Karma is the destiny you earn through your actions and behaviors; when you act greedy and loathsome to others, you end up worse than the ones you looked down on. In Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, and Grendel, written by John Gardner, Unferth is an underrepresented character who is marginalized by others, especially Beowulf, and portrayed as unheroic due to him killing his own brothers. However, deep inside he is the most heroic character of all. In Beowulf, society defines heroism as all about fame and glory, something Unferth does not have, thus making him unheroic; in Grendel, Unferth finds his own definition of heroism as dynamic and realizes that he can be the hero of his own life, not anybody else’s. In Beowulf, plentiful adjectives …show more content…
Grendel and Unferth’s conversation digs deep into a true definition of heroism. Grendel thinks that Unferth is utterly innocent and wants Unferth to find an alternative heroism. Unferth, thus, wants to fight Grendel to the end and almost wants to be killed by Grendel, believing that “[that is] inner heroism,” since “no man above [him] will ever know whether [he] died here or fled to the hills like a coward” (Gardner 88). He wants to convince himself that being killed by a monster is heroic, at least to his definition. Furthermore, Unferth believes that heroes “see values beyond what’s possible,” but the values “[kill] him...ultimately, yet “makes the whole struggle of humanity worthwhile,” showing Grendel that fame and glory help a person live on but also kill a person (Gardner 89). This quote proves that Unferth is starting to think differently: that heroism is ultimately meaningless. Thus, Unferth goes as far as to committing suicide if Grendel would not kill him, but when Grendel maintains that suicides are cowardly, Unferth gives up, like an innocent child. Even though Unferth lives on depressed, he now knows that there is an alternative meaning to heroism and can live up to his own expectations and not the
Unferth seems to be jealous of the courage that Beowulf has to kill Grendel. This jealousy is demonstrated through the distorted version of a swimming race between Breca and Beowulf. Also Unferth wants to be the one who kills Grendel for his king, Hrothgar. This goes along with Thesis VI: Fear of the Monster Is really a Kind of Desire, which Beowulf is a symbol of something that Unferth desires he could be.
“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
The book Grendel, written by John Gardner, and the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, both have very distinct opinions on what role each character plays. The translator of Beowulf and the writer of Grendel follow the idea that everyone has a story. A story is the writer’s perspective on a character’s personality, the way people in the story see and treat the character, and the way it ties the ideas together. There are many examples in these two writings of this concept, but the main instances connect with the lives of Grendel, Beowulf, and Unferth.
So far Unferth, a proud warrior himself, tells Beowulf that the hero is foolish and that he has been bested in this sea-competition by his opponent – both of which are big, embarrassing putdowns. Unferth continues to rub it in:
Beowulf demonstrates his hero trait within his actions he takes making a connection to the idea of Bentham. The main focus of Bentham’s utilitarian idea is, before making a decision being able to calculate pleasure and pain for others not just yourself. Similarly Beowulf focuses on the greater pleasure when he goes to battle against Grendel and Grendel’s mother. The hero trait that Beowulf shares with Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarian idea; is the thought of the happiness of others before making any decision or taking any action.
In this poem, Beowulf exhibits the trait of bravery by defeating the monster, Grendel. This monster was a very powerful monster that plagued the town of Herot. “He slipped through the door… Snatched up thirty men, smashed them/ Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies/ The blood dripping behind him, back/ To his liar, delighted with his night’s slaughter. (11)”
People questioned if Beowulf acts of heroism can really be called heroic. He may have done it just to gain fame, or made it sound unrealistic so that people would see him as a god. A hero is someone who is isn’t afraid to dance with death if it means doing what is right, or protecting someone. Beowulf has shown to have this characteristic by his tales of adventures. For example “I drove five great giants into chains, chased All of that race from the earth. In the darkness of the night hunting monsters Out of the ocean, and killing them one By one” (154-158). Should acts of heroism that seem unrealistic be disregarded as a hero’s act?
