characteristic of Beowulf is courage. There’s no way Beowulf would have accomplished anything without courage. “The Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.” Beowulf stated here that he’s known for courage, “The man whose name was known for courage, the Geat leader, resolute in his helmet,answered in return: "We are retainers