IN REMAINING TRUE TO HIMSELF: 2
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
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In the story Beowulf’s men show loyalty to him as well, from the time of them being brought down to help him. When he brought fourteen of his bravest and strongest men he had to choose them because he knew of their worth and of their loyalty. Later on in the story Beowulf vows to protect the town with all that he has inside of him, he didn’t have to do it but instead he choose to do so. Even though he was much younger than everyone else. Beowulf knew that since he promised Hrothgar that he would of it by him giving up Beowulf would be betraying all the loyalty that he had to King Hrothgar. Beowulf also shows loyalty because he could of sent any of his leaders to go and defeat Grendel but instead of doing that Beowulf took the chance of bringing himself and then bringing the men along with him as a sense of backup just in case he needed them. Beowulf knew it was his duty to do so, this is a huge representation of loyalty to his dear friend King …show more content…
When Beowulf refers back to the battle with Grendel’s mother he states that “the fight would have ended straight away if god had not guarded me” (Orla Murphy, 2008). This shows that he feels more secure if god was to help him on and was by his side. God is playing a big role in this, its testing whether god is real or not and if he is able to depend on him in a time of need. Beowulf puts his faith in a a lot of people that he is unsure of if he should because of who he is
Have you ever wanted to avenge a wrong doing done unto you? Well, the characters in Beowulf will stop at nothing to achieve vengeance. Revenge is so immensely practiced that it is a common act to pay of a deed done by an offender. However, a payment or truce does not satisfy the desire for revenge in the Poem. Every time a Character precedes to make peace, it eventually falls apart by a desire to avenge loved ones. This desire is usually upheld until someone is no longer left to be avenged or no one is left to avenge those whom they loved. This, although it may not seem so, happens commonly in this epic.
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.
Loyalty is a key part of any story, but most crucial to medieval tales of knights and mythical creatures. Beowulf’s men were/are loyal to him until they were reminded of their mortality. His men abandon him in his
direction is like trying to hit a cloud with a bow and arrow. A hero is also
In the tale of Beowulf, he acknowledged his strong faith in God, regardless of the situation. The tale describes, repeatedly, how God is in every situation that the characters have embarked on, which is described in this statement, " the Heavenly Shepard can work HIS wonders always and everywhere" (pp.51, 929). The author indistinctly explains by saying, "The Almighty Judge of good deeds and bad."(pp.36, ln.180) Even when they were faced with the evil's of Grendel and the monsters, whom in this story was considered to be Satan, which is explained as, "Cain's clan , whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts" (pp.35, ln.106). Regardless of the situation, God was acknowledged as a miracle worker, a judge, or even just to praise him for the punish of the evil doers, and rewarding and protecting those that try to help others.
The use of religion in the story alludes to the fact that Beowulf is a Christ figure by showing the reader that God has sent Beowulf to defeat Grendel, similar to how Jesus was sent to Earth to absolve people of sin. In the following quote, Beowulf is fighting Grendel and the narrator describes God’s impact on Beowulf. “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him/ But Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength,/ The wondrous gifts God had showered on him:/ He relied for help on the Lord of All,/ On His care and favour. So he overcame the foe, /brought down the hell-brute” (Beowulf 1269-1274). The “ wondrous gifts” that God had bestowed upon
The epic poem Beowulf, an abundance of apparent evils such as the monsters. What about the not-so-apparent ones? Often the true evil hides behind what is obvious to us. In modern society, evil is everywhere because it resides inside society itself. Although the story of the warrior Beowulf is riddled with evil monsters, the true evil lies just beneath the surface.
The glory is given to God at that very moment, “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him but Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength, the wondrous gifts God had showered on him: He relied for help on the Lord of All, on His care and favour. So, he overcame the foe, brought down the hell-brute” (1269-1274). The “wondrous gifts” and strength in Beowulf is credited to God, who is on Beowulf’s side always in battle. Also, the great feat of defeating the evil monster, Grendel, shows that Beowulf is blessed and highly favored. Not only did Beowulf defeat Grendel, but he did it without any weapons. Gods power was instilled in Beowulf, to defeat evil with his bare hands. Beowulf showed a great amount of faith in God no matter what problems or evil he faced, and God rewarded him with victory, great legacy, and
“In my youth I engaged in many wars”, Beowulf boasts to his warriors, which is certainly true. Throughout his life, he faces many deadly foes, all of which he handily defeats, save one. His story focuses on the most challenging, as well as morally significant of foes, Grendel and the dragon. These creatures reveal much about society as well as Christian virtue at the time. Even after Grendel and the dragon are defeated physically, the two monsters pose a new threat to the hero on a higher plane. Beowulf is not only at risk of losing his life, but his humanity, virtue, and even spirituality.
This passage, spoken by Beowulf himself, illustrates not only his confidence in himself, but also in God. He knows that he is strong, but he also knows that it is God who really grants victory. He must be in good graces with God in order to win his battle. He knows that he cannot survive without God’s approval.
Beowulf has multiple references to God and how God chooses what happens in his life. For example on the very first page of the story (Beowulf, 27) we see that God saw the need for a king so he sent a king to the Danes. This shows us that God is able to see his people and in a fair and just way he sends them a much needed king. Later on, we see how God punishes those who go against his will. On page 29 we read that Grendel is from Cain.
In “Beowulf” translated by Burton Raffel, the character Beowulf is portrayed as a brave, courageous, and very pious man. In the pagan tale the underlying motif of Good vs. Evil heightens these characteristics even to the point where Beowulf comes across as a symbol for God and Christianity. He battles “the demon” Grendel (ln. 16), Grendel’s mother, and a fierce dragon, all in order to save those who need aid, primarily the people of Herot. This too is very Christlike because he is serving those lower than himself for the sole purpose of doing the right thing. Although Beowulf is very brave all throughout, he becomes boastful and greedy from the time he first battles Grendel to when he takes on the dragon.
Why does Beowulf care so much about his people and why is he loyal to the people that are not loyal to him. Beowulf is a warrior that did everything to protect his people. He is brave and he always helped people in need. For example when he helps the Danes by trying to kill Grendal. Beowulf wants to protect the Danes so he goes across the sea brings his best men with him to kill Grendal. When he gets there and lands on their shore he wants to talk to their king to solve the problem. “Beowulf arose, with his men around him, ordering a few to remain with their weapons”(Page 54 lines-213,214,215). In this quote Beowulf is trying to keep the peace between them and the Danes so he tells his crew and all their weapons to stay outside while he goes in and talk to their king.
In the old English epic Beowulf, a prince by the name of Beowulf travels from the land of the Geats, after hearing of the troubles King Hrothgar has sustained with Grendel the monster. In this poem there are numerous amounts of dialogue about heroism and the qualities needed to be a hero. Some attributes discussed are perseverance, loyalty, and one of the most critical ones being heart. Heart is a heroic quality that is most important in this poem because of what it reveals to the reader about a warrior's mentality, and how it is displayed through resilience and emotion.
In “Beowulf”, the author employs the use of various, mystical beasts in order to heighten a connection with human emotion. The author crafts messages of bravery, loyalty, and strength in order to illustrate the ability that humans have to face adversity.