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Archetypes in beowulf
The main theme of Beowulf
Beowulf – archetypal epic hero
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Central Themes of Beowulf Marshaya Hamilton Themes within literature represent the underlying message(s) that are being conveyed throughout the story, themes are not only a connection to the author but also brings about a bridge that links the piece of writing to the real world. Often time themes are universal, reflected from the characters to the reader, in Beowulf this is no exception. Multiple themes are touched upon and explored in depth throughout this epic, all of which are major devices that support the story’s development. Loyalty, a strong feeling of support or allegiance. Arguably loyalty is one of Beowulf’s most outward traits. Throughout the poem there is no doubt that Beowulf is a loyal man, the first example of his loyalty …show more content…
It is soon brought into light that Beowulf's prime intention for coming to Hrothgar’s aid is owed to a family debt, “Beowulf, you’ve come to us in friendship, and because Of the reception your father found at our court. Edgetho had begun a bitter feud, Killing Hathlaf a Wulfing warrior… In this nation i bought the end of Edgetho’s Quarrel.”(191-205) Beowulf’s father Edgetho received hospitality and friendship in his time of need so now many years later Beowulf is coming to return the favor by killing Grendel. Beowulf’s character is embodied by loyalty throughout his life, after killing the two fiends terrorizing herot, Grendel and his Mother, Beowulf returns to the home of the Geats where he rises to the …show more content…
To start the poem off the first incarnation of evil is introduced, the leviathan that goes by the name of Grendel. “Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made home in a hell.”(17-19) This atrocity of nature has been decimating the land of herot for over 12 years. Then comes the avatar of good, the heroic man from the land of the fabled geats has traveled across the sea, touching down upon the the land of the Danes to uplift the horrid curse upon the land Herot, Beowulf. Soon after the arrival, the battle ensues, Good vs Evil, in another sense it may be seen as God vs Devil, a nod to the various religious points in the epic. “That Shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, Knew at once that nowhere on earth Had he met a man whose hands were harder… Screams of the Almighty’s enemy sang… Taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms of him who of all men on earth Was the strongest.”(432,467,470-473) As is usually geared towards, a part of evil is purged from the world when Grendel takes his last breath and the side of good is celebrating with the return of Beowulf and his
Beowulf has been living at his home land taking on challenges that others may not have wanted to take on. He has always been a man of action, always looking for adventure that challenges his strength. When Beowulf was told of the rumors that a demon is tormenting Hrothgar famous mead serving hall he accepted the wise men decisions to help him rid them of the demon. This is where step two of the hero’s journey comes into play. There is a call to adventure that affects the hero in some way. Beowulf may have formed a personal connection to the cries of Hrothgar reason being his father was once had history with Hrothgar . When Hrothgar helped Beowulf 's father settle things with the Wulfings Beowulf may have felt a need to repay his father’s debt. When Beowulf and his men finished the feast the king provided in the mead hall that was closed due to Grendel’s blood lust. ¨Epic heroes possess qualities that mere mortals lack. Bravery beyond compare, superhuman intelligence, strength or skills and a driving desire to find success¨(Connie Jankowski). In this part of the story Beowulf and his men have proven that they do contain the courage
When he accepts his first challenge in the poem, Grendel, a big and powerful creature with claws, had been tormenting Herot for “twelve winters” (Beowulf 62). Later, Hrothgar approaches Beowulf to inform him that the “only help, again, lies with [him]” and to “save [them] once more” from Grendel’s revenge-filled Mother (443-44; 446-47). In these moments, Beowulf embraces the role of being the ultimate hope to not just the Danes, but his fellow Geat brethren as well. After fifty years of ruling the Geats, he is once again put in a position of being their only hope when a big, powerful fire breathing “dragon begins terrorizing [them]” (62). Beowulf succeeded in stopping the dragon’s attacks at the cost of his own life. However, his mission was fulfilled. The Geats had been saved and proceeded to finish the final wishes of their fallen king.
There are a plethora of different themes, motifs, and symbols to choose from in Beowulf. A recurring theme throughout Beowulf is generosity and hospitality, along with the importance of ones identity. One portion stands out the most against the first theme and it is; The Finnsburg Fragment. A motif that came to mind while reading Beowulf had to have been the importance of the Mead Hall. Something else to think about is the relation to the fall of the hall in The Finnsburg Fragment being told right after Beowulf’s victory against Grendel.
