The manuscript Beowulf was written by an unknown author shows many different characters. More specifically, the names of the characters Scyld or Scefing, Hrothgar, Grendal, Hygelac, Beowulf, and Grendal’s mother. All characters are important into fully understanding Beowulf. The backgrounds of each character boost the comprehension of the manuscript. Scyld of Scefing is the original king of Heorot and is most respected king of the mighty Daneland. Scyld of Scefing was formerly a foundling(orphan) and worked his way to the top. Scyld of Scefing has a grandson Hrothgar. When Hrothgar was king, he ordered a master mead hall be built. The mead hall was grand, gigantic, and sturdy. Hrothgar had a problem though, a mighty monster named Grendal was killing innocent families. Even his best warriors couldn’t defeat this muscular beast. Hrothgar was in constant sorrow because he couldn’t protect his kingdom. News of this fiend was spreading to nearby kingdoms like the Geat Kingdom. The …show more content…
king(Hygelac) sent fourteen warriors to the Danelands to help slay this villain. The Leader of this group was named Beowulf. Beowulf is the son of Egctheow, a man who sook refuge in Hrothgar’s kingdom and eventually payed blood gold, which makes Beowulf feel in debt to Hrothgar.
Beowulf is told to be, “as strong as thirty men”. He has slayed numerous water monsters. When faced with Grendal, he kicked Grendal’s behind. Grendal had never felt such fear for his life. After he beat up Grendal, he kept his arm as a trophy to display in the hall. Hrothgar was forever grateful to Beowulf; he gave Beowulf a sword, a coat of mail, horses, ensign, etc. Weatheow, Hrothgar’s wife, gave Beowulf Hygelac’s old collar of gold. Beowulf was then faced with the vengeful mother of Grendal. Of course he defeated this foe and in reward he took with him Grendal’s head and a giant’s sword. Beowulf is a strong fighter in the manuscript Beowulf. Knowing about Grendal and Grendal’s mom will help to better understand Beowulf. A long time ago there was a man Cain; Cain killed his brother out of jealously. As a result monster were
created.
Beowulf used his strength for respect and recognition. As he became older his great strength was beginning to become weak. The weakness of his strength and the lost battle against Grendel’s mother was overwhelming to Beowulf; however he realized that his time was over and he would be remembered as a great hero in all battles he won.
Of the many characteristics of a hero, being better than the ordinary man is the trait most easily found when studying a character. Beowulf exhibits almost god-like strength throughout his quest. For example, “He twisted in pain, / And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder/ Snapped, muscle and bone split and broke.” (Beowulf 815-818). His strength is once again demonstrated in his fight with Grendel’s mother. After he realizes hand-to-hand combat is futile, Beowulf swings a sword “so massive that no ordinary man could lift/ It’s carved and decorated length.” (Beowulf 1560-1561). Yet another example of Beowulf’s strength is his presentation of Grendel’s head to the Danes. After slicing off Grendel’s head in one blow, Beowulf orders his men to carry the head back to Herot. However, the head of the monster was “too heavy for fewer than four of them to handle” (Beowulf 1636-1637). After arriving in Herot, Beowulf “carried that terrible trophy by the hair,/ Brought it straight to where the Danes sat” (Beowulf 1647-1648). The second trait that demonstrates that Beowulf is better than the ordinary man is his incredible honor. When preparing for his fight with Grendel, Beowulf decides not to use ...
Beowulf is “the strongest of the Geats -- greater / and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world” (ll.110-111). Even though he is famous for his massive strength, Beowulf has other attributes that are noticeable other than his strength. These attributes, arrogance, bravery, and a strong love for his people are what make Beowulf become such a powerful, epic hero. Beowulf is arrogant. He constantly brags about his supreme strength. The “strongest man alive” lets people know that he is the most powerful person around by saying, “no strength is a match for mine” (l.267). Beowulf does not think that he could ever be destroyed by anything. He obviously never questiones how his fighting ability would be when he was around seventy. Since Beowulf is convinced that God is watching over him, his ego makes him act as if he is invincible, because of the idea that he has a guardian angel. But, as Beowulf gets older, wiser, and fights in more battles he should realize that there was a possibility that he can die. Beowulf also boasts about his many battles, and is proud of himself for winning all of them. One of these triumphs is the battle in the water when he meets up with nine sea monsters which he killeds, and fights with a monster that is digging its jaws into Beowulf’s flesh. Beowulf proclaims that “ I fought that beast’s last battle, / left it floating in the sea” (ll.290-291). This epic tale reads that while Beowulf is in battle with Grendel’s mother, all he cares was about the fame he would get for defeating her. Unferth thinks that Beowulf was arrogant, by saying, “ You’re Beowulf, are you the same / Boastful fool who fought a swimming / Match with Brecca” (ll.239-241). Yes, Beowulf is a boastful fool that loves the attention that his strength gives him. A strong man and an arrogant one, Beowulf is also brave. Even after all of the horror stories that he hears about Grendel, he still fights the cursed beast without any hesitation. When he battles with Grendel, he does it without the things that everyone else would use--weapons. This shows that Beowulf is not scared of anything in the world. He also must be brave to fight a sea monster after swimming in the ocean for days. He went straight into battle exhausted, from the strenuous journey across the ocean.
