Vengeance can be something that can take over someone thoughts or actions. Many people believe that getting even with someone because they’ve done them wrong is the right solution. In the end, vengeance will be able to give them the satisfaction they need or closure. In the epic poem, Beowulf, vengeance has a deep value and is shown in the poem by some characters. Many characters in the poem wish to get even with someone. These characters use and see the value of vengeance in different ways. They all did it for there own reasons and or for themselves. Because Grendel killed many of Beowulfs people in the Heorot, Beowulf wanted to get even. Grendels mother gets angered because of her son death. Also, Hrothgar gets angry because of Grendel's mother's actions and wants revenge. The theme of punishment that the characters use in the poem will show the identities of them. In Beowulf, examples of vengeance in shown by Beowulf, Grendels mother, and Hrothgar. …show more content…
For example, he wanted to get even with Grendel for attacking the Danes. Beowulf cares for his people and pays attention to them as well. “My purpose was this: To win the goodwill of your people or die in the battle, pressed in Grendels fierce grip.” (lines 634-636) Those are the words of Beowulf when he is about to go into battle. He know that Grendels is a very powerful monster but Beowulf is willing to get even with Grendel for his people. Beowulf is a great hero and he uses vengeance as a warrior because this number one priority are the people. Beowulf announced that he will not use any sword to demonstrate his bravery and faithfulness to Hygelac. Also, he uses the value vengeance for the fame, attention , respect that he can get. Getting even with Grendel would give Beowulf a greater name by fighting the battle with Grendel. He needs to get even with the powerful monster for everyone of
How does Beowulf really get all of the revenge he wants when it comes to Grendel.” Grendel clutched at Beowulf with his claws “. In his till they cracked , clutched Grendel closer. The infamous killer fought . The reason why I picked that quote was because it shows how Beowulf gets his revenge he wanted on
"She'd taken Hrothgar's closest friend, The man he loved most of all men on earth" (414-415). After the death of Grendel, his mother seeks revenge by taking one of the Dane's lives. Coincidently, the man happened to be the best friend of a king, Hrothgar. This gives Hrothgar the desire to retaliate by asking Beowulf for help. In Beowulf, motivation comes in many forms such as revenge, treasures, and fame.
In the anglo saxon society in which Beowulf took place, there was a warrior code which resulted in everyone trying to gain power over one another. Everyone lived by a heroic code that encouraged battles, feuds, and murders and rewarded the victor with treasure. By showing your insecurities or weaknesses in this age you will be taken advantage of. Beowulf understands the heroic code and uses his pride to get the upper hand on everyone else, Beowulf boasts himself as an invincible hero and goes in battle with out an ounce of fear. Beowulf’s justifies his excessive pride through his . Lastly, Beowulf’s pride made him a leader and led by example to defeat the dragon and ultimately sacrifice himself in the process. Beowulf’s desire for pride
Heroes often do not kill their enemies, but Beowulf does; this does not make him any less of a hero because to ensure protection he has to kill them. An example of this is when Beowulf kills Grendel who is killing men at the mead hall and it was justice and Grendel deserved to be killed. One life taken is better than many more because if Beowulf didn’t kill Grendel he would have continued to terrorize and kill people. So buy killing Grendel Beowulf saved many people. Also when Grendel’s mother wanted revenge Beowulf killed her because she had killed twenty of Hrothgar’s men out of spite. Beowulf shows justice because his enemies get what they deserved, but it was fair. An example of Beowulf’s justice from the text would be when it states that “It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in
Beowulf is the epic story of a young hero who battles the monster Grendel and his mother. Beowulf, a prince of the Geats, the son of Ecgtheow who voyages to Heorot, the hall of Hrothgar, king of the Danes and the great grandson of the hero Scyld Scefing. There at Heorot, Beowulf destroys the monster Grendel, who for twelve years has haunted the hall by night and slain all he found therein. When Grendel's mother, in revenge, makes an attack on the hall, Beowulf seeks her out and kills her in her home beneath the waters.
Grendel, the monster terrorizing Heorot, is introduced as being estranged from the rest of the world. He is described as an outsider, a descendant of “Cain’s clan” (107). Grendel’s outcast status leaves him living in darkness, his envy growing the more he hears the celebrations of the Danes. Envy and social status motivate Grendel’s cruelty, filling him with anger towards those who are human. When Beowulf and the Geats arrive, it is not solely out of honor that Beowulf vows to kill the beast. Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow, had an unpaid debt at the time of his death. Beowulf’s pledge that he would kill Grendel was a repayment, as well as an honorable feat. However, as Beowulf is introduced, the boasts he makes of his heroic feats and his “awesome strength” (29), only prove his barbarity. He boasts that “they had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea slaughtered sea brutes” (419-422). He goes on to blame the enemies for the vengeance that he wrought upon them. Beowulf dehumanizes his enemies, states that they were foul beasts who tainted the land, and he purified it. This is a sadistic view of life and battle, contrasting cruelty for the
This illustrates an inner problem of a suppressed evil side to society. Beowulf and other men that battled Grendel had trouble defeating him with weapons. They all had to tussle with Grendel and everyone except for Beowulf failed at this challenge. Symbolically meaning that that evil side to society will always be there no matter how much people try to fight it. Grendel also plays the role of envy. Imagine him being an outcast with no joy in his life hearing the mead-hall at night and all the laughter, he must have felt envious and longed to be a part of that world. Another symbolic role is revenge. Upon learning that Beowulf has hurt her only child Grendel’s mother becomes angered and seeks revenge. Her and Beowulf battle it out and the mother loses the battle. Relating this back to Cain, Grendel’s mother wants to kill Beowulf and get revenge and just like Cain, she faced her punishment, for her it was
Beowulf's considerate heart encourages him to face struggle. Beowulf sees honor to face his challenges. For instance, Beowulf's respect for the king of Danes leads him to face the monster.
