Pride manifests itself into many different forms and will sometimes overshadow a person 's good judgement, in turn affecting their actions. It is truly the cause for the rise and fall of men for centuries and thus has become one of the greatest concepts to be addressed in British literature. Throughout the literary works studied this semester, some form of pride has always presented itself as a major theme. 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 …show more content…
However, through this he was able to instill important values that could only be plainly seen through a fictional story such as this. The entire play revolves around a hierarchy called Great Chain of Being, with a few aspect drawn in from the Elizabethan Theater to make it interesting and add some comedy. This Great Chain of Being is ranked numerically according to one 's importance and each part of the chain has a segment with a hierarchy of its kind. For example, a King rules over a peasant as a father rules over a son. The food chain acts functionally to the Great Chain of Being, in that once a creature has been removed it reverberates throughout the entire chain. Now with the that acting as the foundation we can begin to asses what exactly it is that has caused this play to have gone …show more content…
He is described as a hero who “Like valour’s minion carved out his passage”(Act I scene II) and dispatched of the rebel Macdonwald. Though, on his journey back with Banquo he encounters three witches whose features ignore the normal Chain of Being and they tempt Macbeth by prophesying that he will one day become king. He then struggles with this seed of temptation put before him and writes to his wife for reassurance. However, she explains that he must kill the king and in order to encourage him she preys upon his pride as a man by saying that he “is too full o ' the milk of human kindness” (Act I Scene 5). Macbeth realizes that the only reason he has to kill the king is his own hubris or “vaulting ambition.”In short, due to Macbeth 's pride he allowed the phrase “be a man” become the first step towards his downfall and ironically he resorts back to this same barbaric sort of pride as his usurped rank is about to be stripped from him. He knows that his throne is lost but reverts back to his misplaced confidence as a warrior and says “Bring me no more reports. Let them fly all. Till Birnam Wood remove Dunsinane I cannot taint with fear”(Act 5 Scene
Frank, Roberta. “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
to land he managed to kill nine sea monsters with his bare hands and still
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
Even from an early age, Beowulf took every opportunity he could to show off his strength and fearlessness. When he first introduces himself to King Hrothgar, a Danish warrior by the name Unferth recognizes Beowulf and brings up a story from his youth. He explains to the entire hall how Beowulf had challenged another young man, named Brecca, to a swimming match and lost. Unferth says to him, ¨both of you daring and young and proud… risking your lives for no reason? All older and wiser heads warned you not to, but no one could check such pride¨ (Raffel 23). It is clear that in this story, that Beowulf´s pride consumes him and fuels his reckless actions. He goes on to tell Unferth about how he had stayed behind to fight 9 monsters, while Brecca
Damrosch, David, and David L. Pike. “Beowulf.” The Longman Anthology of World Literature, Compact Edition. New York: Pearson, Longman, 2008. 929-970. Print.
Frank, Roberta. “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
Robinson, Fred C. “Apposed Word Meanings and Religious Perspectives.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
The epic poem, Beowulf, coming from the years of 600 to 700 AD has been translated in many different styles. In these excerpts by Burton Raffel and Lucien Dean Pearson, provides a clear understanding of this epic poem. Reading the two different translations, Raffel tends to provide the reader with a better understanding of the evil nature of Grendel and the heroic characteristics of Beowulf.
“Beowulf.” Trans. Suzanne Akbari. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 112-82. Print.
Beowulf wants to fight Grendel, a monster wreaking havoc, and is boasting that he is more powerful and courageous.
The story of Beowulf, is an epic poem that offers a handful of themes and traits from the Anglo-Saxon time. A few of them are: heroism, loyalty, and religion. The theme that is seen periodically throughout the poem is faith or religion.
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.
Whether obsessing over celebrity news, the latest American Idol contestants, or likes on a YouTube video, there is no doubt that modern society gives great weight to fame and reputation. However, the true origin of society’s fascination with fame traces farther back than one might expect. The epic poem Beowulf, apart from being a tale of warriors, monsters, and dragons, is one of the few remaining Old English works that provides insight on the Anglo-Saxon era. The three most important aspects of Anglo-Saxon culture are comitatus, memento mori, and fame, with the role of fame being similar in modern society. By examining Beowulf, we can learn about the Anglo-Saxons, but we can also draw correlations between their culture and our own. What a
Beowulf. Elements of Literature, Sixth Course: Literature of Britain. Ed. Kristine E. Marshall, 1997. 21-46. Print.
Good and Evil- The entire poem of Beowulf deals with the battle of good verses evil, good being Beowulf, his followers, Hrothgar, and Hrothgar's people, and evil being Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. In this poem the power of good overcomes all the evils, but not without the lose of life. These lives include that of Beowulf, Aeschere, and many of Hrothgar's people. The clashing of good and evil forces was the main method of creating interest and suspense in the poem.