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Beowulf and modern society
How does beowulf reflect the culture of that period
The Influence of Beowulf
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First and foremost, Beowulf is an influential representation of his society’s aspect of virtue and morality, as it pertains to humanity’s possibility of achieving greatness. Beowulf is characterized by supernatural attributes of power, wisdom, strength, and intelligence that entirely represent an ultimate hero of the Geats. In the following quote, the readers can conclude that Beowulf is a hero who understands justice, fairness, and faith, which critically idealizes him as humanity’s morality. Beowulf states, “He has no idea of the arts of war,/ of shield or sword-play, although he does possess/… for either this night: unarmed he shall face me/ if face me he dares. And may the Divine Lord/ in His wisdom grant the glory of victory/ to whichever side He sees fit” (“Beowulf” 681-687). …show more content…
Grendel is originated from an unworldly world, which does not adhere to the civilized world while Beowulf acquires the respect of his people through his humane traits. Beowulf is dissimilar from any ordinary heroes for his understanding of fairness in a battle when he states, “No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares.” The overall quotation essentially expresses how Beowulf is endowed with righteous attributes to become a moral hero, who adheres to significant heroic codes. Beowulf not just represents an idealistic hero, but he also signifies justice and morality that transpire within his respective society. As the previous quote represents Beowulf as an idealistic hero who denotes humanity’s virtue and morality with justice and fairness, the following quote will allow the readers to perceive how Beowulf notably abides his heroic codes while depending on fate to determine his
The first battle in the poem occurs between Beowulf and Grendel because these characters best embody the Anglo-Saxon value of courage. Beowulf is the perfect representation of this value because he is reckless and says, “No weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me” (Heaney 683-84). Thus when Beowulf proclaims that he is not using weapons he displays both honor and courage since it takes guts to go against a monster without an advantage. This quality was respected in his culture and the Anglo-Saxons made sure to make their epic hero a perfect fit for this trait. Grendel however, is the complete opposite
In Beowulf, the essence left behind by a true hero is extremely important. In epics such as this one, leaders tend to have the determination and boldness of a hero. On the other hand, the main character, Beowulf, does not only display these certain traits. In this heroic poem, respect and trust come naturally. Honor and integrity are present throughout the poem. There are many moments in Beowulf that manifest the many traits that a person should have. This proves how important these attributes are to the characters and the Anglo-Saxon society. Although Beowulf has no known author, it embodies many of the beliefs and morals of the early Germanic society. The author of this epic poem uses many approaches in order to demonstrate that respect and trust are fundamental characteristics of a leader and hero.
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...
Many people have read the tale of “Beowulf” and consider him a hero to the town of Herot. For 13 years Herot was cursed with a demon named Grendel which hunted down innocent citizens. Grendel was only mad because of the large parties held at the Hall. Just as Herot seemed helpless a “hero” named Beowulf showed up. Beowulf isn’t a hero because he used the issue to promote himself, not bring order to Herot.
"p" sound is line 160, "From my prince, no permission from my people for your
In conclusion, although Beowulf possessed many heroic qualities he would not be considered a hero in today’s world. A hero varies from culture to culture. The Anglo-Saxon appreciated different things in a person that what do not we appreciate today. Many things have changed a lot with time, the requisites for being considered a hero have also changed. Today we do not like to solve problems with war. Pride and honor are not as important as the willingness one has to help others. Beowulf is not feeling that contact with people he doesn’t identify with them because he believes himself better, a part of a hero´s cycle is to be identified with the community. To be part
The setting for Beowulf is Scandinavia, before the time Christianity had spread its course. Beowulf, the title character is the hero in this tale. He possesses many of the typical heroic traits such as strength, courage, loyalty and the ability to conquer evil. A “superhero,” by today’s standards, Beowulf proves these characteristics in the confrontations he has during this legend. His strength is said to be that of thirty men. Beowulf is confident about his strength, not hesitating to boast of his accomplishments. Even to Hrothgar, the king, he tells of his great victory in a swimming match. Beowulf encounters monsters many times his size. The great courage that he possesses allows him to fight them with an enormous amount of confidence. Grendel and Grendel’s mother are slain by Beowulf. The dragon, although is dies, also mortally wounds the always confident Beowulf. Regardless of who Beowulf battles, his courage is a major force in his numerous victories. The last of Beowulf’s qualities, and possibly the most important is his loyalty. Beowulf’s loyalty is always on the side of good. He aligns himself with this side, which happens to be Hrothgar, and the people in which Beo...
“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.
An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It usually is about
At the beginning of the novel, Beowulf represents a savage warrior, displaying mostly his strength and bravery by defeating Grendel and his mother. However, as Beowulf ages, he begins to change into a different kind of hero. After becoming King of the Geats, Beowulf matured and took on more of a leadership role in the community, as opposed to a warrior. Even though Beowulf was still a hero, he began to lead an army of geats and acted for the good of the people. In both cases however, Beowulf was respected by others for his admirable
Beowulf displayed great courage and honor throughout his journeys and battles; he was an epic hero. An epic hero is a person who is viewed as larger than life and possesses values of a certain society. From the time of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel to his brawl against the dragon, he has showed everyone what being an honorable hero looks like. His heroism is revealed through both youth as a young warrior and wisdom as a reliable king. He never backed down and didn’t give up when situations were tough. Beowulf had obligations to fulfill and went about every aspect of his life with courage and strength. He cared for his people and was willing to take on anyone that threatened them or his kingdom. He sincerely was the hero of his time.
One of the main modern ideas today is that not everything people do is going to be perfect. In today's society people accept mistakes, they learn and strive off of them. People don’t judge each other off of one mistake. Making a few mistakes doesn't mean they are a bad person. In the movie, Beowulf is not completely noble, but that doesn't make him a terrible person. He is a great king but he has trouble being faithful. As in the poem, he is completely noble, honorable, and faithful. They make him this way in the poem because in
By definition, a tragic hero is a protagonist that due to some tragic flaw loses everything he has. Throughout history, literature has always been filled with main characters possessing some tragic flaw. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his enormous ambition to become king. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his need for revenge for the death of his father at the hands of his uncle. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s tragic flaw is his need to be remembered. In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Beowulf also has a tragic flaw, excessive pride and the search for fame, which ultimately leads to his demise.
Beowulf is a very brave hero, he has fought and killed many creatures before, but this battle was different. He knew this battle was of great importance to everyone, and that made him that much more nervous. This creature was fierce and had been tormenting their village for as long as they could remember, so her death would be a huge victory for Beowulf and it would be an even bigger relief for the villagers. All of the people in the village were cheering for Beowulf as he walked away headed off to the greatest battle of his life.
An epic hero is someone who has to preform heroic deeds. The King of Geatland at the beginning of the poem was Hrothgar, Beowulf is just a Geatish Warrior, once Beowulf finds out about Grendel attacking he steps in to help the tribe. Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon in this poem. The battles Beowulf fought were beyond human strength and capabilities. Beowulf’s first battle was with Grendel, whose arm was ripped off with a pair of bare hands, becoming his first heroic achievement. Beowulf’s next heroic achievement was when he entered “The Monsters’ Lair” (51) and killed Grendel’s mother, who was killed by a larger than life sword. Beowulf’s last and final heroic achievement was battling and killing a dragon who he later found out was Grendel’s brother, Beowulf then later dies from the poison in his blood from the dragon’s teeth.