The poem then takes another turn when Grendel’s mother comes to avenge her son’s death by killing one of Hrothgar’s most trusted companions. By doing this, she is following the warrior code of the Anglo-Saxons which is an eye for an eye. The other alternative is to pay for the crime committed which is called a wergild. Once again the Danes are made uneasy because another monster is at large, and Beowulf agrees to put an end to her. Although Beowulf seems to respect the action that Grendel’s mother has taken by saying, “It is better for a man to avenge his friend than much mourn” (Donaldson p.25), nonetheless, he has to kill Grendel’s mother because he has a duty to protect the Danes. Beowulf is not afraid of fighting Grendel’s mother because glory comes before death and to him that is best for a warrior: “let him who may get glory before death; that is best for the warrior after he has gone from life” (Donaldson p.
The oldest of the great lengthy poems written in English and perhaps the lone survivor of a genre of Anglo-Saxon epics, Beowulf, was written by an unknown Christian author at a date that is only estimated. Even so, it is a remarkable narrative story in which the poet reinvigorates the heroic language, style, and values of Germanic oral poetry. He intertwines a number of themes including good and evil, youth and old age, paganism and Christianity and the heroic ideal code, into his principal narrative and numerous digressions and episodes; all of which were extremely important to his audience at the time. Vengeance, part of the heroic code, was regarded differently by the two distinct religions. Christianity teaches to forgive those who trespass against us, whereas in the pagan world, revenge is typical and not considered an evil act. In Beowulf, the ancient German proverb "revenge does not long remain unrevenged" is strictly adhered to and verifies that revenge is part of pagan tradition.
In every battle Beowulf fights, he fights honorably. When he fights Grendel, he uses no weapons because Grendel fights unarmed. He only uses weapons to fight the dragon and Grendel’s mother because he cannot win otherwise. He does not cheat. He does not use unfair advantages. Beowulf fights with honor. Throughout his life, Beowulf fought many heroic battle...
When the story begins, Beowulf has gone to the land of the Danes to kill Grendel for the people, not for the glory. Beowulf brings his own hand picked, group of soldiers with him throughout his battles, and refuses to allow help from others. Beowulf also tells the readers he will not use weapons unless necessary. Before the battle against Grendel, a Denmark officer states, “A chosen warrior who bravely does battle with the creature haunting our people, who survives that horror unhurt, and goes home bearing our love” (ln. 210). Also, when Beowulf’s men abandon him in the battle against the dragon, he does not choose to run in fear, but to continue fighting. In this moment much like in his past, Beowulf shows how honorable he really
Have you ever wanted to avenge a wrong doing done unto you? Well, the characters in Beowulf will stop at nothing to achieve vengeance. Revenge is so immensely practiced that it is a common act to pay of a deed done by an offender. However, a payment or truce does not satisfy the desire for revenge in the Poem. Every time a Character precedes to make peace, it eventually falls apart by a desire to avenge loved ones. This desire is usually upheld until someone is no longer left to be avenged or no one is left to avenge those whom they loved. This, although it may not seem so, happens commonly in this epic.
Throughout the entire poem Beowulf has the mindset to gain revenge on the people who has done him wrong. In the literary work Beowulf gains revenge by defeating monsters that has caused problem. Considering that the epic story is driven by the characters needs to defend by killing. The cycle of revenge is taken when the first monster was killed. Grendel was a descendant from Cain, the first murderer who killed his brother out of revenge because he was not favored by god. Grendel has hatred for the mead hall that the Danes, favored by God, sing and party all night to. This leads to Grendel taking his revenge out by terrorizing the Danes. Beowulf then is needed for help and seeks the challenge by offering to fight Grendel to let the Danes seek their revenge against Grendel. Beowulf defeats Grendel and has taken the fame for defeating a monster that has caused disturbance to the society. Grendel’s mother, however, is so disturbed by her son’s death that she takes her own revenge by killing the thane and dear friend of the king. The cycle of revenge is then put to an end when Beowulf takes out Grendel’s mother and puts an end to the revenge. The cycle then renews years later when a thief decides to steal a piece of treasure from a dragon that has protected his wealth for centuries. The dragon then regains his revenge by burning down the countryside in search of the thief. In this process, part of the Danes kingdom is
Grendal, a descendant of Cain, is one of the main antagonist of the poem Beowulf. He lives under an inherited curse and is denied God’s presence. Throughout the story Grendal causes enormous grief and fear to the people of Herot. After so much pain and agony the king of Herot, Hrothgar, sends for the protagonist of the poem, Beowulf. He is a Geat and the epic hero of the poem. The wide variety of distinctions between Grendal and Beowulf is what develops the climax of the composition. Beowulf kills Grendal, so he is honored by the people of Herot for his heroic act. Since Grendal and Beowulf play opposite roles in the poem, Beowulf, they let the reader know how contrasting characters can develop the plot of the story.