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5 modern day beowulfs comparisons
5 modern day beowulfs comparisons
5 modern day beowulfs comparisons
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1. The real monster in the poem is Grendel. Although, the humans are also morally questionable as well, Grendel engages in several horrific acts making him the greater monster. Grendel represents an evil and supernatural object. “Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell…” (28) Grendel also killed all of Hrothgar's people in Herot Hall and eventually took control of it. Although, the humans and Beowulf may have done some immoral things they were acting in self-defense and attempting to regain control of the situation. Also, Beowulf displays more heroic qualities rather than the qualities of a monster. The role of compassion is also evident in the epic as well. It is clear that Beowulf is a good fighter, however, he is also morally good. He realizes he has defeated his enemy and does not take advantage of them in times of weakness.
2. Good versus Evil is the most dominant theme in “Beowulf”. This particular epic portrays the conflict between a courageous, strong, loyal warrior and the monsters of he...
Damrosch, David, and David L. Pike. “Beowulf.” The Longman Anthology of World Literature, Compact Edition. New York: Pearson, Longman, 2008. 929-970. Print.
The epic poem Beowulf, an abundance of apparent evils such as the monsters. What about the not-so-apparent ones? Often the true evil hides behind what is obvious to us. In modern society, evil is everywhere because it resides inside society itself. Although the story of the warrior Beowulf is riddled with evil monsters, the true evil lies just beneath the surface.
The brawl experienced by the epics central character Beowulf test his ethics his aptitude to prevail over sinister forces. All the way through its authoritative use of metaphors and illustration, Beowulf sketches a transparent difference between good and evil. Moreover good always prevails over evil. The ...
The epic poem, Beowulf, is one of the oldest European epics in existence. When Beowulf was written, the writer incorporated many of the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons. Some of these ideals included loyalty, bravery, selflessness, and justice and were demonstrated in the hero. Both the characters Beowulf and Grendel represent aspects of both good and evil, Christianity and Paganism, and what occurs when they collide with one another. A characteristic of an epic poem is the concern over struggles that humans face, which is presented in a serious manner. The hero often embodies the religious, national, and cultural values of his homeland and abroad. The premise of the story is quite simple: the Danes were in distress because of the great monster Grendel, so Beowulf, a native of the Geats, sails to engage in battle with Grendel and become victorious in saving the seemingly faithless Danes. Throughout the epic, there are many instances where examples of the thirteen epic conventions are used in the writing of Beowulf and in describing both the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons and the underlying challenges with mortal problems, such as good versus evil.
The epic poem, Beowulf, coming from the years of 600 to 700 AD has been translated in many different styles. In these excerpts by Burton Raffel and Lucien Dean Pearson, provides a clear understanding of this epic poem. Reading the two different translations, Raffel tends to provide the reader with a better understanding of the evil nature of Grendel and the heroic characteristics of Beowulf.
“Beowulf.” Trans. Suzanne Akbari. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 112-82. Print.
Since the beginning of time, fairy tales, stories and legends have shared a common theme where good and evil are played against each other. In the story of “Beowulf”, translated by, “Burton Raffel”, there is a hero who plays as a good character, and there is also a demon who rules the dark side. The hero Beowulf, agrees to take a journey to conquer the evil monster Grendel. But when Beowulf is trying to defeat the beast, Grendel fights back, causing integrity and generosity to vanish. The common theme in various tales like in Beowulf is, good vs. evil.
In Beowulf’s younger years, he personified all of the best values of the heroic culture when saving another kingdom from their demons. Beowulf’s willingness to sacrifice his life in order to save strangers his father owed a debt to is quite selfless. His bravery comes into play when he remains unchanged in his resolve even after hearing of all the King’s men and subjects slain by the beast.
While the classic battle between good and evil forces is a major theme of the medieval epic Beowulf, one may question whether these good and evil forces are as black and white as they appear. Scholars such as Herbert G. Wright claim that “the dragon, like the giant Grendel, is an enemy of mankind, and the audience of Beowulf can have entertained no sympathy for either the one or the other” (Wright, 4). However, other scholars such as Andy Orchard disagree with this claim, and believe that there is “something deeply human about the ‘monsters’” (Orchard, 29). While Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon are indeed portrayed as evil and violent foes, there are parts within Beowulf that can also lead a reader to believe that the “monsters” may not be so monstrous after all. In fact, the author of Beowulf represents the “monsters” within the poem with a degree of moral ambivalence. This ambivalence ultimately evokes traces of sympathy in the reader for the plight of these “monster” figures, and blurs the fine line between good and evil within the poem.
The main two characters of Beowulf are Beowulf and Grendel. The central villain is Grendel, who is definitely the “bad guy” and not simply because the hero fights against Grendel.Grendel, who is a monster eating everything no matter what! He enjoys violence for no other reason that he finds pleasure in doing violence against people. He likes killing, and he’s good at it. That’s why no warriors have been able to defeat him.
Beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of Beowulf, a legendary Geatish hero who later becomes king in the aforementioned epic poem. While the story in and of itself is quite interesting, for the purpose of this paper it is important to look at the character more so then his deeds, or rather why he did what he did.
The first beast the hero faces is the wicked Grendel. At first he appears to be a demon, a “hellish enemy”. However, it is soon revealed that he is human, the “kin of Cain”. This is a crucial detail involving the lesson Beowulf will learn from this battle. The man-beast always strikes at night while his prey is fast asleep. He has no respect for the fight, preferring to attack the unwary and defenseless. On the night Grendel attacks Heorot with Beowulf lying in wait, Grendel’s most horrid of traits is learned: “He suddenly seized a sleeping man, tore at him ravenously, bit into his bone-locks, drank the blood from his veins, swallowed huge morsels; quickly had he eaten all of the lifeless one, feet and hands” (36). This utter disrespect that the supposed ‘man’ shows for human life is a testament to his complete lack of humanity. Any such qualities have rotted inside of him, replaced by hatred. He delights in slaughter, killing not out of necessity or for God or country: “His heart laughed: dreadful monster, he though that before the day came he would divide the life from the ...
In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.
The epic poem ‘Beowulf’ is a classic tale from the Anglo-Saxon period; the story of a hero’s journey that portrays what the people of that time valued most. The poem tells of great battles against evil, which display heroic traits such as courage, strength and honor. In contrast, the film ‘Beowulf’ (2007) focuses more on the dramatic storytelling with less of a heroic tone. Both the film and the poem share a common plot, yet have plentiful differences. The movie deviated greatly from the text due to the introduction of new characters, and complex storyline.
The clashes between humans do not directly involve him. He at times argues with humans, but Beowulf’s main objective is to fight monsters. He is represented as a defender of humanity and truly a person on the side of good. The narrator of the story also has Christian views that are demonstrated through the first battle with Grendel. Beowulf is said to have received his strength that defeated Grendel by God. “So times were pleasant for the people there until finally one, a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world.” Grendel is a personification of everything that is evil. He's truly a "fiend out of hell," or a descendant of Cain. According to the poem Cain's descendants became every sort of evil creature. In turn, one of these lines of descendants led to Grendel. Throughout Beowulf, Grendel, along with the other monsters, is described as mankind's enemy. Grendel’s attacks are driven by how jealous he his of how the humans are able to enjoy life in the light, while he is condemned to misery in the darkness. When Beowulf fights Grendel, he doesn't use any weapons; he fights him with his bare hands, honorably. Grendel did not expect such a fight and was quickly defeated by Beowulf. After his miserable defeat, he runs off to his lair, bleeding, rather than staying to finish the fight. The battle between Beowulf and Grendel happened quite differently than the battle that takes