The various adaptations of the Beowulf legend provide a form of courageousness. The following are sources concerning the Beowulf myth: Grendel, a novel by John Gardner, and Beowulf and Grendel, a film directed by Sturla Gunnarson. These pieces contain acts of genuine bravery, but they also depict instances where lack of courage is shown. The prevalence of bravery juxtaposed with cowardice within the novel and the film suggests that acts of heroism are situational and dependent upon one’s exhibited characteristics at any given occasion.
Both the novel and the film represent at least one character as having traits compatible to heroism. In the novel, Queen Wealtheow possesses bravery in a situation where she had very little to be optimistic about. She was the sister of Hygmod, young king of nearby Helmings. When the powerful Hrothgar became a probable threat, the young king resorted to giving Wealtheow to the Scydlings as a peace offering. Upon witnessing the donation of Wealtheow to Hrothgar, Grendel observed, “She looked up at Hrothgar’s beard, not his eyes, afraid of him. ‘My lord,’ she said” (101). Wealtheow was obviously frightened to leave her family by means of an unfamiliar king. She knew that she would very rarely ever get to see her family again, but she also knew that her cooperation would result in the safety of her tribe. Also, she would have been intimidated due to the infamous presence of Grendel near Hrothgar’s meadhall. It can be presumed that she knew about Grendel because news of his existence and mayhem had even traveled across sea to Geetland. With all of these fears combined, it would have been understandable if Wealtheow would have adamantly refused to be a peace offering. However, she ac...
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...dience with a better understanding of how a legitimate hero should act. I still think that the story would still be prominent in today’s Anglo-Saxon culture. The heroic qualities represented can be very inspiring and the poor qualities serve as a learning point. The Anglo-Saxon people would most likely still appreciate the values that the story seems to involve. Some of these concepts promoted are to be hopeful, investigative, and brave. They would also probably look to learn from the negative values such as cowardice, irrationality, and boastfulness. Ultimately, the story of Beowulf seems to be one focused on how individuals act in various situations.
Works Cited
Beowulf and Grendel, Dir. Sturla Gunnarson. Perf. Gerard Butler and Sarah Polly. Anchor Bay Entertainment Inc., 2005. DVD.
Gardener, John. Grendel, New York: Vintage, 1989. Print.
For ages, humanity has always told stories of the classic struggle between man and monster. The battle between Beowulf and Grendel is a prime example of this archetype, but is Grendel only purely a monster? In his article “Gardner’s Grendel and Beowulf: Humanizing the Monster”, Jay Ruud makes a point that Grendel is a hybridization of both monster and man, particularly in John Gardner’s novel Grendel. In the poem Beowulf, Grendel is depicted as a purely evil monster who terrorizes Hrothgar and his people, but the novel provides a more humanistic backstory to the fiend. Throughout the novel, Grendel tells of his internal struggle between his thoughts of filling the role of the monster versus attempting to make amends with the humans. This conflict
Bravery is like a very trusted friend, it will never let you down. That statement holds true in the great epic of "Beowulf." "Beowulf" is the story of a great hero who comes to the aid of a troubled king. Beowulf hears that king Hrothgar is having trouble and immediately comes to help with no questions asked. he defeats the monster, Grendel, with his bare hands. Beowulf then defeats Grendel's mother along with a dragon until he is fatally injured. Bravery is a very admirable characteristic that few people possess.
direction is like trying to hit a cloud with a bow and arrow. A hero is also
The epic Beowulf is one of the oldest poems written in English. According to the Norton Anthology, "the poem was composed more the twelve hundred years ago, in the first half of the eight century. Its author may have been a native of what was Mercia, the Midlands of England today, although the late tenth-century manuscript , which alone preserves the poem, originated in the south in the kingdom of the West Saxons" (Norton 21). Although the poem is of English origin, it speaks of tribes (the Danes and the Geats) that are from the "Danish island of Zealand and southern Sweden respectively" (Norton 22). The main character, Beowulf, demonstrates that he is a warrior who places heroism and bravery over his own well-being and life. Beowulf is a hero and an example of a great warrior. His actions give us a good example of the pagan warrior mentality. The pagan society is a warrior society, in which courage and bravery are extremely prevalent. Beowulf fights against monsters and dragons, and he would rather die in battle, then anywhere else. Beowulf is called upon to help defeat Grendel, who is a monster that has taken over the hall of Heorot. He is greeted with great hospitality. Hrothgar, the King of Denmark, is relived to see Beowulf. There is some skepticism by Unferth, who recalls a fight in which Beowulf lost in Battle. Unferth is wrong, and Beowulf says this great line: "fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good." Beowulf defeats Grendel with great ease and the people of the hall are gracious to Beowulf.
