Beowulf as an Allegory for the Lineage and Fires of Poverty
In today’s society, many of the visceral and mystical dilemmas faced by epic heroes, such as Beowulf, have been resolved and remain tales from a harsher time. That being said, our own time brings with it a slew of new obstacles and solutions for both the singular person and our society collectively. New disease, climate change, economic deficiency, and failing civil rights affect all of us in our daily lives whether we realize it or not. In my personal experience, two problems have shown themselves to be just as daunting and terrible as those of Beowulf. Those two experiences, holding the attributes of Beowulf’s experience with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the ancient dragon, are my emotional outbursts and my weak economic position. Even as I overcome the former, I recognized the latter’s influence in its evil.
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The first time I ever experienced a truly recognized emotional instability was in third grade. I was bullied and harassed in the worst ways possible, but no matter what I tried to do I could not manage to yank myself from the destructive situation I found myself in. Eventually, I could keep my composure no longer. My inner struggles forced me over the proverbial hill and manifested themselves as physical violence against my assailant. The event had seemingly snuck out of the darkness, just as the monster Grendel had in his terrorism of Herot (Beowulf line 30-35). I was as shaken as Hrothgar himself before this new psychological menace, but a part of me knew that the bark would sting more than the bite (104-119). Just as Beowulf confidently charged, barefisted, valiant, and strong at the monster known as Grendel, so did I against my emotional trauma (166-169). In a matter of years, through the caring advice of my parents and counselors, my mastery of emotion greatly increased and I no longer presented a threat to anyone in the way I had, “Beowulf, / A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel, / Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering / Forced on Hrothgar's helpless people / By a bloodthirsty fiend” (510-514). Sometimes once the first wave flushes a poor soul across the depths of the sea, they will begin to realize that they are stuck in the middle of the ocean and have forgotten how to swim.
This was my situation after conquering the emotional spheres of my own mind. Even as I crested what appeared to be the largest problem I would ever face, I realized that it was a single battle in a much longer tale of glory. My emotions were inspired by the stress of financial failure and its heinous impact on the communication of my family. Just as Grendel was the offspring of an evil beginning, “Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever for the crime” (Beowulf 20-22), there was a vile root to my problems. At first it may appear that the battle of Beowulf with the mother of Grendel is the appropriate allegory for this second problem, but I assure you the ramifications of its destruction are more akin to that of a great dragon. I could not, and cannot, face this modernized beast alone, but I will destroy it even if it takes my life with it
(780-790). My war is ongoing, but many battles have been won. I have slain the emotional turmoil of my past and used my convictions to strengthen my future. I will never forget those who supported me. My closest friends and constructive mentors have always given heed to my cries. A memory is stored vividly in my mind of a year when my family’s oven broke, and with a car in shambles we could not replace it. I remember the slip of my tongue as the situation spilled into my conversations with friends and the hot tears of pride and joy that streamed from my eyes as I overheard a simple conversation over the phone. A donation had been arranged by the friends that heard me, so that I could have a stove before Thanksgiving day. Even though we didn’t accept their contributions, I have never been more validated in my life choices than in that singular moment. It was a poignant feeling and one that I’m sure Beowulf savored in the fleeting gasps of his final moments with Wiglaf, “ … I sold my life / For this treasure, and I sold it well. Take / What I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people, / Help them; my time is gone” (Beowulf 806-809). Beowulf’s tale is different than our own. It is vicious, fast, powerful, and elegant. A tour de force in storytelling from a time long past with little regard for our modern ways. Some young scholars disregard it and throw it away as an archetype improved upon and rejected, but others realize that all of our tales are just the same. The everlasting human struggle of finding right from wrong, of wanting a larger purpose, of being needed and heightened to a form that will somehow change the reality of our small world, is exemplified in the epic of Beowulf. Grendel, his mother, and the ancient dragon have all been beautifully crafted to resemble, allegorically speaking, the problems of today and even my problems of a barren income and lack of emotional control. For that I applaud the collective spirit of mankind, and find it ever at my fingertips in epic poems and great works just like Beowulf.
The philosophies expressed in the Beowulf epic complement the exploration of existentialism throughout the modern work, Grendel, by John Gardner. Both works portray different perspectives of the same story, involving the same characters; Beowulf, the ancient Anglo-Saxon hero who destroys Grendel, and Grendel, the monster who terrorizes Hrothgar’s hall. Beowulf and Grendel act as archetypes that explore humanity’s perception of the world. In the Anglo-Saxon epic, Beowulf and his companions represent good, and the monsters, including Grendel, represent evil. When Beowulf kills Grendel, the world is less evil, but since Beowulf’s companions die in the struggle, the world is also less good. Ultimately, the two forces of good and evil will destroy each other, but the story maintains that God will interfere and save mankind from destruction. In Gardner’s story, the progression of society begins when mankind creates a monster and then creates a hero to fight the monster. Once the greater power of the hero had been established, once the conflict’s resolution strengthened society’s power, than a greater monster developed ...
