When being compared to the opening funeral of King Shield’s death, Beowulf’s funeral can be further interpreted as an elegy for warrior values. To begin with, the main similarity behind both funerals was the mood. The Danes respected their king, and the poet of Beowulf depicts this idea by stating, Shield “had courage and greatness. /… as his powers waxed and his worth was proved” (lines 2 and 8). King Shield provided a sense of security to the Danish nation, which established a specific image of what a proper authority figure looked like to the people. Since Shield “was one good king”, his death left the Danes with the devastated realization there may never be that form of heroic leadership ruling their country again (11). Using similar word choice, Beowulf’s poet describes a similar connection between …show more content…
King Shield was sent off in a ship at sea surrounded by all his wealth, while Beowulf’s body was burned and valuables buried. The leaders’ form of burial shows how their legacy was viewed by the people, even though King Shield and Beowulf earned the same amount of respect from their beloved nations. In Beowulf, the poet explains that Shield’s ship was going to be found by saying, “no wise man in hall or weathered veteran / knows for certain who salvaged that load”, making the king’s power an important aspect in his legacy to protect (51-52). Spreading one final word of Shield's reputation, the Danes wanted someone else to know of their king and his accomplishments. In contrast, the Geat people burned Beowulf’s body, cleaned up the remains of the dragon, and had placed “gold under gravel, gone to earth, / as useless to men now as it ever was”, which removed all physical evidence of the warrior’s legacy (3167-3167). This implies that the heroic actions of Beowulf did not need to be showcased in order to
Michael Crichton intertwined some aspects of Beowulf with his own thoughts to produce the drama, “The 13th Warrior.” Beowulf, written down by an unnamed Christian monk in the 8th century, served as a framework for the plot of “The 13th Warrior.” Beowulf and “The 13th Warrior” have many differences but the similarities that they share are more abundant through out the two pieces.
There are so many similarities between the events and characters in the poem Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, an Iceland saga representing 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the 1300’s when it was written. These similarities are so numerous that they cannot be attributed solely to coincidence.
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 very faithful to the kingdom in which he works with and serves. He says to Hrothgar, “If there is any favour I can perform / beyond deeds of arms I have done already, / anything that would merit your affections more, / I shall act, my lord, with alacrity” (1822-1825). Even if he is home, all the way across the seas, he would drop whatever he was doing and come to help Denmark defeat its evil that comes to that land. He shows his undying dedication to helping the king and the kingdom that he lives in. Beowulf then tries to defeat this dragon, that is, his final battle. He has been in “retirement” and has not fought in quite some time, but he still is being depended on by his kingdom to fight off this evil. Sadly, he does die, but he was so dedicated, brave, and strong enough to fight off this dragon to make sure all is safe. It was, “that final day was the first time / when Beowulf fought and fate denied him / glory in battle” (2573-2575). Each characteristic has a special part of an epic hero, but faithfulness can really set the tone for a hero's life.
A soldier and Beowulf are similar in many ways, for instance, they are both strong and brave. A soldier shows strength and bravery when he/she fights for the safety of our country by going to war against countries that mean us harm. Beowulf showed strength and bravery when he fought Grendel, a demonic monster who killed many of the Danes’ people. Unarmed and with the strength of just one hand, Beowulf was able to defeat Grendel. Throughout the poem, Beowulf fought in two more major battles; Grendel’s mother and a great dragon. Another similarity is that both, a soldier and Beowulf, are/were passionate about serving and protecting their people. Soldiers are dedicated to protecting those around them on the battlefield, as well as our society as a whole. Beowulf was not only dedicated to protecting his own people, but also those who had done right by his father.
The character of Beowulf stands as a hero to the ancient Danes because of his actions. He is constantly being cited as a "war-chief" and a "gold-giver" (61). Beowulf has achieved fame through what he has done with his own hands. His identity as a leader is based upon the Danish society’s emphasis on personal action, as opposed to the delegation of responsibility through conscious thought. It is this very sense which spurs Beowulf to fight the dragon: "In my youth I engaged in many wars. Old guardian of the people, I shall still seek battle, perform a deed of fame, if the evil-doer will come to me..." (59). Beowulf derives his power from a strong link to the past. Without his history of glorious deeds, he would see himself bereft of the very power which qualifies him to be a good King. Beowulf’s bravery never comes in to question, he does meet every challenge head-on, with deadly attention. The society which labels Beowulf as a legendary hero, recognizes his actions and his bravery as a integral part of his definition as a hero. Without the society to support th...
