Annotated Bibliography
Biggs, Frederick M. “Beowulf’s Fight with the Nine Nicors.” The Review of English Studies, vol.
53, no. 211, 2002, pp. 311-328. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3070641.
In “Beowulf’s Fight with the Nine Nicors”, Biggs highlights that Beowulf is not the type of hero audiences believe. He argues that Beowulf twists his own story in order to feign heroism. Furthermore, Biggs uses Beowulf’s own words against his status as a hero in order to defend his argument. In the work, the author is able to describe to the reader that Beowulf is manipulative. This is critical because it shatters the idea of this king being an honest hero. Biggs is able to refer to different passages within “Beowulf” that show how the king changes his story to fit his own needs. The work expands on the character of Beowulf. The characterization is critical in that it shows Beowulf’s main
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reasons behind his actions. Beowulf attempts to paint himself in a saintly, heroic light that all of his people will adore ultimately defines him as less than a hero because of his lack of personal growth. Rogers, H. L. “Beowulf’s Three Great Fights.” The Review of English Studies, vol. 6, no. 24, 1955, pp. 339-355. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/511305. Rogers argues that instead of following Joseph Campbell’s model for an epic hero, the Beowulf author creates a hero following the traditional elements of a Germanic hero which are: weapons, treasure, and society. He defends the argument by taking each element point by point. This is critical because it proves the point that if one analyzes Beowulf with Campbell’s criteria, he comes out severely lacking the necessary character development to be a true hero. This source completely backs up the argument that Beowulf is doomed to be an anti-hero just like King Lear. A tragedy indeed for both the reader and the author of each work. Shakespeare, William.
“King Lear.” The Norton Anthology of English LIterature, edited by
Stephen Greenblatt, W. W. Norton, 2012, pp 1251-1339, vol. b.
King Lear is a tragedy written by Shakespeare. The tragedy is about a king who is vain and temperamental which leads to the destruction of his kingdom and the lives of his daughters. King Lear is so consumed that he ends up paying the ultimate price for his actions when his daughters perish. This scene pushes King Lear into acceptance that he has caused all of the destruction within his homeland.
Moreover, it is important to note that King Lear has this moment of realization. The moment he realizes his greatest mistakes that were born from his vanity and greed parallel Beowulf’s weaknesses. The two characters King Lear and Beowulf were excellent kings. However , both Lear and Beowulf battle with the emotions that take over and consume their rational and logical decision making abilities.
Tamblyn, William Ferguson. “Tragedy in ‘King Lear.’” The Sewanee Review, vol. 30, no. 1,
1922, pp. 63–77. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/27533502. Tamblyn argues that Shakespeare’s tragedies are shaped by the morality of his time, fate, and foolishness. Tamblyn thoroughly covers how King Lear tragically destroys any chance of heroic actions through the tiniest of faults. What makes a hero is an element of growth and perseverance. As Tamblyn analyzes Shakespeare’s tragedies, he points out that growth doesn’t always occur through pleasant circumstances. Fate, tragedy, and minor character flaws shape King Lear’s actions, but do not necessarily contribute to his growth. Unknown. “Beowulf.” The Norton Anthology of English LIterature, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, W. W. Norton, 2012, pp. 36-108, vol. b. Beowulf is an epic poem written in Old English. An adventurer goes out to britain to help a kingdom that has a problem with an evil creature. He kills the creature and the creature’s mother. Fifty years go by and there becomes a problem of a dragon. He goes with some men to kill the dragon and he ends up getting injured. The dragon injured Beowulf with a poison that ends up killing him. Before he dies he ask one of his servants to show him the treasure that he dies. Similarly to King Lear, Beowulf is a king that is prone to lessons created by minor flaws. . Beowulf, in particular, shows an incredible sense of leadership during his fifty years of peace. It is important to note this period of Beowulf's reign because it is a deep contrast to that of King Lear. Nowhere does Shakespeare expound upon the virtues of Lear’s leadership, but one gets the sense that the kingdom was prospering before Lear decided to tempt fate with his expectation of flattery.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
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.
The Epic poem of Beowulf is a story of heroism, loyalty, ego, and fate. To be a great leader of men; a great king of the people, you must be respected and trusted. Loyalty is given to those who earn the respect and trust of their people. Beowulf was blessed with great physical strength, the pride and fearlessness of a warrior, and an equally strong command of the spoken word, which he used skillfully to his advantage. He gained the respect and trust of nearly everyone he came in contact with, largely because he possessed the characteristics of a true hero, but in the end it was his ego that sealed his fate. Although it could be said that Beowulf’s character was flawed by an enormous ego, fueled by thoughts of immortality, it is this very trait that made him an ideal hero and king.
Crossley-Holland, Kevin, trans. Beowulf The Fight at Finnsburh, edited by Heather O’Donoghue. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2006. 34-100.
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.
The contrast between good and evil is evident in Beowulf and effectively characterizes the many diverse people and creatures featured in the poem. From the highest hero in Beowulf to the most vile villain in Grendel, the tendencies of the characters, as well as their environments and the motives behind their actions, illustrate the deep differences that run between the virtuous and the wicked in the epic poem
The brawl experienced by the epics central character Beowulf test his ethics his aptitude to prevail over sinister forces. All the way through its authoritative use of metaphors and illustration, Beowulf sketches a transparent difference between good and evil. Moreover good always prevails over evil. The ...
Wright, David. “The Digressions in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.
Abrams, M.H., ed. Beowulf: The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001.
King Lear as a Tragedy Caused by Arrogance, Rash Decisions and Poor Judgement of Character
Rogers, H.L. “Beowulf’s Three Great Fights.” Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation Backgrounds and Sources Criticism. Tuso, Joseph F. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1975. Print.
Camargo, Martin. “The Finn Episode and Revenge in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.
King Lear is a play about a tragic hero, by the name of King Lear, whose flaws get the best of him. A tragic hero must possess three qualities. The first is they must have power, in other words, a leader. King Lear has the highest rank of any leader. He is a king. The next quality is they must have a tragic flaw, and King Lear has several of those. Finally, they must experience a downfall. Lear's realization of his mistakes is more than a downfall. It is a tragedy. Lear is a tragic hero because he has those three qualities. His flaws are his arrogance, his ignorance, and his misjudgments, each contributing to the other.