In the poem Beowulf, which Seamus Heaney translates to modern English, the character Beowulf bravely conquers all enemies thrown at him, including sea monsters and other perilous creatures. This allows him to gain fame throughout Geatish and Danish lands. His righteous deeds cause the previous heir, Hygelac, to appoint Beowulf to king before he dies, and Beowulf bravely leads his country until he perishes protecting it. On the other hand, in The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell, the Danes capture a young English boy by the name of Uhtred, and integrate him into their war driven society. Uhtred learns various battle tactics by general Ubba, whose ruthlessness in battle grants him fame and riches. When Uhtred goes back to the English, …show more content…
he ends up fighting Ubba in battle. Driven by the need to maintain his honor, Ubba continues to attack Uhtred although he is at a disadvantage, and ends up dying. In both works, Beowulf and Ubba reveal that in Anglo-Saxon culture, although being courageous in battle has positive benefits, the need to constantly gain glory from battle ultimately leads to negative outcomes those in which they are protecting. Beowulf’s obligation to participate in battle to protect his nation and maintain his honor ultimately puts his country in peril.
Beowulf has been king for 50 years, propelling his country to success and gallantly defeating every obstacle thrown at him. When an evil dragon is awoken and starts attacking his kingdom, Beowulf goes to attack the dragon to maintain his honor and glory from his younger years, as well as to protect his kingdom. This causes Beowulf’s death, and due to this catastrophe, Wiglaf foreshadows the future by saying to his kinsmen, “So this bad blood between us and the Swedes, / this vicious feud, I am convinced, / is bound to revive; they will cross our borders / and attack in force when they find out / that Beowulf is dead” (Heaney 2999-3003). Beowulf’s incessant need to fight the dragon ultimately puts his kingdom in danger. Because of his death, the Geats are now vulnerable to attack from outside forces. For the past 50 years Beowulf has been reigning his kingdom, and protecting the people from these threatening powers. His sudden death has left his people without a proper heir and with no stable leadership, which renders them defenseless when facing oncoming attacks. If Beowulf had not have felt the need to maintain his reputation and fight the dragon, he would still be alive and able to protect the Geats, or appoint the next heir, and have a plan for these attacks. Similar to Beowulf, Ubba and his nation also suffer the consequences due to …show more content…
the necessity of showing courageousness in battle. Ubba’s persistence to maintain his honor in battle ultimately causes the Danish harm.
When the English and the Danes go to battle at Cynuit, the Danes surround the English and have the upper hand. However, Uhtred, makeshift leader of the English troops, hatches a superior plan to burn the Danish boats. This allows Uhtred’s soldiers to overtake the Danish troops, and lead him directly to Ubba. Both men participate in a massive fight against each other, and in the end, instead of surrendering, Ubba dies. Uhtred’s thoughts portray his struggle when Cornwell writes, “There was blood in his beard and he knew then he would die, knew he would see his brothers in the corpse hall. He did not give up. He saw death coming and fought it by trying to hammer me with his shield again, but I was too quick, and the next stroke was in his neck” (Cornwell 325-326). Ubba continues to fight, because losing a battle is one of the greatest humiliations in Anglo-Saxon culture, and he will lose the respect he earns throughout his life if he surrenders. The disparity to retain his honor ultimately causes his death, which leaves the Danish army without a strong military leader, something they desperately need in the upcoming battle with the English. Without Ubba, Kjartan will take control and wreak havoc upon the citizens of the Danish empire. Both Beowulf and Ubba are similar as they both live in a culture where success bases itself upon continuous valiancy in
battle. Overcompensating in battle often results from cultural norms that have been set in society. Throughout both of the novels, gallantry in battle is the key ideal that allows mankind to achieve success. This idea of success is what every person wants to acquire, and will go to lengths to obtain it. In both The Last Kingdom and Beowulf bravery in battle is the societal norm that leads to success in Anglo-Saxon culture, and that is why both literary works represent bravery in battle as a necessity that the characters struggle to maintain.
Beowulf was supercilious unlike the men in “The 13th Warrior.” Ahmed and his comrades were not offered money or ...
The second claim is that Beowulf is loyal to his people. Beowulf fights monsters to keep his people safe. Beowulf is given the opportunity to rule Geatland after the king’s son Heardred is killed. Beowulf rules for 50 years and he is very successful in those 50 years and Geatland prospers.
