No matter where you go or any civilization that you might visit there is always one thing that makes them all the same and that one thing is culture. This allows the people to pass on the ideals that they have worked to keep from generation to generation .The Anglo saxons were area in time that ideals of pride and self worth were set as a prominent belief. The Middle Ages showed similar belief but focused much more on the idea of honor and respect.While the narrative poems Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight reflect two stories, sharing the same basic monomythic pattern such as in Joseph Campbell and A Thousand faces the contrast in the values held by the cultures that produced these works is clear. Beowulf shows the Anglo saxon ideal …show more content…
Beowulf meets his foe in the mead hall of the land of the Danes. With this foul beast facing the great warrior, beowulf grabs onto the beast's arm and uses all his might to rip it off of grendel's body. The beast being injured, he crawled back into his blood soaked cave awaiting him is his mother. Grendel's eventually dies from his fatal wound caused by Beowulf. Beowulf followed the blood soaked trail of the beast Grendel and finds the cave of grendel's mother. After the death of gendal the mourning mother seeks revenge for the death of her son. The second she realizes the warrior is watching she falls into battle, eventually being killed by the all mighty Beowulf. After Beowulf kills the creatures he returns back and is immediately greeted riches and wealth by the people due to his heroic acts in the land of the Danes. He is offered the throne, yet denies it at first and as time goes on he later takes it and becomes kind. As many years pass and Beowulf is King of the land a thief sneaks into the lair of the dragon. As he steals a goblet the dragon becomes furious and attacks the land of the Danes. Beowulf conjures all his pride and figures he can kill the beast alone he later gets bit by the dragon and eventually die only after the dragon suffers the same fate. After the three trials that beowulf goes through he was the most satisfied after the death of grendel's mother by his hands. …show more content…
They knew that no matter if you mortal body might die if you have name for yourself you shall be immortal. As seen all the ways to the death of beowulf we trys to push his limits. Even though the dragon was to powerful for any one man to take on alone he did, in order to Beowulf does not take on the challenge of Gredal in order to save the town or help the people but he takes it in order to amplify the words view of himself. Beowulf has little nothing at the beginning of the long narrative, he has no house nor belongings he simply has his name. He eventually grow in popularity and wealth as his name becomes a beacon of security and
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...
The story begins with Grendel taking the lives of countless innocent men. It seems to all that there is no one who can face this great monster who lives down in the swamp. The king, Hrothgar, becomes concerned for the health of his country and seeks out help from someone of great strength. In hearing this, Beowulf sees it as an opportunity to increase his popularity and fame. Upon arrival, he is anxious to come face to face with the great beast. In addition, he declares that he will fight Grendel without any weapons to prove who is truly the strongest. After his victory, Beowulf gets his fame and becomes king of another land for fifty years.
In Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight there are two heroes that help the present day reader gain insight into what the hero of the Middle Ages would have held as ideals and necessary triumphs. Beowulf and Sir Gawain each fill a different role within their unique societies. Beowulf is a leader and a savior in times of need, willing to go to any length to help another group of people as well as his own kingdom. Sir Gawain is also willing to rise during moments of trouble within his court but lacks the altruism that is inherent in Beowulf's leadership. Although there are many pursuable comparisons within the two tales, the most apparent between the two heroes are that of faith, the men who encouraged them, bravery and the adversaries they both faced.
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
Knowing that the sword is powerful enough to cut the skin of Grendel’s mother, Beowulf slays her and brings the sword and the head of the mother to Hrothgar, and he rewards Beowulf with more gifts and another feast. Once Beowulf returns home, he then tells his lord about his adventures and gives him all of the rewards that he received from Hrothgar for successfully defeating Grendel and his mother. His lord, then gave him rewards such as a new golden sword that belonged to Beowulf's father and grandfather, and some land and houses. In addition, Beowulf was to have the crown after the death of his lord and the lord’s son. Fifty years after Beowulf first became king, in Geatland a dragon was awakened by a slave who discovered the path to his tower by accident.
The character of Beowulf stands as a hero to the ancient Danes because of his actions. He is constantly being cited as a "war-chief" and a "gold-giver" (61). Beowulf has achieved fame through what he has done with his own hands. His identity as a leader is based upon the Danish society’s emphasis on personal action, as opposed to the delegation of responsibility through conscious thought. It is this very sense which spurs Beowulf to fight the dragon: "In my youth I engaged in many wars. Old guardian of the people, I shall still seek battle, perform a deed of fame, if the evil-doer will come to me..." (59). Beowulf derives his power from a strong link to the past. Without his history of glorious deeds, he would see himself bereft of the very power which qualifies him to be a good King. Beowulf’s bravery never comes in to question, he does meet every challenge head-on, with deadly attention. The society which labels Beowulf as a legendary hero, recognizes his actions and his bravery as a integral part of his definition as a hero. Without the society to support th...
