TITLE A compelling ending of a literary work does not simply end; it continues evolving in the minds of the readers well past its final pages. In the epic poem Beowulf written by an English monk and translated by Seamus Heaney, the hero Beowulf meets his death as he fights a dragon during the final pages. Previously, Beowulf displays many heroic traits defending King Hrothgar and the Danes against the evil, God-cursed monster, Grendel, and Grendel’s malignant mother. Beowulf returns to his home in Geatland where he rules as king for fifty years. The epic closes with Beowulf defeating the dragon and dying in the process. Beowulf hastily passes on the kingship to Wiglaf before his death since Beowulf has no son who would automatically receive …show more content…
However pagan and Christian elements are balanced in the poem’s final pages creating an adequate ending. Before Beowulf leaves to fight the dragon, he gives one last speech, announcing, “[he] shall win the gold / by my courage, or else mortal combat, / doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (2535-2537). Beowulf accepts that he might die battling the dragon, without any bitterness, which is a common pagan element. Pagan beliefs are mostly pessimistic because pagans believe that fame is the only guarantee to immortal life. Another example of this pagan theme is mentioned in the same passage with Christian themes during Beowulf’s last words: “To the everlasting Lord of All, / to the King of Glory, I give thanks / … Order my troop to construct a barrow / … / It will loom on the horizon at Hronesness / and be a reminder among my people" (2794-2805). Beowulf gives thanks to God and asks to be buried in a tomb, a common Christian tradition, rather than the typical pagan funeral which was described in the beginning of the poem during Shield Sheafson 's funeral. In addition to Christian beliefs, this passage also includes pagan ideals. Beowulf wanted his barrow, or burial mound, to be visible to all his people so that they could remember him, which is a pagan element, the belief that fame was the only guarantee to immortality. The balance between Christian and pagan principles at …show more content…
Beowulf displays vulnerability and regret during his dying moments, allowing the reader to form connections to him. The forces between pagan and Christian elements are balanced in the conclusion, which clarifies which aspects of Christian beliefs Beowulf has adapted throughout the poem and which pagan beliefs he still holds on to, leaving the reader more satisfied. Furthermore, the ending includes some uncertainty which enables the reader to create their own hypothesis after the poem’s final pages. By using these techniques to create a meaningful ending, the Beowulf poet has produced an epic that has survived thousands of years through oral retellings and printed texts which continue to be read, studied, and translated making Beowulf accessible to an even larger
In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.
This last encounter was destined to define his lasting legacy. He lived as a warrior; it was only natural that he should die as one as well, he hopes to go down in a fiery blaze of glory, pun intended. At this point in time, Beowulf is a seventy-year-old king, he knows he is mortal and isn’t going to live forever. Nevertheless, even as an old man, it was his duty to protect and defend his subjects until the death. Towards the end Beowulf’s death looms closer and it seems like he foreshadows that he is prepared to meet his maker.
Beowulf is steeped in a pagan tradition that depicts nature as hostile and forces of death as uncontrollable. Blind fate picks random victims; man is never reconciled with the world. Beowulf ends a failure. There is some truth in this conclusion, but for the most part, someone who didn’t have a well-lived life has most likely portrayed it.
