Answers For Beowulf

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Recommended: Symbolism in beowulf

Answer (2): The story of Beowulf begins with the funeral of the great and loved king Beo, and ended ultimately with the death and funeral of the great and strong king Beowulf. This is not just a coincidence, but it symbolizes how important and meaningful the death of a king is to the Danes. We know this because in lines 36-40 it states “Next to that noble corpse They heaped up treasures, jeweled helmets, Hooked swords and coats of mail, armor carried from the ends of the earth: no ship had ever sailed so brightly fitted,”. We already know how important treasure is to the Danes, so for them to send off their king with so much treasure shows us how important the concept of death and the afterlife is to the Danes. Sadly the story of Beowulf also

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    In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.

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  • Essay On Beowulf's Superego

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    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.

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  • The Courage, Strength, and Integrity of Beowulf

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  • Beowulf Cheat Sheet

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    1. Weapons serve as the tools that the soldiers must use > to do their job: killing beasts or men without getting > killed. As a artist may be fond of his paintbrush, the > soldiers greatly cherish their weapons. Often a weapon is > valued for its pedigree. The author often interrupts action > to delve into a weapon’s previous owners and its history.

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  • Beowulf Is Not A Hero Essay

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

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  • Similarities Between King Shield And Beowulf

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

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  • A Summary of Beowulf

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

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  • Beowulf´s Obligation to the Anglo- Saxon Code

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf was a great and mighty warrior who was known for how amazingly awesome he was. He had fought and slain everything that came into his path. When there was heard of a great monster named Grendel who was terrorizing Hrothgar’s Mede hall, Beowulf made the trip to defeat the monster. When he arrived, king Hrothgar welcomed him and gave him permission to fight the monster, with one twist; Beowulf wanted to fight the monster without any armor or weapons. He fought the monster and killed him, keeping his arm as a trophy, which he hung in the mead hall for everyone to see. This is why we put cardboard cutouts in a trophy case. He went on to fight Grendel’s dam/mother/the witch (depending on the translation). After defeating this wicked monster, Beowulf returned home to the land of the Geats and 50 years later, he was the king in the land. At this time, there was a dragon on the loose and Beowulf was asked to fight it. This battle would be his last and a faithful man named Wiglaf would help him defeat the monster. Beowulf’s motivations to do these wonderful things were based on the Anglo-Saxon code.

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  • Beowulf: A Courageous and Strong Hero

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  • Analysis Of Beowulf's Motivations

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle,” Norman Schwarzkopf. In the epic poem, Beowulf, an epic hero from Geats travels far out of his way to help the Danes with their fight against the nasty Grendel. However, in the story Beowulf encounters three monsters that he takes into his own hands and defeats them all. In doing so, Beowulf is rewarded greatly and becomes king and is looked up to by all. In his last battle, Beowulf defeats the dragon but dies soon afterwards, he is given an honorable burial. This poem was told throughout the era of the Vikings and was later written down as the first actually hard copy of the story. It was Burton

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  • Theme Of Treasure In Beowulf's Life

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning, Beowulf had a strong desire for treasure. Gold can be used as a reward, gift, or symbol of honor. During the funeral of the Danish king Shield Sheafson, "They stretched their beloved lord in his boat, laid out by the mast, amidships, the great ring-giver. Far-fetched treasures were piled upon him, and precious gear. I never heard before of a ship so well furbished with battle tackle, bladed weapons and coats of mail. The massed treasure was loaded on top of him: it would travel far on out into the ocean 's sway." (34-42). A noble king is being covered with treasures as he is being buried and sent out to sea. A boatload of treasure is being sent out to sea with his body for his greatness. This implies that gold is way to reward a hero for his service. As a reward for defeating the monster Grendel, "And he was given a mail shirt, and a golden arms band, and the most beautiful necklace known to man" (90-95). Beowulf is given many golden treasures such an arms band and a necklace. The king showers Beowulf with gold and Beowulf accepts all the gold he can take. In the poem, it says “They marched in step, hurrying on till the timbered hall rose before them, radiant with gold. Nobody on earth knew of another building like it. Majesty lodged there, its light shone over many lands” (306-311). In the medieval Scandinavian warrior culture, every member wanted to show off the wealth they own.

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  • The Theme Of Death In Beowulf

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    The gold will rust and the silver will go unpolished. In the grand scheme of things, money, glory, and fame here on earth mean nothing; but to Beowulf, it meant everything. He felt as if there were nothing else to live for. As the hero was passing into the afterlife, his last request was for Wiglaf to bring him some of the treasures they had just inherited by defeating the dragon. Beowulf said, “My days have gone by as fate willed, waiting for its word to be spoken, ruling as well as i knew how, swearing no unholy oaths, seeking no lying wars. I can leave this life happy; I can die, here, knowing the Lord of all life has never watched me wash my sword in blood born of my own family. Beloved Wiglaf, go, quickly, find the dragon’s treasure: we’ve taken its life, but its gold is ours, too. Hurry, bring me ancient silver, precious jewels, shining armor and gems before I die. Death will be softer, leaving life and this people I’ve ruled so long, if I look at this last of all prizes.” Wiglaf, being Beowulf’s only faithful friend, honored his request and brought him the most beautiful and glorious riches. Sadly, Beowulf’s last request was not to see his followers or his fellow soldiers. His last request was to be with the treasures he won instead. One of the last things Beowulf said was that he sold his life for that treasure. To sell your life to something means to completely surrender your means of living. Beowulf did not simply enjoy the things of this world, he lived for them. He yearned for them. He wanted and desired them so desperately, that he would lay his own life down for them.

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    	The epic poem Beowulf, which was told from generation to generation honoring modern Anglo-Saxon beliefs, describes a heroic man who saves a village in their time of need. By definition a hero is a man of exceptional quality. Exceptional quality doesn’t even begin to describe the man that is Beowulf. Beowulf has many heroic characteristics from his super human strength to victoriously slaying monsters and other ferocious beasts. He has excellent leadership skills and commonly boasts of his achievements. Beowulf emerges as the true Anglo Saxon hero; who risks his life for the lives and well being of

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  • Beowulf's Superheroes

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    “A hero is just someone who stays brave a little longer” (Pinterest). Beowulf was one of the very first superheroes and can be argued as one of the greatest. There are many parts of the poem to prove Beowulf is a superhero that people wish were alive today. Beowulf has three major qualities that make him a superhero, strength, courage, and willing to travel to help anyone when they need it.

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  • The Beowulf Story

    361 Words  | 1 Pages

    The beowulf story is about a man that slays monsters for fame and gold. Beowulf and his men travel to all kind of different countries with his men to to kill sea monsters, and monsters. The first monster he kills is grendel, then he goes and kills grendel's mother, then his last battle was with a dragon. Beowulf is a also a prince of the geets.

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