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...
Beowulf is a hero that shows honor respect and courage. In lines 710-1007 is where the battle with Grendel happened. Thinking of the destruction that he will get, Grendel bursts into Heorot. Grendel tears the door from its hinges with his hands and quickly becomes a Geatish warrior while Beowulf carefully looks around. When Grendel reaches out to pick Beowulf up, he is surprised to find his arm gripped with a strength than he never knew could even happen. Confused and frightened Grendel doesn’t want to run back to the safety of the swamplands. He tries to escape, but Beowulf wrestles him down to the ground. The crash around the hall, making noise on the walls and smashing the mead-benches. Grendel begins to panic in pain and fear; the sound
A building is ablaze and a crowd of people stare helplessly from the streets, listening to screams coming from within. A single person runs in to rescues whomever he or she can find. Whether or not that person emerges with a child in their arms, empty handed, or not at all, does nothing to alter our society’s perception of their heroism. Today’s society would classify such an action as heroic, regardless of outcome, for one reason: intentions. During Anglo-Saxton times the interpretation of such an act, based on the tale Beowulf, would not be so understanding of what was intended, but rather of the outcome. If one perished and failed in an attempt of such a heroic act words like weakness might arise. It is here that the clash of what a hero is occurs between the Anglo-Saxton tale Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel. Beowulf in Beowulf is a hero for he defeats evil and restores order to and for the common people. Unferth in Grendel however is unsuccessful in his campaign against evil, but like the man who emerges empty handed he is by no means any less of a hero. For heroism, as demonstrated in the Anglo-Saxton tale Beowulf, is altered in Gardner’s Grendel to convey the idea that intentions define a hero as opposed to actions.
For a hero Beowulf lacks a lot of morals and compassion. This is shown here
Reading through Beowulf I began to compare it to the last great epic I read, Homer’s Odyssey. While the Odyssey and Beowulf are each examples of both historic and modern ideas of heroism, the acts of Beowulf’s hero seem to fit better within its context.
Beowulf 's courage originates from his certainty that he can overcome creatures utilizing distinctive techniques. Hailey W. Odessa states Goodness, unwaveringness, civility, equity, and courage all portrays the attributes a perfect saint would have. At that point she says in the lyric Beowulf, there is one character that conveys all and a greater amount of these expressed attributes, and that character is without a doubt the hero known as Beowulf. We as a whole need to comprehend life is an exceptional voyage. Beowulf 's life changed when he got more seasoned. The main question is the thing that makes somebody a saint? Components of being a legend are appeared all through Anglo-Saxon fundamental qualities. A standout amongst the most prestigious
...in his willingness to lay down his life to fulfill the Green Knight’s request of King Arthur’s men. Beowulf is known among the people as a selfless hero in their times of need. Not only did Beowulf have immense physical strength, but he also had a burning desire for his people’s safety. It is for this selflessness and concern for others that Beowulf is the better hero.
Bravery is a trait that every young boy wishes to have. It is a desire that is embedded into each human being. It is only whether or not he or she acts on this desire to be brave that matter s. Aristotle writes, “{Bravery} courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” When Beowulf heard of the atrocities that Grendle was committing to the people of Herot, it was bravery that brought him there as their savor, and without fear he would
There are many traits that are possessed by those who seek heroism. Whether it is in real life or in fiction, every hero desires these character traits in the past, present, and future. IN my opinion, the two traits that are most prominent in the poem Beowulf are bravery and goodness.
Beowulf is a good example of a courageous and strong hero. He shows all of
Beowulf was always a respected man, everyone in every town loved him because of his achievements as a warrior and that made him get used to all this attention. Beowulf didn’t want to be remembered anymore, he wanted to be worshiped and seen as someone great and mighty. The sense of honor wasn’t important to him as it was before, glory and recognition was what he was now looking for. The stories of people about Beowulf became something so important to him that he lost the true meaning of being a hero that fights for his people.