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Character development introduction
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Character development introduction
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Beowulf was an epic hero whose journey was passed down through Anglo-Saxon storytellers, and was important to the life of the Anglo-Saxons, as he overshadowed the challenges that the Anglo-Saxons faced in everyday life. Though the Anglo-Saxon hero slew monsters, he represented something much more to the Anglo-Saxons. Throughout Beowulf’s story, the monsters represent the archetypal symbols of death and fear. When Grendel repeatedly attacks Herot, this represents fear, which the Anglo-Saxons lived in. The Anglo-Saxons feared being attacked by other tribes, because invasions were common. Peace was nonexistent, and survival was the basis of life. Furthermore, the dragon that Beowulf fights symbolizes death, and that there is ultimately no escaping
it. The Anglo-Saxons worked hard to survive, but death was common. To depict these challenges, the story of Beowulf uses imagery, especially for description. In the second part of Beowulf, lines 313-317 read “Hate was ignited. The hoard-guard recognized a human voice, the time was over for peace and parleying. Pouring forth in a hot battle-fume, the fiery breath of the monster burst from the rock. There was a rumble underground.” (page 34, lines 313-317). These lines alone capture the anger of the dragon, and represent the death that it symbolizes. Death, and fear, were common challenges that Anglo-Saxons faced and are depicted through the use of imagery and because of the archetypal symbols they represent in the epic of Beowulf.
Knowledge of historical literature gives us insight into the traditions and societal conventions of the time in which the piece was written. One outstanding example comes from Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf is a literary work which enables a reader to glimpse not only the societal customs but into the savage and seemingly uncontrollable environment of the first century. Literary historian, Raymond Chambers points out that in the fight between Grendel and Beowulf it appears as though Grendel is representative of the degraded form of human life attempting to gain power through violence, in his attempt to overthrow Hrothgar and take control of Heorot he is fatally wounded by Beowulf. Beowulf is a character who exemplifies the collective societal agreement as to the role of a hero and his duty to control a seemingly ungovernable environment (Chambers 46). The Beowulf poet describes Grendel and Beowulf as "Both ..enraged, fury filled, the two who meant to control the hall." (Beowulf 36). The fight for control of the hall could be seen as representative of the struggle between good and evil or perhaps the control of the king over an uncontrollable people. Taking into account Mr. Chambers explanation of Grendel, a reader may also reason that the dragon symbolizes a threat from outside the human realm. One notes that the dragon is not given the humanistic qualities of Grendel, he has no kin and appears to have no mortal thoughts. Due to his lack of humanistic characteristics, the reader may believe that the dragon is less representative of a human threat such as an enemy warrior, etc.
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.
An important aspect of the Anglo-Saxon culture was the values and how much the people held them in their hearts. These values are quite unique when being compared to modern-day values and the way society works today, as we have grown as people and changed our views. When thinking about Beowulf, the way the warriors acted is a detail that comes to mind. These warriors fought with everything they had and believed they had two choices, victory or death. While this is still true today, we do not blame our warriors or call them cowards for not wanting to fight, unlike the Anglo-Saxon people. In the story of Beowulf, the battle with Grendel is considered intense, as many warriors died trying to save the kingdom; however, Beowulf is honored and celebrated
As he had each night for 12 long winters, Grendel crept through King Hrothgar’s hall choosing his sleeping victims peacefully. One by one the odious monster clawed, chewed, and devoured each soul happily satisfying his hunger. Dawn came, making cue for Grendel’s departure back to his cave. It was no surprise that Grendel had struck again. Each heart and soul residing in Herot knew that the monster would eat freely each night, and that no one was protected. No one dared to face this monster, for he was the source and personification of all evil in Herot and society. So, Grendel ruled Herot for 12 long years until the Almighty leader of the Geat clan, Beowulf, made it his divine right and duty to slay the offender. And so goes the Epic Anglo-Saxon
In this poem, Beowulf exhibits the trait of bravery by defeating the monster, Grendel. This monster was a very powerful monster that plagued the town of Herot. “He slipped through the door… Snatched up thirty men, smashed them/ Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies/ The blood dripping behind him, back/ To his liar, delighted with his night’s slaughter. (11)”
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.
