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implications. In a metaphorical sense, it is as if Beowulf exploited Grendel’s mother’s “private spot” and she was unsuccessful in thrusting her body against his. At this stage, Beowulf is learning to be more conventional in his efforts for long term betterment versus short term thrill. In the last and final phase of the sequence, according to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, the Superego is the component of personality composed of our internalized ideals that we have acquired from our parents and from society. The Superego works to suppress the urges of the id, and tries to make the ego behave morally, rather than realistically (Friedman). The fight with the dragon is the ultimate test of Beowulf’s maturity. Beowulf grew …show more content…
This last encounter was destined to define his lasting legacy. He lived as a warrior; it was only natural that he should die as one as well, he hopes to go down in a fiery blaze of glory, pun intended. At this point in time, Beowulf is a seventy-year-old king, he knows he is mortal and isn’t going to live forever. Nevertheless, even as an old man, it was his duty to protect and defend his subjects until the death. Towards the end Beowulf’s death looms closer and it seems like he foreshadows that he is prepared to meet his maker. “When I meet the cave guard: what occurs on the wall, between the two of us will turn out as fate, overseer of men, decides. I am resolved. I scorn further words against this sky-borne foe” (Heaney 2525-2528). Beowulf’s maturity has blossomed to its utmost peak, ironically right before he is laid to rest in the valley of death that is Beowulf’s Barrow. His endeavors throughout this long journey have brought him wisdom and enlightenment. Since the beginning, he has rapidly progressed over time, especially since evolving from his role as a warrior to a king. Initially, Beowulf was insatiable with pleasure seeking activities, but then he
He explains that Beowulf’s greatest weakness is that he is a man and men are not immortal. The author, according to Tolkien, is “concerned primarily with man on earth… each man and all men, and all their works shall die” (Tolkien). Therefore, all humans must be prepared to meet their end and accept their. I other words, individuals must learn how to die is the lesson that emerges from Beowulf. The reader learns that “defeat is the theme. Triumph over the foes of man’s precarious fortress is over, and we approach slowly and reluctantly the inevitable victory of death” (Tolkien). Even though Beowulf defeats the monsters he encounters and is victorious, he still has to die and nothing can change the fact because it is inevitable. There is nothing any man can do to change that
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.
Beowulf has been living at his home land taking on challenges that others may not have wanted to take on. He has always been a man of action, always looking for adventure that challenges his strength. When Beowulf was told of the rumors that a demon is tormenting Hrothgar famous mead serving hall he accepted the wise men decisions to help him rid them of the demon. This is where step two of the hero’s journey comes into play. There is a call to adventure that affects the hero in some way. Beowulf may have formed a personal connection to the cries of Hrothgar reason being his father was once had history with Hrothgar . When Hrothgar helped Beowulf 's father settle things with the Wulfings Beowulf may have felt a need to repay his father’s debt. When Beowulf and his men finished the feast the king provided in the mead hall that was closed due to Grendel’s blood lust. ¨Epic heroes possess qualities that mere mortals lack. Bravery beyond compare, superhuman intelligence, strength or skills and a driving desire to find success¨(Connie Jankowski). In this part of the story Beowulf and his men have proven that they do contain the courage
“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.
In the dark ages people were always looking for a deeper meaning in everything and rightly so, seeing as the authors of that time often wrote in allegories. Lacking technology and education, information was best spread through stories that could be easily recited. Different groups would use different influences, full of deep symbolism, to better illustrate their message. The monks flooded the pagan epic Beowulf with christian influence and reserved the last books as an allegory of Christ’s crucifixion. In this epic, the monks used uncanny and deliberate parallels with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ such as Beowulf’s twelve warriors abandoning him, his sacrificial death, being martyred for the will of God, and being a humble king whose followers offer them praise and glory.
Beowulf’s death at the end of the poem represents the idea that all men and all their works shall die. A great hero, the icon of northern warrior, is dead, but his legend lives on.
“Man may his fate foresee, but not prevent ...'Tis better to be fortunate than wise” (John Webster). The awareness of death is constant throughout the poem of “Beowulf”. Beowulf believed that life is filled with uncertainty and that everyone must die. He took on great deeds so that his name would live on as a great warrior after his fate had caught him. Throughout the poem Beowulf strived to uphold his reputation. He believed that if he died in battle, fate had chosen him to die for his people. Beowulf faced each of his battles knowing that he may not return. He continued to fight even when there was no hope that he would win the battle. Beowulf was conscience of death when he accepted these impossible quests. He knew when he took on a battle
Beowulf is everything an epic hero should be, he is brave and noble and admired for his great achievements in battle. His strength and his ability to hold his breath under water for an extensive amount time are abnormal.“My hands/Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life/Against the monster”(page 45 line 267-268). At this point he is saying that he will go fight Grendel with his own hands. This is a great example of how he knows that he has inhuman strength. Death seems to not frighten Beowulf at all because he believes that it is just fate. He talks about how it is his destiny to meet these monsters and battle with them even if it kills him.
