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Analyze the character in the epic beowulf
Epic narrative of beowulf
Analyses of beowulf
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Beowulf was a great hero in his time. He always was one to go the extra distance to prove his greatness. It was shown many times throughout Beowulf the Epic Poetry, either when it was Hrothgar King of the Danes spoke highly of him, when he fought the evil and wicked Grendel along with his mother, or his final battle against a dragon who dared to attack his kingdom. No matter where you look, throughout the poem Beowulf is constantly trying to prove his courage. Beowulf was always one to be the best or strive to be the best. He wanted his name to be known throughout the world. Beowulf would fight many enemies throughout his life time. When he went to offer his help to Hrothgar King of the Danes, he was already spoken highly of Beowulf. Hrothgar went to say to his knight “he knows of your noble birth and that having you come to him from over the open sea you have come bravely and you are welcome” (Line 127-130). Beowulf traveled for long times over sea to fight battles. The King was already impressed that Beowulf already had traveled such a great distant to help the kingdom and the people of it. Beowulf’s name was well known so it wasn’t any surprise that The King …show more content…
A dragon then dared to attack Beowulf’s kingdom. Beowulf now an old man still accepts the challenge presented by said dragon. Beowulf gets his gear and seeks out this murderous dragon and says “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me” (Line 608-611). Even as an old man Beowulf wanted to get more fame and have more battles. Although this was his final battle he still went in with no fear. He fought the dragon with everything he could. Beowulf went through his life seeking fame, he showed his might and courage through battle and became one of the most recognizable epic heroes that we have
Nobody dared to stop the bravest man in all the land known as Beowulf. Beowulf is the strongest warrior from Geatland. When Beowulf hears about the Danes and Hrothgar’s struggle to keep his men safe, he offers to help. The Danish king, Hrothgar, accepts Beowulf’s request to kill Grendel and his mother. Beowulf proves his strength and becomes famous when he defeats Grendel in a battle using nothing but his bare hands in Herot. He keeps Grendel’s arm as a symbol of his victory. Grendel’s mother looks for revenge, but she is also killed by the brave warrior. Beowulf becomes the King of Geatland after the king’s son, Heardred, is killed. Beowulf rules for 50 years and he is very successful in keeping peace across the land and Geatland becomes very prosperous. Beowulf later dies after a final fight against a dragon. The Geats build a tower strong and tall just as Beowulf requested so that sailors could find it from far and wide. Beowulf perfectly embodies the Germanic heroic ideal.
Towards the end of the story, Beowulf travels to fight a dragon who is protecting a large treasure. He wants to prove to his kingdom that he is still the brave and strong man he used to be, but his main motivation is the treasure he will get after his victory. "And Beowulf uttered his final boast: 'I've never known fear, as a youth I fought In endless battles. I am old, now, But I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares To face me'" (606-610). On the other side, the dragon has the same motivation. He is willing protect the treasure if it takes his life. This makes the fight one to the death. "When he comes to me I mean to stand, not to run from his shooting Flames, stand still till fate decides Which of us wins" (619-622). Beowulf feels that if he cannot have this victory, that this is the proper way to
In the poem Beowulf, the protagonist is portrayed as a heroic figure who strives to spread his name and glory out across the land in order to be remembered. Although his acts may not entirely be for the right reasons, Beowulf does express his heroic qualities of bravery, arrogance, and brute force.
...he dragon, which meant he knew he was leaving his nation weak and vulnerable to attacks from their many enemies. Was this selfish of Beowulf or did he really fight his final fight because he knew no one else could? The interpretation as to whether Beowulf is a hero or not will always be debated and it is truly just a matter of personal opinion.
