“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” At the sound of these words, Wiglaf and Olga sealed their love with a kiss. Nothing could ruin that happy day. So Wiglaf, his new wife Olga, and the rest of the Geats went to celebrate the happy couple. Just as the party was winding down, the Franks and Swedes, having formed an alliance against the Geats, bombarded into the celebration. This was considered an act of war to the Geats. War broke out between the two parties. For two years they fought until they reached a stalemate where nobody was winning. The Geats fell into despair until Wiglaf and Olga announced the birth of their first child: a son named Beowulf Jr. in honor of the past king. For seventeen years the war raged on. Beowulf Jr. longed to
The poet of Beowulf uses many literary devices to enhance respect and trust in the poem. The great heroic story of Beowulf gives many examples of the traits a great leader should have. At the end, those same traits were demonstrated by Wiglaf, who then became the king of the Geats. This proves that these traits were essential to the Anglo-Saxon culture; however, this also makes Beowulf contemporary. The poem has many themes that are still applicable today.
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.
With all his great achievements, he becomes king of his homeland (Geatland). Even in his old age, he still has an obligation to fight against the evils of nature. Beowulf hears about a dragon who has become extremely upset because a thief stole a cup from a treasure which he had been guarding for several years. When Beowulf asks for volunteers to fight against the dragon, all but one of Beowulf's followers run into the forest in fear. The one who stays with Beowulf, is a young warrior named Wiglaf.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to face many adversities that came your way? Or have you been put into a predicament where your loyalty was being put into question by the people who meant the most to you? Many people will end up in situations where they don’t know what the correct resolution will be; that will cause them to get out of character and do things that they normally wouldn’t do. This sometimes causes consequences to humans to have to betray their loyalty to someone who means a lot to them. However, how can one ultimately overcome the adversities that they are faced with? Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel is the first English Literature masterpiece that became well known. The
Beowulf, a Geat, hears about Hrothgar's troubles, gathers fourteen of the bravest Geat warriors, and sets sail. The Geats are greeted by the members of Hrothgar's court, and Beowulf tells the king of his previous successes as a warrior. During the banquet Unferth, a Danish soldier, doubts Beowulf's past accomplishments, and Beowulf, accuses Unferth of being a brother-slayer. At this banquet Hrothgar promises Beowulf many riches and treasures if he can slay Grendel.
In Beowulf, the protagonist Beowulf is shown as a hero with extrodinary strength. This is not what makes him a hero. By definition, a hero is a man of exceptional quality. However this term does not do Beowulf justice. His self-imposed purpose in life is to help others, and eventually sacrifices his own life in doing so. Beowulf’s battle with the dragon serves as a critique of the notion that Beowulf is a hero. The Dragon section displays many of Beowulf’s heoric characteristics. Beowulf establishes himself as a hero by fighting the dragon, exemplifing strength and courage when fighting the dragon, and sacrificing himself so that others can live.
Because of this, characters, particularly warriors and royalty, are commonly introduced using both their name and the name of their father. When Beowulf first introduces himself to the watchman of the Danes, he says “My father/Was a famous soldier… His name was Edgetho” (31). Anglo Saxons valued their father’s name as it was a way to show status based on what one’s predecessors had done. In a world before last names, patrilineage was often used to keep track of who was related to who. After meeting Beowulf, Hrothgar announces that he knew Beowulf through distant relations; “His father/Was Edgetho, who was given Hrethel’s one daughter﹣Hrethel, Higlac’s father” (35). Hrothgar says this to validate Beowulf to his followers. The poet uses this diction to demonstrate that no matter how confusing the lineage or relation is, one’s patrilineage still mentioned and crucial for understanding. Even when the father’s name or origin does not help the warrior gain status, the name is still used. In Wiglaf’s case, his father was of Swedish origin, which would not have helped a warrior of the Geats. However, his father’s name is still given as he is introduced: “His name was Wiglaf, he was Wexstan’s son” (104). This is said even before proclaiming that he was “a good soldier” (104). Though in this case, the soldier’s patrilineage does not help him gain status, it is still used. This
Beowulf is a man who has the strength of thirty men. The hero has slain many monsters; not for gold, but for glory. He is from Sweden and he came to the Danes to help them rid of the monster, Grendel. He successfully kills Grendel; however, the young monster has a mother who is even more fierce than her son. Her layer is filled with many different treasures. At the end of the story, Beowulf has to fight a dragon that will bring him to his death. All of Beowulf's men ran from the dragon except his most loyal soldier, Wilgar. After the death of Beowulf, Wilgar was crowned king by Beowulf.