In the heroic poem Beowulf, not only does Wiglaf demonstrate the importance of heroism to society and the necessity of loyalty to one’s kinsman and lord, but he also sets the context of the final part of the poem. Unferth, on the other hand, presents a rude challenge to the hero, which is not without precedent in heroic poetry, and thus becomes in the eye of the audience a sort of villainous type. Let us consider the more noble of the two first.
In the era of my rule, a king was not someone who simply delivered orders to his “men” while he sat on his throne awaiting confirmation of a victory. Men admired their leader for: outstanding courage, selflessness to his tribe, personal valor, and ability to survive despite the toughest opposition. Heroism and leadership are characteristics that brought my fellow men to abide by my side despite the situation, which in response led me to become such an aspiring leader, and in the end a hero – the demonstration to attain glory through brawls. Traditions, natural laws, and religion are descriptions of my heroism and leadership.
Unferth is son of Ecglaf, who spoke bitterly and sharp of Beowulf’s adventure. Unferth announces, “You’ve been lucky in your battles, beowulf, but i think your luck may change if you challenge Grendel, staying a whole night in his hall, waiting where that fiercest of demons can find you” (Burton Raffel 8). To illuminate, Unferth is utilizing a tone of jealousy toward Beowulf, and he envies him, because no one in Denmark has ever acquired glory and fame greater than Beowulf. Unferth came up with an evil plan, challenging Beowulf to defeat the powerful monster, Grendel. However, Beowulf proves Unferth wrong, by explaining the real truth. Beowulf claims, “What man, anywhere under heaven’s high arch, has fought in such darkness, endured more misery, or been harder pressed? Yet i survived the sea, smashed the monsters’ hot jaws, swam home from my journey” (Burton Raffel 9). To interpret, Beowulf implies a tone of confidence. Beowulf expressed, that he fought nine giant sea monsters in the darkness, showing good vs. evil. There is no other man who could have survived the sea of evil creatures and still make it home after his
... being a hero. Unferth comes in contact with Grendel as he says “You think I came without a hope of winning- came to escape indignity by suicide!” (Gardner 89). Grendel does not believe Unferth is a heroic figure because he believes Unferth is not facing his fears. Unferth believes highly in his heroic ideals; however, Grendel crushes Unferth’s beliefs as he denies him to die a hero.
Beowulf is a classic hero in Beowulf for he fits the epitomized romantic mold so perfectly. His appearance is that of a hero, he is large, muscular, and intimidating. His intentions are also in the right place, he wishes to free Hrothgar’s people from the evil that is Grendel. He is a mature man, one who in the face of belittlement responds respectably and effectively. “Then up spoke Unferth…”Are you that Beowulf who with Breca swam on the broad sea-swell struggling together proud wave-wrestlers wagering your lives with reckless boasting risking for praise deep water-death?...” Beowulf answered…”and you were never known for such deeds nothing to brag of renowned as you are for killing your brothers…” (p.17-18 Beowulf) Beowulf doesn’t put Unferth down; rather he reminds him that he has no place to talk of heroic deeds and moves on.
In the epic poem, Beowulf, the reader sees that there are even cowards in tales of legendary heroes. These cowards, however, do show some compassion towards others. Unferth, a companion to Beowulf is shown as a capable warrior, but prideful to a fault. Unferth’s fear wins out to his loyalty and morals to his leader, Beowulf. His pride and resentment toward Beowulf also serves as fuel to his abandonment later on. He does show some morality when he lends his sword to Beowulf. This event is the opening to others proving their worth like Wiglaf did.
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.
Beowulf is very prideful. He boasts about his tasks as often as he can. He likes to showboat his heroism and bravery. When Unferth challenges Beowulf’s honor and calls him a liar and a loser, Beowulf does not take it well. He calls Unferth a liar and a murderer and immediately tells Hrothgar’s court what really happened during the swimming match that Unferth was referring to. Beowulf is driven by his need to be an honorable and well-respected man. The honor he seeks is not wholly for his King’s glory, but for himself.