Throughout the Epic poem of Beowulf, our hero fights three monsters, each in different contexts. The third and final monster, the dragon, symbolizes the consequences of greed in the Epic, and Beowulf’s sacrifice during the battle ultimately represents the meaning of a good king. An unknown thief has stolen treasure from the dragon, and in return the monster lets his anger out by terrorizing the Geats. Beowulf goes to fight the dragon, not for the riches, but to defend his people. Although Beowulf is able to slay the dragon, he also loses his own life in the process and sacrifices himself as leader of the kingdom. In lines 2752 to 2784, the poet describes the treasures that surround the dragon that Beowulf has just defeated. The language used is incredibly descriptive, “red gold, jewels, glittering treasure lying on the ground, wondrous wall-hangings; …show more content…
Descriptors such as “glittery” and “wondrous wall-hangings” form a vision in the reader’s mind of this luxurious treasure, and the beautiful, glowing sight it must have been. It is important to create a feeling of elegance and awe when describing these fortunes, due to their role in the Epic. Up to this point, we have seen warrior Beowulf become selfless and acting solely for the good of the Geats. When defeating Grendel’s mother prior to this final battle, he does not take any of the treasure in her cove with him, only the glory that comes with his victory. By describing the dragon’s treasure so glamorously, we are forced to think about Beowulf’s discipline and sacrifice he has repeatedly expressed throughout his journey. Although the treasure seems to be glowing in this glorious sunrise, we know Beowulf would have no desire for these material goods, and preferred the glory of victory and peace obtained from the defeat of a threat towards his
After fighting and winning many battles, Beowulf's life enters a new stage when he finally becomes king of his homeland, Geatland. Even in his old age, his code of honor still obligates him to fight against an evil, fiery dragon. For fifty years he has governed his kingdom well. While Beowulf is governing, the dragon "...kept watch over a hoard, a steep stone-barrow" (Norton 55). Under it lays a path concealed from the sight of men. Over centuries no one had disturbed the dragon’s kingdom until one day when a thief broke into the treasure, laid hand on a cup fretted with gold, which infuriated the dragon. "The fiery dragon had destroyed the people's stronghold, the land along the sea, the heart of the country" (Norton 57).
Beowulf is a poem about strength and courage. This is illustrated in the eighth section of the story called “Beowulf and the Dragon.” A slave, a hero and a dragon play a big role in this section. The characters are well developed, as is the setup for the conclusion of the poem.
To qualify as an epic poem, Beowulf reflects the values of the culture in which it was created. The Anglo-Saxon culture and the poem share many of the same values. They shared a heroic ideal that included loyalty, strength, courage, courtesy, and generosity. Like all epic poems Beowulf is a long narrative work that tells the adventures of a great hero and also reflects the values of the society in which it was written. Both Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons believed in those qualities as an individual.
Beowulf, a mortal human, is described with “God-sent strength” (2184) and as being one of the strongest men alive. While the dragon is a monster and a representation of greed and wrath, he still manages to kill Beowulf. As Beowulf is dying, Wiglaf tries to keep him alive through splashing water on him, yet it is to no avail: “Much as he wanted to, there was no way / He could preserve his lord’s life on earth / Or alter in the least the Almighty’s will. / What God judged right would rule what happened / To every man, as it does to this day” (2855-2859). It was Beowulf’s fate to die fighting the dragon. Although some might minimize Beowulf’s achievements due to the fact that they were decided by God, there was no divine intervention or help from God, making Beowulf’s accomplishments completely of his own free will. The dragon too met its fate by dying at the hands of Beowulf. When Beowulf’s men come back to see Beowulf’s body, they see the dead dragon lying next to him: The serpent on the ground, gruesome and vile, / Lying facing him. The fire-dragon / Was scare some burnt, scorched all colors. / From head to tail, his entire length / Was fifty feet. He had shimmered forth / On the night air once, then winged back / Down to his den; but death owned him now, / He would never enter his earth-gallery again ” (3039-3027). The poet emphasizes the beauty of the dragon throughout the passage, describing how
"p" sound is line 160, "From my prince, no permission from my people for your
This final battle proves to be the most difficult for Beowulf; he is pushed to the brink, but, “inspired again by the thought of glory”, he musters just enough strength to strike down the dragon (Heaney 19). This language proposes that Beowulf’s chief motive for fighting the dragon is “the thought of glory”. Additionally, this depicts Beowulf as selfish, as he seemingly neglects his people. Niles opposes this viewpoint, stating that “nothing suggests that the king enters [the fight] as a way of winning personal glory”(Niles 94). Rather than for solely personal gain, Niles correctly asserts that Beowulf is focused on saving his people, as that is his first duty as an Anglo Saxon king. However, Beowulf accomplishes this very goal by carrying out his desire to uphold his heroic image. It was Beowulf’s own “thought of glory” that spurred his rally to kill off the dragon; in effect, Beowulf’s desire to preserve his image saved his people. Even though the narrator uses the story of the dragon to emphasize Beowulf’s greediness and lust for glory, it is the outcome of the fight reveals the true reason for Beowulf’s bravery. By striving to retain his honorous reputation, Beowulf simultaneously protects his people, effectively fulfilling his role as king as both a servant and an esteemed
