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Beowulf character essay
Connected anglo saxon culture with beowulf
Beowulf as an anglo saxon
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Imagine being the first human being to accomplish greatness. Envision the fame and glory that results from being the first hero. Imagine the success one achieves from embracing their superhero potential. Many will say that Superman was the initial heroic icon, but Anglo-Saxon literature experts argue that Beowulf was the first hero. Anglo-Saxon literature consisted of various types of poems, recited by Scops in spoken verse. The Anglo-Saxons believed that the warriors in their heroic poems should possess certain characteristics. The warriors who obtained these attributes were considered heroes. Interestingly, Beowulf exemplifies the characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon hero throughout his battles in the epic poem, Beowulf. In Beowulf, translated …show more content…
Throughout the heroic poem, Beowulf demonstrates his sense of duty and justice in numerous events. During the preparation for battle with grendel, Beowulf displays his passion for justice by exclaiming, “That this one favor you should not refuse me-- / That I, alone and with the help of my men, / May purge all evil from this hall.” (164-166). This quote signifies Beowulf’s integrity and devotion to his people. Another instance when Beowulf demonstrates a sense of duty and justice is after he defeats Grendel’s mother. As he was exiting the cave after his success, Beowulf encounters Grendel’s lifeless body and severs his head to bring to the King; “He sought Hrothgar / To salute him and show Grendel’s head.” (601). The act of Beowulf bringing Grendel’s severed head to Hrothgar signifies the importance of justice to Beowulf. Moreover, Beowulf exemplifies how a hero should care for his people by saying, “For all of this, that His grace has given me, allowed me to bring to my people while breath / Still came to my lips.” (807-809). This quote signifies Beowulf’s sense of duty and justice because he demonstrates his responsibility for the safety of his people and the success of the kingdom. A great hero has a sense of urgency when his kingdom is in harm’s way and a passion for justice regardless of the consequences. Evidently, Beowulf encompasses a sense of duty and justice throughout his …show more content…
The capability of a hero to possess superior physical strength is the quality that sets him apart from the other warriors. In the beginning of Beowulf, Beowulf is described as the, “follower and the strongest of the Geats, greater and stronger that anyone anywhere in this world” (lines 110-111). This represents Beowulf’s strength by stating he is the strongest man in the world. In addition, Beowulf demonstrates physical strength when defeating Grendel. During the battle, “[Grendel] twisted in pain, and the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped, muscle and bone split and broke” (lines 390-392). This quote describes the part of the battle when Beowulf rips off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands. Obviously, Beowulf demonstrates super strength because he is able to mutilate Grendel without any weapons. Furthermore, the most prominent event in the poem that signifies Beowulf’s super strength is when he is able to use the large sword to kill Grendel’s mother. The sword was, “but so massive that no other ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length. He drew it from its scabbard, broke the chain on its hilt” (533-535). Due to the fact that Beowulf had the ability to break the sword off of its chain and pick it up with ease proves that he possesses super strength. Emphatically, Beowulf exemplifies undeniable super strength of an
Beowulf was a true hero, in the eyes of many, through said traits. He fought a number of battles and was triumphant in all, except his last battle. Beowulf possessed the skills and power necessary to kill Grendel, the monster who had been terrorizing the Danes for over a decade, with his bare hands. While fighting, Beowulf detached Grendel’s arm from his shoulder, which was later hung up as a trophy. Beowulf eventually put an end to Grendel’s life, and naturally, Grendel’s mother had pursued Beowulf. Although Grendel’s mother was an even deadlier monster than her son, Beowulf once again proved his abilities by slaying her, as well. He slashed her neck with a sword that carried unbearable weight. Afterwards, he carried her head with only his own arms, while it took the a...
Beowulf used his strength for respect and recognition. As he became older his great strength was beginning to become weak. The weakness of his strength and the lost battle against Grendel’s mother was overwhelming to Beowulf; however he realized that his time was over and he would be remembered as a great hero in all battles he won.
