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Beowulf literary analysis
Revenge in literature throughout time
Revenge in literature throughout time
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Literature spans across the entire world, shaping civilizations, and ultimately reflecting the values of the society from which it has risen from. Within every literature is “a preview of human experiences, allowing us to connect on basic levels of desire and emotion; through tragedy and romance, joy and sorrow, in epiphanies and denial, in moments of heroism and in moments of cowardice.1 ” Beowulf, an old English epic poem, is the highest achievement of Old English literature in its often bold and strong quality, but also mournful and elegiac spirit; this poetry emphasizes the sorrow in the futility of an Anglo-Saxon warrior’s life. Beowulf has multiple themes and meanings for readers to explore but the most important theme is vengeance within their warrior code. In Beowulf, vengeance reflects the pivotal values of the Anglo-Saxon society and serves as the main motivations of many of the characters that ultimately lead to the main conflict that pervades and eventually dominates the story, feuds. These feuds are explored through the digressions introduced in the story; the saga of Finn and his sons, and the fate of the Geats after Beowulf’s death with the Frisians.
In order to adequately understand Beowulf, we must discuss the importance of the Anglo-Saxon Heroic code called Comitatus, a system of loyalties, and the roles of loyalty and vengeance which dictated an Anglo-Saxon’s warrior’s life. Each king and their retainers, including Beowulf, lived by such a code. The Germanic code emphasized above all loyalty to one’s chief as one of greatest virtues yet brought with it the darker concept of vengeance to one’s enemies. In their loyalty, a warrior must be prepared to die fighting for their king. In their vengeance, a warrior be ...
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...ng three central instances of feuding: Grendel against man, man against man, and man against dragon. However, it is not the monsters, but ultimately the desire for vengeance and consequent feuding between tribes that lead to the demise of these great heroes and kings in Beowulf’s time . Beowulf exemplifies that vengeance is a monstrous appetite, forever bloodthirsty and never filled, where nothing can be born but sorrow – manifested in the last words of the poem to conclude the fate of Beowulf’s people. In this Anglo-Saxon society where the pillar of these kings and warriors is the memory of their defeated valor based on the Comitatos -- there was no other recourse or end. Why? Vengeance, in a sense, is an action but fundamentally human emotions provide the reason and context. These human emotions are innate within our nature and impervious to the passage of time.
In Beowulf, the essence left behind by a true hero is extremely important. In epics such as this one, leaders tend to have the determination and boldness of a hero. On the other hand, the main character, Beowulf, does not only display these certain traits. In this heroic poem, respect and trust come naturally. Honor and integrity are present throughout the poem. There are many moments in Beowulf that manifest the many traits that a person should have. This proves how important these attributes are to the characters and the Anglo-Saxon society. Although Beowulf has no known author, it embodies many of the beliefs and morals of the early Germanic society. The author of this epic poem uses many approaches in order to demonstrate that respect and trust are fundamental characteristics of a leader and hero.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Damrosch, David, and David L. Pike. “Beowulf.” The Longman Anthology of World Literature, Compact Edition. New York: Pearson, Longman, 2008. 929-970. Print.
Picture a world shrouded in darkness and despair, where war is inevitable and its inhabitants live with a relentless sense of fear. Medieval Europe was not a peaceful or secure place, but rather a world filled with turmoil, suffering, and unrest. Commoners living in medieval Europe never strayed far from the security of their homes because evil and suffering lurked within every facet of society. The story of Beowulf recounts the life of an idealized warrior, whose desire for honor instills deep convictions of justified violence. In many ways, Beowulf’s attitude parallels the warrior instinct exhibited by the crusaders as they attempted to recapture the Holy Land. Hence, the world of medieval Europe painted suffering for a just cause as an honorable
Beowulf outlines turmoil between three opponents: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon. These separate discords each serve to fulfill different metaphoric purposes. Grendel’s character epitomizes the adverse persona of how an Anglo-Saxon warrior should not be. His mother represents everything that a woman during the time era should seldom be. Lastly, the Dragon embodies all the values that an Anglo-Saxon king should not dare retain. Without a doubt, the symbolic implications of the monsters in Beowulf bring the context to a new level of understanding.