In times before printed books were common, stories and poems were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. From such oral traditions come great epics such as England’s heroic epic, Beowulf. In Beowulf, the monster Grendel serves as the evil character acting against the poem’s hero, as shown by his unnatural strength, beast-like qualities, and alienation from society.
During the battle of Beowulf vs. Grendel, we witness firsthand the contradictory factors surrounding a person’s fate. “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him
While the classic battle between good and evil forces is a major theme of the medieval epic Beowulf, one may question whether these good and evil forces are as black and white as they appear. Scholars such as Herbert G. Wright claim that “the dragon, like the giant Grendel, is an enemy of mankind, and the audience of Beowulf can have entertained no sympathy for either the one or the other” (Wright, 4). However, other scholars such as Andy Orchard disagree with this claim, and believe that there is “something deeply human about the ‘monsters’” (Orchard, 29). While Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon are indeed portrayed as evil and violent foes, there are parts within Beowulf that can also lead a reader to believe that the “monsters” may not be so monstrous after all. In fact, the author of Beowulf represents the “monsters” within the poem with a degree of moral ambivalence. This ambivalence ultimately evokes traces of sympathy in the reader for the plight of these “monster” figures, and blurs the fine line between good and evil within the poem.
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 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.
“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.
Beowulf begins with a history of the Danish kings. Hrothgar is the present king of the Danes. He builds a hall, called Heorot, to house his army. The Danish soldiers gather under its roof to celebrate and have fellowship with each other. Grendel, who lives at the bottom of a nearby swamp, is awakened and disgusted by the singing of Hrothgar's men. He comes to the hall late one night and kills thirty of the warriors in their sleep. For the next twelve years Grendel stalks the mead hall known as Heorot.
John Gardner’s Grendel is the retelling of the heroic epic poem Beowulf; however, the viewpoint has shifted. Grendel is told from the viewpoint of one of Beowulf’s antagonists and the titular character of Gardner’s work—Grendel. In Grendel, Gardner humanizes Grendel by emphasizing parallels between Grendel’s life and human life. Through Gardner’s reflection of human feelings, human development, and human flaws in Grendel, this seemingly antagonistic, monstrous character becomes understood and made “human.”
Beowulf is an interesting story in that it has a meaning that is firmly rooted in fantasy creatures based in mythical origins while providing insight into religious ideals and practices of the time. It also speaks of tradition and the struggle of man against things perceived as evil. In this tradition especially, Beowulf is an incredible allegory regarding the struggle of good and evil in the Christian tradition.
Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or ideas. Symbolism is one of the most common practices of writing, and has been used for centuries. Symbols can often tell a story better than a human can because of there deeper meaning. When epic poems became popular during the Anglo-Saxon period they were filled with harrowing tales of bravery, and courage. Epic poems are long narrative poems that often have characters facing impossible tasks and still finding courage to defeat them. While many marvel at the original Anglo-Saxon dialect of Beowulf, Seamus Heany's modern English translation allows all readers to enjoy this tale.
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.
There are three prominent monsters in the Beowulf text, Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. While the dragon proves to be the most fatale of foes for Beowulf, Grendel and his mother do not simply pose physical threats to the Germanic society; their roles in Beowulf are manifold. They challenge the perceptions of heroism, a sense of unrivalled perfection and superiority. Moreover, they allow the reader to reconsider the gender constructs upheld within the text; one cannot help but feel that the threat that these monsters present is directed towards the prevalent flaws in Beowulf’s world. Moreover, what makes these monsters is not their physical appearance; it is what they embody. Both Grendel and his mother have humanlike qualities yet their monstrous appearance arises from what their features and mannerisms represent. The challenge they pose to societal paradigms makes them far more terrifying to our heroes than any scaled flesh or clawing hand. These monsters provide the ‘most authoritative general criticism […] of the structure and conduct of the poem’. Their presence provides contrast and criticism of the brave society (Heaney 103).
to have been composed between 700 and 750. "No one knows who composed Beowulf ,
The monsters of Beowulf live within us. Grendel, his beastly mother, and the hoarding dragon have frightened each and every human from the Stone Age to the era of the internet. All of our technology and globalization cannot banish them. Audiences worldwide are both repulsed and attracted to tales of their evil. They are Anglo-Saxon manifestations of primal human fears, those of the marauding predator. But the genius of Beowulf is that the monsters represent more than archetypical spooks and scares; they are foils to the civilized human being.