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Walk about character analysis
Walk about character analysis
Walk about character analysis
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Nobody dared to stop the bravest man in all the land known as Beowulf. Beowulf is the strongest warrior from Geatland. When Beowulf hears about the Danes and Hrothgar’s struggle to keep his men safe, he offers to help. The Danish king, Hrothgar, accepts Beowulf’s request to kill Grendel and his mother. Beowulf proves his strength and becomes famous when he defeats Grendel in a battle using nothing but his bare hands in Herot. He keeps Grendel’s arm as a symbol of his victory. Grendel’s mother looks for revenge, but she is also killed by the brave warrior. Beowulf becomes the King of Geatland after the king’s son, Heardred, is killed. Beowulf rules for 50 years and he is very successful in keeping peace across the land and Geatland becomes very prosperous. Beowulf later dies after a final fight against a dragon. The Geats build a tower strong and tall just as Beowulf requested so that sailors could find it from far and wide. Beowulf perfectly embodies the Germanic heroic ideal. …show more content…
My first claim that supports this thesis is that Beowulf is determined and brave.
Beowulf is the strongest of the Geats and he is willing to defend his people from any monster that comes in his way. He is also determined to prove his strength by defeating Beowulf and his mother by using only his bare hands. He has also killed a large number of many more monsters.
The second claim is that Beowulf is loyal to his people. Beowulf fights monsters to keep his people safe. Beowulf is given the opportunity to rule Geatland after the king’s son Heardred is killed. Beowulf rules for 50 years and he is very successful in those 50 years and Geatland prospers.
The third claim is that Beowulf became a great warrior and leader. He was loved by all the Geats. Beowulf also awarded his people with gifts. He was also willing to protect his people by defeating Grendel and the dragon who tried to kill his
people. Beowulf perfectly embodies the Germanic heroic ideal. He was determined to win every battle and remained brave through it all. He fought every fight with his bare hands knowing God was on his side and he planned to let fate decide his destiny. Beowulf is loyal to his people and he would never let them down. Also, Beowulf had the chance to successfully rule Geatland for 50 prosperous years.
King Hrothgar had no solution to the conflict it was described that “All were endangered; young and old were hunted down by that dark death-shadow who lurked and swooped in the long nights on the misty moors” (Heaney 219). Grendel took over and established a kingdom. Grendel established a terrorizing fear in all the danes, until Beowulf comes along. Beowulf is immediately praised “There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, high-born and powerful”, the Danes after seven years have found how to defeat this monster. (Heaney 222) Beowulf travels to another country and is one of kind, no one compares to his might and power. This proves how brave he is to travel to another country to defeat a monster that has had repeatedly attacked Danes. Beowulf emphasizes his bravery even more by declaring ““I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend”. This boastful attitude gives Beowulf the bravery to step up and fight using his barehands. The average warrior would use a shield and sword but, Beowulf is not average he shows that he is a hero and will fight Grendel as if he was invincible. Beowulf defeats Grendel by ripping of his arm and it signifies that he is not a fraud, but a man of his word. Beowulf pride gives himself an
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.
(P) Beowulf humbly gave everything to his people, and shared his wealth and wisdom to help his people prosper. His fatal flaw was more fatal than it was a flaw, and because of it he lost his life to protect those who were not willing protect him. (Q) Listening to the advice of others, rather than ruling alone, is what made Beowulf so great in the end. He may have been boastful when he was young but as he matured he became wise and humble. When Beowulf became king, he did not live through past actions, instead he continued to give his people reasons to serve him. (R) A lesson from this is that the past does not make the future, people can go from bad to good and from good to great if they take the help given, by those who want to see the great in
The character of Beowulf stands as a hero to the ancient Danes because of his actions. He is constantly being cited as a "war-chief" and a "gold-giver" (61). Beowulf has achieved fame through what he has done with his own hands. His identity as a leader is based upon the Danish society’s emphasis on personal action, as opposed to the delegation of responsibility through conscious thought. It is this very sense which spurs Beowulf to fight the dragon: "In my youth I engaged in many wars. Old guardian of the people, I shall still seek battle, perform a deed of fame, if the evil-doer will come to me..." (59). Beowulf derives his power from a strong link to the past. Without his history of glorious deeds, he would see himself bereft of the very power which qualifies him to be a good King. Beowulf’s bravery never comes in to question, he does meet every challenge head-on, with deadly attention. The society which labels Beowulf as a legendary hero, recognizes his actions and his bravery as a integral part of his definition as a hero. Without the society to support th...
The character Beowulf, “a man of great strength and bravery” (Magill 388), is a hero in the way he defends his neighboring country, Denmark. When the word that a hostile creature, known as Grendel, was killing tons in Denmark, Beowulf set sail to help defend the people and rid them of the hideous monster.