Of the many characteristics of a hero, being better than the ordinary man is the trait most easily found when studying a character. Beowulf exhibits almost god-like strength throughout his quest. For example, “He twisted in pain, / And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder/ Snapped, muscle and bone split and broke.” (Beowulf 815-818). His strength is once again demonstrated in his fight with Grendel’s mother. After he realizes hand-to-hand combat is futile, Beowulf swings a sword “so massive that no ordinary man could lift/ It’s carved and decorated length.” (Beowulf 1560-1561). Yet another example of Beowulf’s strength is his presentation of Grendel’s head to the Danes. After slicing off Grendel’s head in one blow, Beowulf orders his men to carry the head back to Herot. However, the head of the monster was “too heavy for fewer than four of them to handle” (Beowulf 1636-1637). After arriving in Herot, Beowulf “carried that terrible trophy by the hair,/ Brought it straight to where the Danes sat” (Beowulf 1647-1648). The second trait that demonstrates that Beowulf is better than the ordinary man is his incredible honor. When preparing for his fight with Grendel, Beowulf decides not to use ...
Some heroes show their strength in the form of smarts, emotion, physical strength, and much more. Beowulf displays a remarkable amount of physical strength, and mental strategies.
Beowulf showed these god-like talents in his underwater battle with Grendel’s mother. Beowulf's strength is shown in this fight when he picks up the sword that is described to be:“so huge and heavy of itself only Beowulf could wield it in a battle” (Heaney 302). Everyone thought Beowulf was defeated they all reacted in sadness : “They bowed grey heads, spoke in their sage, experienced way about the good warrior, how they never again expected to see that prince returning in triumph to their king. It was clear to
Early in the poem, Beowulf hears accounts of Grendel’s destruction of Herot, Hrothgar’s majestic mead hall. Knowing his strength and military prowess, Beowulf immediately devises a plan, recruits men, and orders boats, thrusting himself into a battle that was not necessarily his to fight. Beowulf felt obligated to end Grendel’s reign of terror. Though he knew the death of Grendel would bring him fame and honor, the idealized Beowulf was able to set aside personal ambition in order to end the suffering of the Danes. Shortly after slaying Grendel, Beowulf again displays an awareness of duty when Grendel’s mother extracts revenge upon Herot, killing one of Hrothgar’s best men, Aeshere. Instead of leaving Herot in a state of frenzy, Beowulf comes to King Hrothgar’s side, pledging allegiance and service. Bolstering the defeated king’s moral, Beowulf boldly addresses the older King Hrothgar saying, “So arise, my lord, and let us immediately set forth on the trail of this troll-dam. I guarantee you: she will not get away, not to dens under ground nor upland groves nor the ocean floor. She’ll have nowhere to fall to. Endure your troubles to-day. Bear up and be the man I expect you to be.” Beowulf could not set aside his duty and obligation, though he knew full well the suffering and pain that might result from his actions. Thus, Beowulf is a portrait of
“Staring at his grotesquely muscled shoulders--stooped, naked despite the cold, sleek as the belly of a shark and as rippled with power as the shoulders of a horse--I found my mind wandering...He was dangerous” (155). Even from the first day Beowulf showed up at Hrothgar’s kingdom, Grendel knew he was dealing with something worse than a hero. Once they finally start to battle, the monster in Beowulf is fully revealed to Grendel and Grendel sees again the stupidity and meaninglessness in the human’s definition of a hero.“Grendel, Grendel! You make the world by whispers, second by second. Are you blind to that? Whether you make it a grave or a garden of roses is not the point. Feel the wall: is it not hard?...Hard, yes! Observe the hardness, write it down in careful runes. Now sing of walls! Sing!” (171). Beowulf forces Grendel to make a fool of himself and unlike Unferth who longs for a heroic death, Beowulf knows he is going to win and has no desire to die. His mindset of victory, groups him with monsters who have one goal, to kill and never be killed. This shatters the Anglo-Saxon ideals of heroism and in Grendel’s death, when he is surrounded by oblivious creatures who don’t have a purpose, the meaninglessness of it all, including the meaninglessness of heroic deeds becomes evident to the
Once Grendel and his mother are killed, the king showers Beowulf in gifts. Beowulf shows humility and accepts the gifts, and quietly returns to his home. He does not want to bask in his glory. "So they went on their journey, and Hrothgar 's generosity was praised repeatedly"(Beowulf 1885-86). This quote symbolizes the relationship between the King of Danes and Beowulf, because he is constantly thanking him for the gifts. It is not just seen as a business deal where Beowulf has come to provide a service, and collect his reward. There is much more to his actions, he genuinely provides services to the king for the greater good. He is humble in nature, where he is not looking for attention. He does not gloat that he is truly the best warrior he sort of just thanks the king. The king of Danes states to Beowulf "In all things you are even tempered, prudent, and resolute"(Beowulf 17056). It is already known that he is a great warrior, so there is no need for him to overly express