Beowulf is a great tale but as a person, he isn’t that all that people make him out to be. In his older years his need for attention and glory ended up with the death of him. He fought the dragon alone and in return, ended up killing the dragon, but also sacrificed himself. Even as he died he asked for one thing, his people to build him a memorial near the sea so everyone could see the person that he was. His need for attention, lack of planning, and need for glory caused him to be just a prideful man, not a
Once Grendel and his mother are killed, the king showers Beowulf in gifts. Beowulf shows humility and accepts the gifts, and quietly returns to his home. He does not want to bask in his glory. "So they went on their journey, and Hrothgar 's generosity was praised repeatedly"(Beowulf 1885-86). This quote symbolizes the relationship between the King of Danes and Beowulf, because he is constantly thanking him for the gifts. It is not just seen as a business deal where Beowulf has come to provide a service, and collect his reward. There is much more to his actions, he genuinely provides services to the king for the greater good. He is humble in nature, where he is not looking for attention. He does not gloat that he is truly the best warrior he sort of just thanks the king. The king of Danes states to Beowulf "In all things you are even tempered, prudent, and resolute"(Beowulf 17056). It is already known that he is a great warrior, so there is no need for him to overly express
For the thanes, warriors fight all their lives out of loyalty to their kings, and Beowulf, who was a well respected and highly acclaimed warrior, was getting to become that king that men would so shamelessly fight for all because of how bravely and hard he fought for king Hygelac. “So Edgetho's son proved himself,/ Did as a famous soldier must do/ If glory is what he seeks: not killing his comrades/ In drunken rages, his heart not savage,/ But guarding God's gracious gift, his strength,/ Using it only in war, and then using it/ Bravely”.
The pessimism of the poor Danes was palpable. They had even despaired of appealing to the Christian God and had reverted to offering sacrifice to their heathen idols. Grendel had killed 30 warriors the first night and had taken even more the next night. But their pessimism is dispelled by one Beowulf who is ready and willing to sacrifice himself to repay the debt of Ecgtheow, Beowulf’s father, to Hrothgar. This Geat warrior possesses almost miraculous qualities: “He was the strongest of men a...
There are many books, movies and poems that fall into the category of epic. Although majority of the epic films are based on a hero who keeps the entire city safe and helps as many people as they can. Now that is exactly the film The 13th Warrior. The film follows the key events of the Epic Beowulf. The 13th Warrior demonstrates pretty much the same aspect of epic, along with the speculations of a hero, and how he overpowered his enemy. Unfortunately the main characters in The 13 Warrior and Beowulf are different. However the circumstances that they are put in front of and the behavior of both heros remain related. While the two pieces have a lot in common they still have their differences.
Beowulf starts with the death of Shield a great king in the eyes of the Geats, it also ends with the death of Beowulf. These funerals are similar in many ways. These funerals can be a reflection of the lives these kings lived because each king had his own way he wanted to be remembered. These funerals both involve huge amounts of treasures being loaded on to ships or back in to the ground and how the Geat people mourned for the loss of the kings.
I am one of the geats. My father is Wexstan and I’m a good soldier. I’m here knew once as my king went down I had to do something. I was watching Beowulf suffering and I knew he needed help. He wasn’t going to be able to do this one on is own. I went for it; drew my sword and raised my shield for my king. My heart racing and knowing this could be the end, but I had a thought. I remember how we all said, “We would give up anything to defend Beowulf.” I knew he chose us men for a reason and knew someone would be there for him when he needed it the most. I would rather die knowing I tried rather than knowing I could've done something.
This essay is the comparison between Beowulf and a modern day hero. I consider any American soldier to be my modern day hero. In this essay I will explain in three paragraphs of how my modern day hero is like Beowulf. With in these three paragraphs I will go over how they are both fighting for a good cause, how they are both rewarded for what they do, and how they are both treated with much respect.
It is no question that Beowulf was one of the b est, if not the best, warrior of his time. His skills of being a tremendous warrior are not to be questioned, but his position as a king could use a closer look. While the qualities of being a great warrior and a great king can be similar, there are some differing qualities to keep in mind. There is an extensive comparison to be made between Beowulf and Hrothgar, as a warrior and as a king and the qualities that each of them bring to the table. On lines 17 00-1739 of Beowulf, Hrothgar gives his famous speech to Beowulf on what it means to be a successful king. Hrothgar feels the need to give Beowulf this advice because he knows that Beowulf will one day need to know how to more than a warrior.