In Beowulf, the main character, a Geat warrior named Beowulf, possesses extraordinary qualities: “He was the strongest of men alive in that day, mighty and noble.” Upon spotting Beowulf approaching, the sea-guard of the Danes says, “Never have I seen a greater man on earth…” King Hrothgar of the Danes says of Beowulf, “Seafarers who took gifts to the Geats say that he has the strength of 30 men in his hand grip.” Beowulf chooses to fight Grendel by himself and without shield or weapons; previously the hero slew nine sea monsters with his sword. And he is fully willing to sacrifice his very life for this: “… I alone will fulfill the wish of your people … or die in the foe’s grasp.” Beowulf consciously chooses to act in a superhuman manner: “I shall perform the deeds of a hero or I have passed my last day in this mead hall.” Even Grendel recognizes the hero’s superior strength: “The criminal knew he had not met in this middle-earth another with such a grip.” Other warriors when thinking of Beowulf “would quickly compose a skillful tale in words.” Hrothgar refers to Beowulf as “the best of warriors.” The Danish queen Wealhtheow compliments after Grendel’s defeat, “You have earned forever the praise of men from near and far.” Hrothgar expounds on good warriors: “This is the best-born man – my friend Beowulf … the best of warriors.” When the dragon burns the mead hall of the Geats and Beowulf prepares to retaliate, he “scorned a host, a...
He would not have been the warrior he was without the three villains that attacked him and threatened other people’s lives. The Geatland King learned how to think morally, realistically and how to control his thoughtless and selfish urges. The id, ego and superego turned him from an egotistical young boy into a noble and respected man. While he is the id himself, Beowulf realizes his surroundings and fulfills his own potential to self-actualize himself. The man becomes perspicacious and selfless towards life and his people. The legend will live on as Beowulf, the boy who grew into a man by facing his
Beowulf, Ecgtheow's son, is strong in mind and body. He is born a true hero.. He backs up his extraordinary feats with a powerful sense of social responsibility and morality. He is also engaging and humane. These good qualities often blind readers to his other traits. He, in my opinion, is a selfish, power hungry, and attention grabbing fool. He never asks for help even when he needs it, he prefers recognition rather than doing the right thing, and he puts others at danger to prove himself worthy. As a young man, he is a bit wild and reckless, who swims for seven days in the open sea to satisfy a foolish wager. Beowulf later admits that it was his false pride that made him accept the bet. When Hrothgar asks Beowulf to fight Grendel, he does not hesitate. His only request is that if he is killed, his armor should be returned to Hygelac, for he is loyal to the King of Geatland. Once Grendel has been wounded and chased away, Beowulf agrees to fight Grendel's mother, who wants vengeance for her son's death. When he succeeds in killing her, he severs her head and the head of the dead Grendel to show as a symbol of his success and bravery. At a young age, Beowulf was strong. He was physically and mentally able to fight Grendel and Grendel's mother. He triumphed over them and won great fame. But this all went straight to his head. 50 years later, as an old and weak man, he puts himself at risk once again to fight the dragon. His mental and physical stamina are nowhere near his old self, but being stubborn, he fights the dragon anyway.
The poem of Beowulf has been told many times for hundreds of years. There have been many versions and variations that differ from the original written tale. There has recently been a movie production of the epic tale that was released in 2007 entailed Beowulf. Although this variation of the story was entertaining it was not an accurate account of the story of Beowulf. This analysis of both narratives will illustrate the differences between the two.
There is no man as strong as him and that is because Beowulf is no ordinary man he is half man half god. It is said that he has the strength of 30 men in one arm. I do not believe that Beowulf is doing this to help the Danes, but to protect his reputation. In the eyes of Beowulf his reputation is being over looked. People are starting to think Beowulf’s reputation is deceiving. With Beowulf hearing of people questioning his abilities he set sail for Denmark. When Beowulf reached the Danes he was easily recognized and brought straight to king Hrothgar because after 12 years of the kings’ men being slaughtered there was no time to be wasted. There was one man who started telling people that Beowulf’s’ past is not true and that no man can kill Grendel because of the magical spell that protects him from spears, swords, arrow, etc. With Beowulf hearing of this and having to protect his legacy he says how he will defeat Grendel with nothing but his bare hands. He defeats Grendel and saves everyone or so he thinks. Grendel’s mom tries to kill Beowulf because he killed her son, but she was no match for him and she was killed very quickly. This shows strength by doing what everyone said couldn’t be done and risking his life for people he owed nothing too and not only solving one problem, but solving a future problem just to save his
Beowulf is Healfdane’s son and Higlac’s follower, the strongest of the Geats. Throughout the reading of this epic poem about Beowulf, he goes through three battles which develops him into a heroic character. Each battle is fought with different weapons, techniques winning him different rewards which show how he emerges into an epic hero. In fact Beowulf was a life changer for Geats, evolving him into the Beowulf Tower.
Beowulf was the only man capable of defeating such a powerful monster, and so he
Beowulf is the strong fearless leader of the Geats whose bravery and strength saved the Danes from the terrible monsters of Grendel, his mother, and a fire breathing dragon. Even through the tough situations, Beowulf risked death to help the greater amount of people. I believe that Beowulf leaves us with hope for the world. When he dies, it is a sad moment, but knowing that Beowulf inspired WIglaf to step up to the plate and become a new strong fearless leader leaves us with hope that the Geats will be in good hands for many years to come.
The good in Beowulf makes him live by a certain code and values that make him feel like it is his responsibility to step up and protect the Geats from the evils that are all too real to them.
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.