Beowulf has multiple archetype that can be defined as figures, character types, settings, and story patterns that are universally shared by people across cultures. Three that stick out the most are character archetypes, symbolic archetypes, and situational archetypes. The reason these stick out the most to me is because Beowulf goes on an adventure driven by his desire to help. Also Beowulf is the main hero of the novel and is constantly saving the day. Cause Beowulf is depicted as a hero it is easy to say that this show character archetypes. Him fighting the Grendel, Grendel’s Mother and the Dragon can be seen as symbolic and situational archetypes.
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.
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.
Glory for one’s King, Glory for one’s ancestors, Glory for one’s tribe, Glory for one’s self. These are the noble qualities only certain epic knights condone. Throughout the oldest surviving epic poem, Beowulf an Anglo-Saxon piece of literature, the courageous warrior Beowulf, hero of the Geats, embodies these heroic characteristics as the defender gallantly volunteers to aid King Hrothgar defeating not one or two, but three heinous creatures with honor. In a different perception, each behemoth Beowulf conquers symbolizes more than just a facing a ghastly creature.
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).
Grendel is described as “a powerful monster, living down / In the darkness, / growled in pain” (Beowulf 1-2). His great strength dominates all the people of Herot, who, afraid of his monstrous traits, live life without him. He obviously doesn’t fit in with the rest of society, since he is described as a “demon, that fiend” (Beowulf 16). His physical looks are a standard in Anglo-Saxon stories, since great value is placed in strength and bravery. One must have great courage to fight a villain like Grendel, and Beowulf shows his heroics by participating in battles in a fictional world full of “spirits, / And fiends, goblins, monsters, [and] giants” (Beowulf 26-27). Similarly, the Normans who conquered England in the year 1066 had to show daring in travelling to a new land, and taking it
Roger Ebert is one of the most famous American movie critics of all time. When he saw Zimeckis’s Beowulf he claimed it to be a satire of the original story. However, I believe that the movie added extra meaning and symbolism to the original writing and recreated the common storylines between the poem and the movie fairly well. Proving his satirical point, Ebert mentions in his review the scene from Beowulf, “When the king offers his comely queen Wreathow as a prize if Beowulf slays Grendel, the hero immediately strips naked, because if Grendel wears no clothes, then he won't, either,” but the poem, Beowulf, explains that he doesn't strip out of vanity or just just to get a laugh from the reader. He strips to create a fair fight between him
In the dead of night, they sat and waited. As they feared, Grendel came again. The only person willingly able to save them from the ferocious monster is Beowulf! While waiting for someone is not the best, when they have a chance of not being alive, his men are faithfull in their lord Beowulf. In the epic Beowulf, the Danes are terrorized by the monster Grendel. The Danes are in dire need of their own hero, Beowulf is a perfect example of an epic hero and embodies all the ideals of Anglo Saxon culture as he defeats the monster Grendel in Heorot. He holds to the status due to his bravery, selflessness, and physical strength.
Beowulf’s first accomplishment as an epic hero was his battle with Grendel. Grendel was a huge beast, a descendent of Cain, who ruthlessly murdered innocent Danes because he felt pity for himself. Upon hearing of the Dane’s problem, Beowulf set off to help the Danish without having been called upon. Even though Beowulf had men backing him, He drew battle with Grendel alone and without armor or weapons. Yet, Beowulf emerged victorious with the arm of Grendel as his trophy. Beowulf then went on to kill Grendel’s vengeful mother and a huge fire-breathing dragon who thought it had been done wrong by the Geats. Alas, the killing of the dragon would be Beowulf’s last great battle for the dragon took Beowulf’s life in the struggle for his own.