Beowulf was a Geatish warrior. He went to the Danes in order to fight the dragon, Grendal. Beowulf's goal was to prove his strength and courage by defeating this horrible demon that had been terrorizing the Danes for a while. The King of the Danes holds a great fest in Beowulf's honour, during which Beowulf boasts of past accomplishments. Grendal comes during the feast to once again, terrorize the Danes. Beowulf fights the Demon with no weapons and proves his strength to be greater than Grendal's. As Grendal tries to escape, Beowulf rips his arm off. Grendal goes back to swamp where he dies. Beowulf fought the dragon with no weapon in order to prove his great strength even without a weapon. The Danes greatly rejoiced in Beowulf's great show of power and ability by killing Grendal. Grendal's mother however, determined to extract revenge for Grendal's death. She killed one of the Danes, Aeschere, the King's most trusted adviser, and then went back to her swamp. When the Danes mourn the death Beowulf says to the King, "Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark." By saying this Beowulf shows that his reason for everything he does is to win glory before his death. He also firmly believes that revenge is better than mourning. To avenge Aeschere's death the Danes went to the swamp. Beowulf dove into the swamp to fight Grendal's mother. Fighting underwater, Beowulf defeated her and then cut the head off the corpse of Grendal, which was at the bottom of the swamp, as a prize. Beowulf departs from the Danes and went on...
He wakes up and sees all his man hanging from the ceiling, on the flood, all over the place dead, full of blood. Beowulf is not sure of what is happening, until he is told that it could only be Grendel’s Mother. Once again Beowulf wants to fight her, confront her and put an end to all of it. Grendel’s Mother symbolizes revenge, love, weakness, difference. As stated in Jane Chance’s essay “But unlike most mothers and queens, she fights her own battles” (Page 154). Grendels Mother shows us that after all Beowulf is weak. When it comes to fighting Grendel’s Mother, Beowulf wants to wear his
Beowulf has a strong belief in fate. If he dies in battle he believes it’s because it is his destiny to do so. "Fate will unwind as it must!" He realizes the dangers but fears nothing for his own life. This is what makes Beowulf a true hero. Even after serving his people as King of the Geats for fifty years, he goes to battle in hopes, or fate, to destroy a dragon who is terrifying all of his people. At this point however, Beowu...
In Beowulf’s younger years, he personified all of the best values of the heroic culture when saving another kingdom from their demons. Beowulf’s willingness to sacrifice his life in order to save strangers his father owed a debt to is quite selfless. His bravery comes into play when he remains unchanged in his resolve even after hearing of all the King’s men and subjects slain by the beast.
Beowulf after a while realizes how old he has gotten, and figures that he will die soon, so when a dragon starts terrorizing his land he decides to fight one last battle. Similar to the other battles, preparation for this fight lacked, but, they decided to go in and give it their best shot, and if they did not succeed Beowulf figured his death imminent, so the impact would not cause a huge impact. Beowulf did not expect to defeat such a horrendous creature, especially in his old age, but him and his companion Wiglaf succeed. Before they have a chance to celebrate they realize Beowulf has been bitten in the neck by the dragon, and poison has begun to seep into his veins, ultimately killing
...ust be special, be a staple of an important era of culture. Beowulf is a true testament, of art that has stood the test of time, and lots of it. To add to the intriguing piece of literature by itself it’s almost sad to know that the credit for the phenomenal epic poem cannot be given to any one author, especially since the story has had many involvements with western culture from movies to playwrights. Through the thorough examination by both scholars and critics alike, the portrayals of good vs. evil, masculinity, and mortality have caused many areas of further research into the mind of Beowulf in this 6th century Scandinavian culture. Furthermore we learn the true characteristics and actions a man must do to die with honor from those around him. Maybe not so much the brutal massacres and demons and monsters, but the loyalty and the wisdom is a good place to start.
Themes within literature represent the underlying message(s) that are being conveyed throughout the story, themes are not only a connection to the author but also brings about a bridge that links the piece of writing to the real world. Often time themes are universal, reflected from the characters to the reader, in Beowulf this is no exception. Multiple themes are touched upon and explored in depth throughout this epic, all of which are major devices that support the story’s development.