Throughout the poem, Beowulf fights against monsters time after time for the treasures and gold rewarded after a victory. The king of the Danes, Hrothgar, recruits the most prestige fighter around, Beowulf, to save his people from Grendel, a monster that had been disturbing the peace for years. Beowulf agrees to fight Grendel, but his reasoning for fighting Grendel was not for the people, but for grasping the treasures rewarded. After defeating Grendel, as promised, the “Halfdane’s son presented Beowulf with a gold standard as a victory gift, an embroidered banner; also breast-mail and
Beowulf’s life was truly epic struggle. The monsters he battled made it so. Grendel and the dragon, capable of crushing men physically, stood for evils that could just as easily crush men in spirit. These two beasts represented society’s greatest fears, as well as detriments, and Beowulf fearlessly took them on. Grendel taught the hero a valuable lesson about maintaining one’s humanity in a world dominated by the dogs of war. The dragon, showed Beowulf’s mortality, his imperfection, but the hero eradicates it nonetheless, saving his people from not only physical threat, but sin. Bringing in such spiritual and moral dimensions, these two beasts certainly give the story of Beowulf depth.
Someone from the Land of the Geats has stolen fro the dragon while it slept. Now, the dragon is out for revenge. Beowulf knows that he must fight the dragon although he is old and not as strong as he once was. As Beowulf is tragically injured as of his soldiers run except for Wiglaf. Together Wiglaf and Beowulf destroy the dragon. As Beowulf dies he gives the kingdom to Wiglaf and tells him to build a lighthouse in his memory. The treasure that Beowulf gets from the dragon can either be physical or emotional. It conveys on page 64 line 867, “Crying that no better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise.” The physical treasure is the treasure and riches of the dragon, while the emotional treasure is helping his people.
Every different type of persons have different opinions is what a monster really is. In my opinion a monster would be someone that doesn’t stop hurting someone until they get what they want. It all depends what the situation would be though. For an example this past few weeks we’ve been reading two different monster packets, one was Grendel and the other one was Beowulf. Now its asking us, who is the real monster? Beowulf would be consider a monster in many different ways. First of all Beowulf is a powerful warrior of the Geats, he is known for his bravery. Was a symbol for the heroic qualities most admired in early england. Between Grendel and Beowulf, Beowulf would be the monster in many different reasons. He is known by being a hero, is he really one though? That’s the question.. Beowulf is the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. For 12 years, a huge man-like ogre named Grendel, a descendant of the biblical murderer Cain, has menaced the aging Hrothgar.
In the poem, the character Beowulf is viewed as a true epic hero. He is very brave, has great strength, and is viewed by his peers as a person like God. He has won many battles, and completed many tasks that normal people wouldn’t have the guts to face. One of these tasks is the slaughter of the great monster Grendel. “That I, alone and with the help of my men,/ May purge all evil from this hall. I have heard,/ Too, that the monster’s scorn of men/Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none./ Nor will I. My lord Higlac”. In this statement from Beowulf, he is stating his fearlessness to his lord. This shows he is very brave and loyal, because he will risk his life to rid the beast. He also goes on to tell his people that if he doesn’t survive they can have his possessions. “And if death does take me, send the hammered/ Mail of my armor to Higlac, . . .” This shows his generosity and his unselfishness to his people and the reader because he knows that he is not invulnerable. Because he knows this, he is willing to give up his possessions to the people he cares about, and become a better, dignified hero in case of an emergency.
Throughout the epic Beowulf attempts to introduce himself as someone worthy of glory by boasting of his skills and deeds. These boasts show Beowulf’s glory seeking tendencies. One of these boasts
A hero is someone who is admired for their courage and bravery, as well as their noble accomplishments. They are respected by almost everyone, due to their kindness and charitable mindset, that drives them to fight for the good of others. Beowulf is the perfect representation of a hero, based on multiple characteristics that he displays throughout the novel. Along with his characteristics, Beowulf also takes on many “hero like” challenges and tasks. In the novel, Beowulf is praised and admired throughout the kingdom for his bravery, humility, and selflessness.
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.
Beowulf is a poem based on heroism. It tells such a great story that it was able to live on for over five hundred years before it was ever written down. Till this day the author is still unknown. It comes from the Old English or the Anglo-Saxon literary and historical period of time. Beowulf holds many characteristics that classify him as an epic hero; inhuman strength, loyalty, and courage