Beowulf’s death at the end of the book took me by surprise. Even though he foreshadowed his own death in multiple ways, I never expected him to die. The entire beginning of the book was about fate and how heroes passed on their legacy, but I was not anticipating such a sudden death. However, he died as any hero would want, defending his people's honor and receiving much fame and glory.
Beowulf is an epic poem that explores many themes and motifs within the Anglo-Saxon society. The Author, who remains anonymous, composed the epic around 1000 A.D. The literature focuses mainly on a Scandinavian warrior named Beowulf, who comes to the aid of Herot, a small town ran by King Hrothgar. Beowulf arises to rid the town of evil forces, such as the demon monster Grendel, and his savage mother who seeks revenge for the death of her son. As he ages, Beowulf presumes his title as king of Geatland, still eager to protect his loyal followers from danger. Though he is viewed as a godly force, the situations and the behaviors that Beowulf expressed, sometimes deviate how the Anglo-Saxons viewed his character. From this, the theme of "Good vs. Evil", which can be easily depicted in the literature piece, was constantly contradicted throughout the entire poem.
All was well until one day a thief stole a golden cup from the dragon. The gruesome dragon was woken; outraged he brought trepidation to Herot. Once more, Beowulf had to show his courage and bravery to his people. Although he was motivated to obtain the treasure the heinous dragon had in his home. With sword in hand he and his soldiers went off to kill the beast. During the gory battle Beowulf's sword melted from the heat of the creatures fire; still he raised his sword to stab him. Phew thrusted it out and the ancient sword broke. "The dragon leaped with pain, thrashed and beat at him, spouting murderous flames, spreading them everywhere. And the Geats' ring-giver did not boast of glorious victories of other wars: his weapon had failed him, deserted him, now when he needed it most, that excellent sword."(675-682). All of his soldiers run in dear except one, Wiglaf. As Beowulf was injured Wiglaf went to his aid and helped him defeat the righteous dragon. Falling to its death Beowulf commands Wiglaf to get the treasures and bring them to him. Returned with the treasures, Wiglaf listened to Beowulf speak, "Take what I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people, help them; my time is gone. Have the brave Geats build me a tomb..."(810-813). Honored, Wiglaf accepted this offer for he was deserving of it, and Beowulf had no real son. Filled with rage he scolded the other soldiers for not going to the aid of their leader when he needed them most. "I say what anyone who speaks the truth must say... Too few of his soldiers remembered to come, when our lord faced death,
direction is like trying to hit a cloud with a bow and arrow. A hero is also
Beowulf and Siegfried possess numerous similarities ranging from their appearance and history to their motivations and outlook. Both men are proud powerful warriors-nobles who are almost undefeatable in combat making their way towards their newest conquest. Although the objects of their desire are quite different, glory and Valhalla for Beowulf and Kriemhild for Siegfried, significant correspondences are displayed in their adventures. However, despite all this, only Beowulf managed to secure himself a happy ending.
Living in old days is definitely challenging. Wars are just usual. The story of Beowulf show the way of life long time ago. In order to get power you must be courageous enough to handle your people.
Seemingly minor character Wiglaf plays a central role in the conclusion of Beowulf. A young knight who has never before seen battle, Wiglaf steps forward to help his lord, hero, and cousin Beowulf in a time of peril. With his failure in battle and resulting death, the narrator shows that Beowulf is, after all, a prideful and mortal being; thus begins the transfer of heroic status from the old king to the young knight. The narrator argues that Wiglaf is worthy of his abruptly acquired status even though his intentions may seem questionable. The end of the poem devotes a significant amount of lines to dialogue spoken by Wiglaf, signifying his newly crucial role in his kingdom and in the story. Inevitably, the noble youth progresses to a position of epic heroism, continuing Beowulf’s legacy and fulfilling his figurative role as the “treasure…won,/ bought and paid for by Beowulf’s death” (2843-2844).