However, unlike some characters, Beowulf does not try to alter his fate to reach his desired outcome. Accepting his fate from the beginning, Beowulf states, “Fate goes ever as fate must” (Beowulf 455). By accepting his fate, he realizes that he will achieve what he ultimately wants. Indeed, he is known for his vast strength: “There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, highborn and powerful” (Beowulf 196-98). However, he is aware of this power, and boasts about it whenever possible. Thus, he wants to be remembered as a mighty warrior and is willing to die to achieve this honor and legacy. Beowulf, like many of the early Anglo Saxons, is overly concerned with the ideas of fame and immortality. The Anglo Saxons believe that fame and immortality are conjoined, and therefore the more fame a person is granted the more immortal he or she becomes. Beowulf’s desire is that his legacy will live on, so he continuously seeks out fame, even if it puts him in danger. For example, when defeating Grendel, Beowulf uses only his bare hands. Because of his aspiration, he is fearless and, “. . . indifferent to death . . . ” (Beowulf 1442-44). He is unconcerned with death, as it will allow his legacy to be known. Even in old age Beowulf is concerned with fame: “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (Beowulf 2511-14). By being an admirable king, he again secures his legacy. Beowulf states, “Men-at-arms, remain here on the barrow, safe in your armor, to see which one of us is better in the end at bearing wounds in a deadly fray. This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth. I shall win the gold by my courage” (Beowulf 2529-36). He does not want the men to help him fight, as he wants to defeat the monster on his own. He does not
The most important component in both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf are the central characters. There are three basic characteristics of Sir Gawain and Beowulf: their true identity as individuals and what they truly make of it, how others feel towards them, and their actions that define their personality as heroic characters. When these three qualities are in sync with each other, it is simply easier to see the characters in a much more realistic perspective. Although Beowulf is more self-centered character, whereas, Gawain is more humane; both characters go through dramatic changes in the beginning and in the end of their quests.
Beowulf was considered the mightiest hero among the lands of where he resided for his heroic actions and thoughtful actions towards his civilians and other rulers. In the beginning of the book there was a mythical creature that reeked havoc upon the village named Grendel that attacked the King’s Hrothgar’s mead hall. When Beowulf heard the news, he willingly volunteered to attack Grendel. He then gathers up the mightiest men to go on the journey with him. When he arrives at Herot he’s given a feast and allowed to stay the night at the Herot to confront Grendel. Then when Grendel arrives he kills one of the men waiting before Beowulf could get to the battle. Beowulf then begins fighting with Grendel and tears off his shoulder, when his shoulder
A hero is someone who is idealized for his courage and noble qualities. Beowulf and Sir Gawain can certainly be called heroes. They both have many qualities that are expected of heroic knights and warriors. They are both brave, gallant, and skilled men, but are they the perfect heroes their people believe them to be? While they are portrayed as perfect heroes and they possess many heroic qualities, Beowulf and Sir Gawain are far from perfect.
Beowulf was called in to kill Grendel, which he did barehanded and took Grendel’s arm as a trophy and eventually kill Grendel’s mother. Beowulf received a large reward for his work and his battles only added to his fame, along with his great swim and his final battle with the dragon. Beowulf in his most superhuman feat fought the dragon for most of the fight one on one with a little help at the end from Wiglaf at the end to finally slay the dragon. While he’s dying he asks Wiglaf to show him some of the treasure that he has won by slaying the dragon. Beowulf gazes at the treasure, gives his throne to Wiglaf and dies a glorious warriors death added even more fame to his
Grendel initiates it by terrorizing and killing the people of the town, due to his anger with their noise and celebrations in the great mead hall of Heorot. Once he caught wind of the tragedy occurring to all of the Danes, Beowulf and his men reciprocate the ferociousness by achieving revenge and killing him. Their violence is depicted more graphically due to them tearing off Grendel’s arm once they had killed him, in order to display the arm in the Heorot. Hrothgar rewards Beowulf for his heroism in the fight. Grendel’s mother then seeks to avenge the death of her son, inflicting more violence upon the town. However her efforts to defeat Beowulf are shot down when he follows her back to her swamp and dives in after her, kills her, and rips her head off to again display in Heorot. Both the arm of Grendel and the head of his mother are tokens of recognition of Beowulf’s heroism. In the final battle between a dragon and Beowulf, him and another warrior slay the dragon, however the venom from the dragon causes Beowulf life to end as
Yet, Beowulf again puts his pride on a pedestal. As a king he has greater responsibilities and he should not jeopardize his life. The well being of his nation should come first. In addition, he should be a better leader to his people, who look for guidance and comfort in their king. The fight with the dragon proves that Beowulf is a fearless hero. His death is not his personal failure but it is a failure of a king. Tahmina Akhter shows what links Beowulf’s fight with Grendel to the fight with the dragon, “[a]s Beowulf silently observed his friend 's murder by Grendel in Heorot, only to prove himself the greatest hero, against the dragon his men also observe him to die, not providing any help to their dearest king”(Akhter). If Beowulf was a better leader and he respected the principles of comitatus, his companions would help him in every battle. He is himself guilty for his men turning back on him. It is his biggest mistake when he forbids his men to take part in the
“In my youth I engaged in many wars”, Beowulf boasts to his warriors, which is certainly true. Throughout his life, he faces many deadly foes, all of which he handily defeats, save one. His story focuses on the most challenging, as well as morally significant of foes, Grendel and the dragon. These creatures reveal much about society as well as Christian virtue at the time. Even after Grendel and the dragon are defeated physically, the two monsters pose a new threat to the hero on a higher plane. Beowulf is not only at risk of losing his life, but his humanity, virtue, and even spirituality.
Beowulf’s first accomplishment as an epic hero was his battle with Grendel. Grendel was a huge beast, a descendent of Cain, who ruthlessly murdered innocent Danes because he felt pity for himself. Upon hearing of the Dane’s problem, Beowulf set off to help the Danish without having been called upon. Even though Beowulf had men backing him, He drew battle with Grendel alone and without armor or weapons. Yet, Beowulf emerged victorious with the arm of Grendel as his trophy. Beowulf then went on to kill Grendel’s vengeful mother and a huge fire-breathing dragon who thought it had been done wrong by the Geats. Alas, the killing of the dragon would be Beowulf’s last great battle for the dragon took Beowulf’s life in the struggle for his own.