The capability of a hero to possess superior physical strength is the quality that sets him apart from the other warriors. In the beginning of Beowulf, Beowulf is described as the, “follower and the strongest of the Geats, greater and stronger that anyone anywhere in this world” (lines 110-111). This represents Beowulf’s strength by stating he is the strongest man in the world. In addition, Beowulf demonstrates physical strength when defeating Grendel. During the battle, “[Grendel] twisted in pain, and the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped, muscle and bone split and broke” (lines 390-392). This quote describes the part of the battle when Beowulf rips off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands. Obviously, Beowulf demonstrates super strength because he is able to mutilate Grendel without any weapons. Furthermore, the most prominent event in the poem that signifies Beowulf’s super strength is when he is able to use the large sword to kill Grendel’s mother. The sword was, “but so massive that no other ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length. He drew it from its scabbard, broke the chain on its hilt” (533-535). Due to the fact that Beowulf had the ability to break the sword off of its chain and pick it up with ease proves that he possesses super strength. Emphatically, Beowulf exemplifies undeniable super strength of an
The mighty warrior Beowulf volunteered to help fight off the monster, Grendel. Beowulf showed great bravery because even though Grendel over sized Beowulf, he still accepted the challenge. He also showed strength, Grendel’s head was so massive that four men each had to carry it, but Beowulf could handle the head all by himself. Lastly, Beowulf revealed loyalty by coming to Hrothgar’s assistance, to help with defeating Grendel. Even after Beowulf became King he went to his last battle to defeat the dragon without any help from his
Beowulf outlines turmoil between three opponents: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon. These separate discords each serve to fulfill different metaphoric purposes. Grendel’s character epitomizes the adverse persona of how an Anglo-Saxon warrior should not be. His mother represents everything that a woman during the time era should seldom be. Lastly, the Dragon embodies all the values that an Anglo-Saxon king should not dare retain. Without a doubt, the symbolic implications of the monsters in Beowulf bring the context to a new level of understanding.
He shows this by simply ripping Grendel’s arm off in fight between them. Also Beowulf shows him being strong by purposefully opening up the hall again to make the monster come so he can kill it. “He might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broad shield: my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster.” (265-269). He exemplified great courage when he defeated Grendel and his mother to save Hrothgar's kingdom. Also Beowulf really shows strength just by being able to fight everyone and protect the town all by himself. No one else wanted to help the townspeople or had the courage to do so, so Beowulf is really strong in all aspects, mind and body. This is exactly how Beowulf was really
Beowulf was a true hero, in the eyes of many, through said traits. He fought a number of battles and was triumphant in all, except his last battle. Beowulf possessed the skills and power necessary to kill Grendel, the monster who had been terrorizing the Danes for over a decade, with his bare hands. While fighting, Beowulf detached Grendel’s arm from his shoulder, which was later hung up as a trophy. Beowulf eventually put an end to Grendel’s life, and naturally, Grendel’s mother had pursued Beowulf. Although Grendel’s mother was an even deadlier monster than her son, Beowulf once again proved his abilities by slaying her, as well. He slashed her neck with a sword that carried unbearable weight. Afterwards, he carried her head with only his own arms, while it took the a...