Revenge serves as a motivating factor for several characters throughout the epic poem Beowulf, beginning with Grendel. Grendel attacks the Herot because he seeks revenge upon mankind and the life he has been given. The Herot signifies everything Grendel hates about men such as their glory, success, and God’s favor. After the death of Grendel at the hands of Beowulf, Grendel’s mother takes her revenge. Fueled by a mother’s fury she sneaks into the Herot and kills o...
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...
The epic poem, Beowulf, a work of fiction, offers more insight into Ancient Anglo-Saxon English culture than the work of Bede, who wrote, A History of the English Church and People. The epic poem Beowulf gives an enhanced illustration and clearer understanding of the culture of the Ancient Anglo-Saxon’s. The epic poem gives the audience a picture of what the Ancient Anglo-Saxon English valued; seafaring, warriors, heroes, and paganism.
In Beowulf’s younger years, he personified all of the best values of the heroic culture when saving another kingdom from their demons. Beowulf’s willingness to sacrifice his life in order to save strangers his father owed a debt to is quite selfless. His bravery comes into play when he remains unchanged in his resolve even after hearing of all the King’s men and subjects slain by the beast.
Anglo Saxon’s history is well known for their loyalty, courage and bravery. Beowulf our protagonist is symbolized as a hero, who represents the Anglo Saxons at the time. Beowulf earns his fame and respect through battling creatures nobody else would want to face. These creatures symbolize the evil that lurks beyond the dark. Beowulf’s intense battle with these creatures’ symbolizes the epic battle of good versus evil. In the end good triumphs over evil but one cannot avoid death. Beowulf’s death can be symbolized as the death of the Anglo Saxons. Beowulf’s battle through the poem reflects the kind of culture that the Anglo Saxons had. The youth of a warrior to his maturity then the last fight which results in death. Beowulf wanted to be remembered and be told in stories that are passed on from generation to generation after his death. These story tellers relate to the Anglo Saxons time when they told stories about their great heroes.
Beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of Beowulf, a legendary Geatish hero who later becomes king in the aforementioned epic poem. While the story in and of itself is quite interesting, for the purpose of this paper it is important to look at the character more so then his deeds, or rather why he did what he did.
Revenge has been used in the same context throughout history. Hundreds of years ago people sought revenge for reasons similar to those of present time. The Oxford English Dictionary has recorded the continuance of the meaning of this term, revenge, as wanting to “repay” a person for their wrongful doings since as early as 1553. Many literal pieces from early time periods have used this word and adjusted it to be a core theme. For example, the early poem, Beowulf, highlights epic revengeful battles between the protagonist and antagonists. The author uses revenge as a motivating component to develop relatable plots and characterizations. The journey of how the protagonist, Beowulf, becomes a noble savoir begins with his battle against the descendant
In this essay, I will uncover the countless insights that can be learned about the characters in Beowulf, as well as the society as a whole, based on the weapons the characters choose to use in battle. During the Anglo-Saxon time, roughly between 400 and 1066, swords were considered the most precious weapon someone could own. Although it is not certain who wrote Beowulf, and when, many people believe it was composed in the middle to end of the Anglo-Saxon period. Analyzing the different weapons, and significance of each, in Beowulf, and comparing them to the weaponry at the time, provides the readers with a great deal of insight into the society during this period. The use of weapons in Beowulf not only provides the readers with insight into
The Anglo Saxon value of revenge ethic is dangerous, and inherently results in an endless cycle of violence. Hildeburh lost both her son and her husband to the revenge ethic, and this caused a cycle of violence between clans. (Anon 71-76). The revenge ethic inevitably punishes all in an endless cyclical pattern of violence; when one attacks, the other shortly follows. Following this code in its essence leads to constant death and feuding, which accomplishes nothing other than more violence. Thus, Anglo Saxon culture rewards violence with the idea that pride and honor can be won through avenging deaths, which demonstrates how dangerous a culture focused on war-based pride can be. The excessive pride that Anglo Saxon warriors have blinds them to reality, and prevents them from seeing the true risk of their plight. Despite the known power of this demon, Beowulf, when fighting Grendel, refuses to use a sword (Anon 52-54). Grendel killed many men who came to fight him with swords and other various weapons, and Beowulf was well aware of this fact. However, he makes the conscious decision to go into battle unarmed. Since he succeeded in doing without a sword what other men could not do with one, he gets more pride and prestige; it proves his