The Old English epic poem Beowulf poses something for an enigma for scholars. The poet was surely a Christian, but the poem depicts a pagan society, so what sort of religion is being expressed. Most recent scholars have argued for a Christian reading, but others still hold out for a pagan one. Some have suggested Christian-pagan syncretism. Pagan beliefs involve sacrifices to the old stone Gods, making heathen vows, hoping for Hell’s support, the devil’s guidance in driving their affliction off. This was their way and the Heathen’s only hope.Some suggest Christian-pagan syncretism. Anglo-Saxon epic heroes are willing to put their own lives in danger for the greater good. Beowulf highlights the code’s points of tension by relating circumstances
Different religious values are emphasized throughout the poem, in which Pagan values are included. Throughout Beowulf we see that the pagan people value the heroes just as Christians value God. Pagans focused more on power and fame. “Behavior that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere” (24-25). The quote conveys the fact that power is of great importance
As the Pagans of the Anglo-Saxon culture do not believe in the afterlife, they rely on their actual life they live to tell their story. They live to the fullest, while building to a high level of honor and pride among each other. In the poem, the burial of Beowulf is the only real party where we can see these traditions. With his last, dying breaths, Beowulf describes to Wiglaf the manner in which he wishes to be remembered, requesting to, “Have the brave Geats build me a tomb, when the funeral flames have burned me, and build it here, at the water’s edge, high on this spit of land, so sailors can see this tower, and call it Beowulf’s tower…” (812). Tying in again with reputation, Beowulf wishes to be remembered as a guiding light to the Geat people that he became a symbol to, and buried in a way in which he will be remember forever. As he had wished, the loyal soldiers of Beowulf had indeed built the tower, “... working for ten long days they built his monument, sealed his ashes in walls as straight and high as wise and willing hands could raise them” (874). Respecting his wish, a tower was brought up in his honor, to remember as a great warrior, following the long held tradition of mourning the dead that the Anglo-Saxons have long
The eponymous of the poem, Beowulf, is the greatest warrior of his time, yet he cannot make such a huge impact without the help of God. Beowulf represents a lot of what the Anglo Saxon culture emphasized on. He is an excellent monster slayer, has a band of warriors he is extremely loyal to, and, through all of his hard work, gains an immense amount of gold and glory to his name. However, in this epic poem, that still is not enough. Although he is mightiest of all the Geats, Beowulf still needs the help of God during his battles in order to come out victorious. After his close fight against Grendel’s mother, Beowulf acknowledges the role God played in helping him succeed, saying that he would “have been dead at once, and the fight finished, the she-devil victorious if our Father in Heaven had not helped [him]” (Beowulf 71). This allusion is supposed to represent how ultimately the Anglo Saxon way of life is not good enough anymore, and these people need God to help in their struggle of life. Because Beowulf has such a strong relationship with God, it is no surprise that any wicked monster he meets just becomes another trophy to add to his collection. When Beowulf swims down to the
Wright, David. “The Digressions in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.
The poem Beowulf is a renowned story that displays many different surroundings and religious beliefs. Some may believe the story of Beowulf portrays pagan beliefs or customs and others believe that the poem is more in agreement with Christian ethnicity. The author of Beowulf uses both Christian and pagan elements in the poem to define the heroic warrior, Beowulf, and the evil dragons. After reading Beowulf the author clearly shows how Beowulf is a man who is filled with Christian customs and is willing to die and defend the world against evil using the help of God.
One of the first literary work studied by our class was “Beowulf,” the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The poem is packed full of Christian and Pagan elements that are constantly fighting for the dominant position. In order to understand these thematic elements portrayed throughout “Beowulf,” we must first discover
Beowulf is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.
...lized death. Beowulf stood strong against the dragon while his men were “No help or backing was to be had then from his high-born comrades; that hand-picked troop broke ranks and ran for their lives to the safety of the wood.” (pg.175). The event of the men backing out is the symbol for the Anglo Saxon’s fall of their culture. There was a hint of hope left when Wiglaf came to assist his king. The ending of Beowulf’s life can closely be related to the end of the Anglo Saxon’s era.
Though the origins of the epic poem Beowulf lie in the Pagan Anglo-Saxon era, by the time it was recorded, most Saxons had converted to Christianity. The story seems to be told partly from a heathen point of view and also partly from a biblical. Beowulf seeks glory, crediting it to God, yet a lot of his works are said to have been fated, and he seems to be trying to earn immortality on the earth, and not in an afterlife or in heaven. To determine the role of religion in the poem, the difference between fate and God’s providence must be examined, and examples of Pagan beliefs and Christian beliefs in the story should be discussed.
The last battle in Beowulf was against the fierce dragon that could also be saw as the power of Satan. During this battle Beowulf chooses to use a weapon because of the dragon’s deadly venom, it would only be fair. It was a hard fight but Beowulf wasn’t capable of defeating the dragon. This battle could be compared to the will of Christ, in which Christ gave his life for the people, while Beowulf did the same. The dragon now represents the evil a man must fight in order to preserve the good in life. Although Beowulf was defeated, it was not shamelessly, just like Christ he saved the people. Beowulf had a good heart but was sometimes overturned by the bad influences in life. He represents the fact that everyone makes mistakes, you can’t be perfect all the time, everyone’s bound to lose.
Beowulf’s three great fights - the main events of the poem - show the deficiencies in Beowulf’s characters in contrast with the Christian belief. Beowulf possesses many pagan traits, such as pride and might and courage, which are considered virtuous by the pagans. However, from a Christian perspective, Beowulf is not entirely virtuous and his actions seem to be contradicting. Nevertheless, although Beowulf’s character flaws have killed him in the end, he is still an admirable hero that deserves respect from both Christians and pagans.