Everyone feared his abilities and wouldn’t dare attack him. Then a dragon was woken from its slumber and attacked part of Beowulf’s land. “Yet the prince if rings was too proud to line up with a large army against the sky-plague.” (159: 2345-2347). Beowulf could have taken all of his warriors to fight, but he was too smug. He had to be the one to fight it, or die trying. Beowulf had a need for glorious battle and impossible tasks. He brought few warriors with him to kill the murderous creature. When they reached the dragon, Beowulf made the decision to go in alone because he was too proud, and full of himself to ask for help. When the time came that he needed his warriors, they all ran except one. Beowulf was such a great warrior that no one else in his army had any skill at battle. They had no courage or experience because of Beowulf’s need to go in alone. Beowulf met his match against the dragon, and perished. The need for all the glory and fame drove Beowulf right to his death. It wasn’t the actual threat that killed Beowulf, but the careless decisions that were the real
Beowulf was a highly skilled and great fighter, but because of his over-confidence in himself the fire-breathing dragon kills him. Beowulf’s excessive pride is evident from the very beginning of the epic. He is almost always boasting about himself to one person or the other. In the first part of the epic, when Beowulf first travels to Hrothgar’s kingdom to rid him of Grendel, he talks about the mighty deeds he has done in his life. “Hail, Hrothgar, health ever keep you! I am Hyglelac’s thane and kinsman; mighty deeds I have done in my youth…they saw themselves how I came from combat bloodied by enemies where I crushed down five, killed a tribe of giants, and on the waves at night slew water-beasts; no easy task, but I dove out trouble from Geatland-they asked for it, the enemies I killed.”(Beowulf p73) One can easily picture him standing proud and tall in front of a multitude of fellow warriors, proclaiming all the deeds he has accomplished in his lifetime.
To qualify as an epic poem, Beowulf reflects the values of the culture in which it was created. The Anglo-Saxon culture and the poem share many of the same values. They shared a heroic ideal that included loyalty, strength, courage, courtesy, and generosity. Like all epic poems Beowulf is a long narrative work that tells the adventures of a great hero and also reflects the values of the society in which it was written. Both Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons believed in those qualities as an individual.
It is evident that he wants recognition for what he has done and the tasks he has completed throughout his life. He did not need to mention his accomplishments to Hrothgar, but instead he did to display his worthiness to kill Grendel which was only to receive recognition for his actions. This demonstrates Beowulf’s selfishness in how he will only do something to gain fame. In addition, as mentioned in the passage, “I've never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still,” (line 2-4, pg 87). Beowulf is fighting the dragon not for the sake of his kingdom, but to receive fame. This portrays how self-centered he is, therefore Beowulf would not have tried to kill the dragon if he knew that he was not going to receive fame for it which does not display altruism.
The greatest value of Beowulf is his bravery, some may say bravado. There is no doubt that he is a great warrior. Beowulf's heroism belongs to a different time than that of King Arthur or Sir Gawain. For that reason his bragging about his prowess might seem decidedly unheroic. When he tells Unferth "I count it true that I had more courage, More strength in swimming than any other man" (514-15 (41) it might be interpreted in a poor way. What he is saying though is true. In addition, in order for him to succeed he must orally deliver his resume. Nevertheless, bragging aside, Beowulf is undoubtedly a brave man. When Beowulf sets out to kill Grendel's mother he simply "donned his armor for battle, Heeded not the danger..." (1328-29 60). When his sword fails him he uses his physical strength: "On the might of his hand, as a man must do Who thinks to win in the welter of battle Enduring glory; he fears not death" (1420-23 62). Certainly he is in search of fame. Though this is true it must not discount his brave actions. He gains his fame truthfully by doing battle with menaces to society. He does not lie or manipulate to achieve fame, he uses what is rightfully his, his bravery. Beowulf's bravery differs from that of King Arthur's for several reasons. King Arthur by being king must be brave, to rule the state people must respect him. Beowulf's bravery carries the story. One because it details his ascension in fame and secondly it also outlines his downfall.