He showed great courage, strength, leadership and intrepidness. Beowulf defeated a beast that swooped up an entire room of people and ate them. He took his men on a dangerous voyage to Grendal’s deep, dark lair. Beowulf also demonstrated strength that a normal man couldn’t when he lifted a sword crafted for giants. Although Beowulf was an Anglo-Saxon hero centuries removed, his heroic attributes still appeal to heroes today. Although Beowulf has super strength, he still shows courage, initiative, selflessness, and desire to make the world a better place just like heroes of
The poem describes Beowulf as a big and powerful human. Being that powerful has to come with some responsibilities. It was said that Beowulf got his powers form the gods, and because it came from the great beings above, it was Beowulf’s destiny to fight the Grendel. The Geats’ felt as though Beowulf was bestowed great power for a reason, and this was his reason. Beowulf also may have felt the duty of morality. In Penner’s article about how we have a moral obligation to help those in need says this, “Morality requires us to do the right thing, not just as regards ourselves, but also in our dealings with others.” (Penner). Or in other words, humans feel the need to help others who are in pain, or suffering. The Danes were under great punishment, the Grendel was killing off their city one person at a time. The Danes, along with other heroes, had tried to stop the monster without success. When Beowulf hears of this he wants to help. The Geats tell him this, because they believe him to be an epic hero, Told his it was his duty to help the Geats defeat the Grendel. The Geats had made him a leader because of his bravery and strength. This has to do with his position in his
This quote is one of many examples of Beowulf’s pride. Beowulf, a strong warrior, wants to fight Grendel, a malicious monster. Although his adventure is seen to benefit his honor and glory, he is thoughtful of others and gives his time, labor, and treasures to them. The Anglo-Saxons hold a high respect for pride and sacrifice. Beowulf’s lust for glory and pride is obvious he wants to be known and feared. But throughout the story there is an unspoken tone about his constant charity. When he fights a monster for
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.
To gain the respect and glory that a person of power needs, one must earn it. There is only one way to achieve respect in the times of the Anglo-Saxons. Only Beowulf was the most honored man throughout all Anglo-Saxon history. He performed three straightforward tasks to reach his level of admiration. In the time of The Anglo-Saxon?s, men lived by the Comitatus Code. One avenged the death of their king. Men lived a lifestyle of boasting and violence. Beowulf?s first major feat was undoubtedly through violence. An evil bloodthirsty creature named Grendel haunted the mead hall of Heorot. Upon hearing of this ghastly monster, Beowulf found it too ?hard to ignore? (Lines 409-410). Many claimed it was an impossible feat to go toe to toe with Grendel (Line 473). ?No one has ever outlasted an entire night with Grendel? (Lines 527-528). Hrothgar said that he would hate to burden anyone with such a great task. For many have tried, yet none have succeeded in killing Grendel. However, Beowulf took on Grendel and ripped his arm off as a sign of his sheer strength. Upon accomplishing this act, Beowulf did what was a customary action for this time. He bragged, boasted, and did not downplay the praise he received. He had just ripped the arm off the monster that had been previously tormenting Heorot?s mead ...
In Beowulf 's case, he first demonstrates his abilities and strength when he confronts Grendel. Hundreds of people have fought Beowulf with swords and other weapons and have failed. However, Beowulf only wanted to fight with his fists stating that Grendel is "unschooled in skills to strike against me, to shatter my shield, so I shall bear no blade in the night if he sees fit to fight without weapons"(607-610). When he finally fought Beowulf, he was able to easily rip Grendel 's hand off with the narrator noting that Beowulf 's hand grip was "harder than any other he ever had met in all Middle-Earth"(671-672). Now comparing to Jon Snow, he also shows abilities that no one else seems to be able to accomplish. First, Jon Snow can cheat death after his betrayal by the Night 's Watch. Second, he is shown as an incredible swordsman that no one else can seem to rival in the
Beowulf shows physical strength in the story by defeating Grendel. In line 219 of Grendel’s mother, it tells how Beowulf killed her. “…cut it through, broke bones and all.” His strength is also told in line 213 of how he “lifted the sword that was so massive that no ordinary man could lift.” Beowulf’s determination, or his will to win, was throughout the story, even up until his death. A quote that describes this is, “…he cut the beast in half, slit it apart. It fell…”(line 185). He shows courage along with his cousin, Wiglaf, when they defeat the fire dragon. In line 189 it says, “…their courage had killed it, two noble cousins had joined in the dragon’s death.”