Beowulf shows physical strength in the story by defeating Grendel. In line 219 of Grendel’s mother, it tells how Beowulf killed her. “…cut it through, broke bones and all.” His strength is also told in line 213 of how he “lifted the sword that was so massive that no ordinary man could lift.” Beowulf’s determination, or his will to win, was throughout the story, even up until his death. A quote that describes this is, “…he cut the beast in half, slit it apart. It fell…”(line 185). He shows courage along with his cousin, Wiglaf, when they defeat the fire dragon. In line 189 it says, “…their courage had killed it, two noble cousins had joined in the dragon’s death.”
Hrothgar and the Danes hold a celebration after they finished of their new mead hall, named Heorot. During the celebration Grendel, a monster in the swamps, hears the loud cheers of the Danes singing and chanting as the festivities take place. Grendel becomes furious from
Beowulf’s generosity leads him to the shores of Heorot after hearing the news of Grendel’s gruesome murders. Beowulf being the kind warrior that he is offers his help to king Hrothgar. Beowulf explains that “...news of Grendel, hard to ignore, reached me at home: sailors brought stories of the plight you suffer in this legendary hall, how it lies deserted, empty and useless once the evening light hides itself infer heaven’s dome. So every elder and experienced councilman among my people supported my resolve to come here to you King Hrothgar, because all knew of my awesome strength…” (pg. 29). Beowulf’s battle with Grendel not only symbolizing his strengths, courage, and bravery but also the youth of a warrior. Beowulf proved that he was young and strong enough to face Grendel with out any weapons. ...
After Beowulf defeated Grendel, it came to light that Grendel was not truly alone. Grendel’s mother was also kin to Cain, and after Cain killed Abel, she was “forced down into fearful waters, the cold depths” (Heaney 69). It was the night following Grendel’s death that she attacked Heorot in a fit of rage. “His mother sallied forth on a savage journey, grief-racked and ravenous, desperate for revenge” (Heaney 69). When she attacked, she killed Hrothgar’s right hand man, and stole the body in the same way her late son had done. “Her onslaught was less only by as much as an amazon warrior’s is less than an armed man’s…” (Heaney 70). Beowulf ended up killing her in a counter-act of revenge. Grendel’s mother was a character that participated in the story for no other reason than to take revenge for her son. She had no other purpose in Beowulf, and is one of the best examples of the
Besides being boastful, another characteristic of an epic hero that Beowulf displays is extraordinary strength. Thought the story, Beowulf proves that he is extremely strong and he even leaves this impression on the Danish people. When Beowulf meets Hrothgar for the first time, Hrothgar describes Beowulf’s hands as those “that moved with thirty men’s strength” (380). Beowulf is just one person, but has the strength of many men, which makes him perfect for fighting Grendel who is also exceptionally strong. In fact, when Grendel comes to attacks Herot, he “[s]natched up thirty men” (122). Beowulf has the same strength as a powerful monster. Later on in the poem, when Beowulf fights Grendel, Grendel realizes that his “strength was deserting him,
There are three prominent monsters in the Beowulf text, Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. While the dragon proves to be the most fatale of foes for Beowulf, Grendel and his mother do not simply pose physical threats to the Germanic society; their roles in Beowulf are manifold. They challenge the perceptions of heroism, a sense of unrivalled perfection and superiority. Moreover, they allow the reader to reconsider the gender constructs upheld within the text; one cannot help but feel that the threat that these monsters present is directed towards the prevalent flaws in Beowulf’s world. Moreover, what makes these monsters is not their physical appearance; it is what they embody. Both Grendel and his mother have humanlike qualities yet their monstrous appearance arises from what their features and mannerisms represent. The challenge they pose to societal paradigms makes them far more terrifying to our heroes than any scaled flesh or clawing hand. These monsters provide the ‘most authoritative general criticism […] of the structure and conduct of the poem’. Their presence provides contrast and criticism of the brave society (Heaney 103).
Beowulf’s first accomplishment as an epic hero was his battle with Grendel. Grendel was a huge beast, a descendent of Cain, who ruthlessly murdered innocent Danes because he felt pity for himself. Upon hearing of the Dane’s problem, Beowulf set off to help the Danish without having been called upon. Even though Beowulf had men backing him, He drew battle with Grendel alone and without armor or weapons. Yet, Beowulf emerged victorious with the arm of Grendel as his trophy. Beowulf then went on to kill Grendel’s vengeful mother and a huge fire-breathing dragon who thought it had been done wrong by the Geats. Alas, the killing of the dragon would be Beowulf’s last great battle for the dragon took Beowulf’s life in the struggle for his own.