When the Dragon is awoken, He realizes the difference between this fight and the others. This fight is a necessity. He did not seek it out, but it came to him. Because of the threat to his land and people, he has an obligation to defend them. He cannot put his people’s lives at risk as he did when he allowed Grendel to kill one of his comrades. He makes this point when he tells his men to “Remain here on the Barrow, safe in your armor… This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me.”(Page 171 Lines 2529-2533). Beowulf fights the dragon alone, and even if that decision had a little bit to do with fame, at the same time it has to be acknowledged that he did not wish to send his men against a beast he knew that they could not fight and survive. So he defeats the Dragon causing his death in the process. His last request is to see the treasure his people would now own. Maybe seeing the riches that they would have helped him believe that he had done the right thing and that he was able to leave them in a good place even with war coming in the near future. The responsibility he took on to defend his people would help him be remembered honorably among them. He would not be remembered only for the fame of
Beowulf is a very brave hero, he has fought and killed many creatures before, but this battle was different. He knew this battle was of great importance to everyone, and that made him that much more nervous. This creature was fierce and had been tormenting their village for as long as they could remember, so her death would be a huge victory for Beowulf and it would be an even bigger relief for the villagers. All of the people in the village were cheering for Beowulf as he walked away headed off to the greatest battle of his life.
In Beowulf’s later life he also follows Hrothgar’s advice. Beowulf knows that he has an obligation to protect his people and the people the respect of the people gives him the ability to have his treasure and confidence. When the people are harmed he takes it to heart that he failed and he needs to fix it. “Their words brought misery, Beowulf’s /sorrow beat at his heart: he accused/ himself of breaking Gods law”2227-2229. All though Beowulf is in the later part of his life he is still willing to keep his reputation and his right to confidence in line by fighting a dragon for his people. Throughout his life Beowulf earns the respect of his people like Hrothgar told him to.
Beowulf was brave in that he fought many battles for the good of others. In the epic poem, Beowulf fights the monster Grendel, saves his mother and loses his life while fighting the dragon. Next, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands. He could have easily obtained some kind of weapon to fight with. Beowulf was the first warrior ever to have enough sheer bravery to go up against such a monster with neither help nor weapon or shield to aid him. He was a warrior that believed somewhat in fate and in God. Believing that God made the decisions and was in control, Beowulf trusted that his life was in good hands. Defeating Grendel with his bare hands, Beowulf not only proved his bravery but also his loyalty. Defeating Grendel weaponless was another display of magnificent bravery. He kept coming back and defeated Grendel 's mother along with a fire-breathing dragon until he was fatally injured and killed. Bravery should not only apply to warriors but also to everyday people. Beowulf fights Grendel, saves his mother and loses his life while fighting the dragon. After defeating Grendel, Beowulf came back twice in order to kill Grendel 's mother and a fire-breathing dragon. Although during his bout with the dragon, Beowulf was fatally injured. As his services were needed, he always prevailed; Beowulf 's bravery never tired. He
Beowulf is obsessed with keeping his reputation as a hero from the beginning, he is always worrying about how the world will see him and is continuously wanting to prove his part as a leader and a hero. Beowulf is prepared to face his fate and destiny so, as an old man in his late years, Beowulf responds to the call of battling the dragon, to guarantee that his people stay safe. He insists on fighting with the dragon that is terrorizing the countryside. Together, Wiglaf and Beowulf defeat and kill the dragon, but Beowulf is left wounded, he has won every battle but this one. Despite Hrothgar 's warnings, pride, age and defense of his reputation brought down Beowulf as a
Beowulf seems to always show signs of bravery thoughout the story. He is pitted against monsters and is, therefore, strong and courageous often to the point of seeming superhero. For instance, when Beowulf is going to go find and kill Grendle with his men, he stops to talk with the coast guard, Beowulf says " ... Then you are either the bravest man in the world..." Many poeple throught the story think the Beowulf is very brave! Once Beowulf and his men leave the coast guard the author makes a remark; "When Beowulf had heard of all the stories about the dreadful demon Grendle, he was determined to go and help Herothgar kill the monster..." This demonstrates intrepidity, because he is willing to go risk his life for another country. Another source of courage is when Breca and Beowulf fights off the nine sea monsters. First of all even doing the daring contest in the sea is a sign of dauntlessness, but a true sign of bravery is this, " And I swung my sword to fight them off..." Can you now see that the author meant for Beowulf to be the hero, and the bravest one of them all ?