First of all, Beowulf came to help Hrothgar on his own free will. Hearing of the troubles that Hrothgar was having with a monster terrorizing Herot, his mead hall, Beowulf bravely offered his help not knowing what he was up against. When he arrived, Beowulf did not ask the king for either money nor fame. The only favor that he asked of Hrothgar was that he and his men were to fight the monster, Grendel. Coming away from one's homeland to help get rid of a man-eating monster and asking for nothing in return takes much courage and is an extremely brave deed.
In the beginning of the novel, Beowulf takes interest in the plight of Hrothgar, King of Denmark, and wants to help him fight Grendel. Grendel is a large monster that has been harassing members in the mead-hall of the Heorot. Beowulf owes Hrothgar a favor, due to the fact that Hrothgar saved his father in years past. Hrothgar is honored to have Beowulf attempt to fight the swamp monster, and decides to hold a feast in his name. When Grendel shows up to the feast, Beowulf illustrates his bravery by fighting Grendel without any armor. When Beowulf wins the battle by ripping Grendel’s arm off, everyone in the mead-hall praises Beowulf for his acts of courage. In this scene, Beowulf proves that he is a hero by fighting off a monster that everyone else was afraid of. This made him look
In conclusion, Beowulf is fighting his last battle between life and death. The young warrior Beowulf, a nobleman from the land of the Geats, travels to the kingdom of the Danes, where he saves the people of King Hrothgar by slaying the monster Grendel and his mother. In his later years, after becoming king in his homeland, Beowulf
Beowulf and the man from the song both have the same virtue for wanting loyalty. “Listening, the famous ring giver sure,/ At last, that Grendel could be killed; he believed/ In Beowulf’s bold strength and the firmness of his/ Spirit”(608). Beowulf used his words to convince Hrothgar that he can kill Grendel. He swayed
The story of Beowulf is one of the greatest poems written in English that was written over millennia ago (Beowulf page 36). An author that is still unknown to this day wrote the work. Regardless of who he or she was, we still have a deep respect and admiration for this person’s passion and dedication in writing the excerpt of Beowulf. The author made the story come to life through examples and detailed description to help us truly gain a mental picture of how we are supposed to portray this story. When discussed by readers, there is a common description of how they all visualized the story.
Beowulf, as true to the Anglo-Saxon arc of a hero’s quest, possesses superhuman qualities to defeat the evil that he encounters on his heroic quests. Beowulf, when Grendel attacks, “[puts him] in a handgrip harder than anything [Grendel] had ever encountered in any man,” which demonstrates the great strength that Beowulf is privy to as an epic hero of Anglo-Saxon literature (749-751). After Beowulf’s victory, the Danes are attacked by Grendel’s mother, a grief-stricken monster looking for revenge, and Hrothgar, the king, tells Beowulf that “help depends again on [him] and [him] alone,” a call to adventure for the hero to embark upon another quest (1375-1376). After guaranteeing the king that he will be victorious, Beowulf travels to the monster’s
Beowulf shows loyalty when he comes to the aid of Hrothgar, he feels a sense of loyalty to the king because of his father. When he was younger, Beowulf shows his loyalty to Hrothgar when he agrees to help him rid the castle of the monster. When he speaks to Wealhtheow, Beowulf explains that he will fight Grendel, and he intends to defeat him, even if it means his own death. He is letting him know that he is loyal to the end. He stated, ‘‘And I shall fulfill that purpose, prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead-hall. ‘Beowulf showed outstanding loyalty throughout the piece. Beowulf’s actions were clearly motivated by
The Epic poem Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon Epic poetry piece. Which means that the character Beowulf being the hero of this epic poem Beowulf must include these traits to him loyalty, courageous, unselfishness, and a sense of justice. Three traits I will talk about in this essay are how Beowulf shows loyalty to his king for his approval, he shows courageousness by accomplishing brave task he is sent to do, and he shows justice by killing the evil. We see these traits first come up when our hero Beowulf battles the pure evil creature Grendel in this first half of the poem.
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.
Beowulf is an interesting story in that it has a meaning that is firmly rooted in fantasy creatures based in mythical origins while providing insight into religious ideals and practices of the time. It also speaks of tradition and the struggle of man against things perceived as evil. In this tradition especially, Beowulf is an incredible allegory regarding the struggle of good and evil in the Christian tradition.
“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.
The poem, Beowulf, tells the tale of a brave hero that risked his life on several occasions to fight sinful creatures. Beowulf, the courageous protagonist, faced three different monsters, and the worst was Grendel. Grendel's defeat came from the tearing of his arm from his body by the hands of Beowulf. The second victory resulted in the perish of Grendel's mother. By the death of her own sword, the heroic figure took her life as well. Vanquishing a dragon became the final act of Beowulf as a living being. For these reasons, the poem itself contains numerous tones.