Beowulf is one of the most bravest legends. He has no fear! This man will go and fight whoever needs to be fought, with or without help. As soon as Grendel's mother came to get her son’s arm back, Beowulf immediately set out to go find and kill her. He went to the place where she lives and after he plunged into the water, Beowulf swam all the way down to her lair. After he reached the lair, “Beowulf got ready, / donned his war-gear, indifferent to death; / his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail / would soon meet with the menace underwater” (1442-1445). This task also seems to be a death sentence written all over it, but Beowulf looks death in the face, and goes after his mother. He knows that they are immortal, but right next to Grendel’s mother, is the only sword that can kill them. Beowulf is brave enough to grab that powerful sword, and kill both Grendel and his mother. Men today would not do that. Beowulf does not just stop at Grendel and his mother: he continues to fight more monsters to defend what is his. He then took a break and now decides to come home to Sweden. The son of Ecgtheow bids Denmark farewell, and has a moment with Hrothgar. Hrothgar says, “You are strong in body and mature in mind, / impressive in speech. If it should come to pass / that Hrethel’s descendent dies beneath a spear, / … and you are still alive, then I firmly believe / the seafaring Geats won’t find a
This essay is the comparison between Beowulf and a modern day hero. I consider any American soldier to be my modern day hero. In this essay I will explain in three paragraphs of how my modern day hero is like Beowulf. With in these three paragraphs I will go over how they are both fighting for a good cause, how they are both rewarded for what they do, and how they are both treated with much respect.
There are many similarities and differences between the movie "Beowulf and Grendel", to the poem. Major differences between the movie and the poem would be Grendel himself. In the poem, he is described as an evil monster born from two demons. In the movie, Grendel is actually human, but known as a troll to the warriors and Danes. The poem doesn’t give the background of Grendel or show how the Danes killed his father and the possible reason of his revenge, like in the movie. If the witch, Selma, was not included in the storyline of the movie, the audience would not have known key information that she was used to show from more flashbacks. The witch gives more of an idea about Grendel’s past life that could have been the possibility to reasons for his actions. Some major similarities are the battles. Both epics include the battles between Beowulf and Grendel, as well as Beowulf and Grendel’s mother. The end results are the same, leading to their death, but the journey and process to the two tales are different.
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...
Right away, readers encounter the main character in Beowulf as he arrives in Denmark after a long journey from his homeland of Geatland. Beowulf has traveled to Denmark in an attempt to slay the monster Grendel that constantly terrorizes the Danes. “Then news of Grendel, hard to ignore, reached me at home…my one request is that you won’t refuse me, who have come this far, the privilege of purifying Heorot…” (Heaney 409-431). This immediately shows a selfless and heroic act of Beowulf. He has ventured into a country he does not even reside in to help protect the people of Denmark. The hero brings a wave of confidence into a sputtering community of Heorot that desperately needs some assistance in their fight against Grendel. Thankfully, Beowulf slays Grendel and even does so without any weapons, “…it won’t be a cutting edge I’ll wield to mow him down…the monster back-tracking, the man overpowering…an extraordinary wail arose, the howl of a loser…He was overwhelmed, manacled tight by the man of all men was foremost and strongest in the days of this life.” (Heaney 679-789). Beowulf successfu...
Beowulf represents what a modern hero truly is rather than Dante the pilgrim, because he displays qualities of courage, pride, and humility. In order to be considered a modern hero the individual must demonstrate these particular qualities, and courage, pride, and humility should be reflected in the actions they make.
When being compared to the opening funeral of King Shield’s death, Beowulf’s funeral can be further interpreted as an elegy for warrior values. To begin with, the main similarity behind both funerals was the mood. The Danes respected their king, and the poet of Beowulf depicts this idea by stating, Shield “had courage and greatness. /… as his powers waxed and his worth was proved” (lines 2 and 8). King Shield provided a sense of security to the Danish nation, which established a specific image of what a proper authority figure looked like to the people. Since Shield “was one good king”, his death left the Danes with the devastated realization there may never be that form of heroic leadership ruling their country again (11). Using similar word choice, Beowulf’s poet describes a similar connection between
As king of the Geats he has a reputation to maintain and the responsibility to protect his people. When the dragon attacks, he sacrifices his well-being for the safety of the Geats despite his justified forecast of his own death. It is apparent that the older Beowulf has much more responsibility in comparison to the young Beowulf. He not only has to...
The pessimism of the poor Danes was palpable. They had even despaired of appealing to the Christian God and had reverted to offering sacrifice to their heathen idols. Grendel had killed 30 warriors the first night and had taken even more the next night. But their pessimism is dispelled by one Beowulf who is ready and willing to sacrifice himself to repay the debt of Ecgtheow, Beowulf’s father, to Hrothgar. This Geat warrior possesses almost miraculous qualities: “He was the strongest of men a...
King Hrothgar once again looks toward Beowulf to take care of another monster. To get ready for this battle Beowulf wears armor and uses the Horting sword which has never lost in battle. Once again Beowulf shows his courage by deciding to go to the bottom of the monster filled swamp and fight alone. Fighting off monsters on his way down, Beowulf reached the bottom where he was met by Grendel 's mother. He tried to cut her head off with Horting, but she is too strong. Beowulf takes a sword made for giants off the wall, and uses his super strength to cut the mother 's head off. As a trophy of this battle Beowulf finds the body of Grendel in a corner and decides to take his head back to the mead hall. Hrothgar celebrates another victory by once again throwing a large celebration where they gave more gifts to Beowulf and the Geats. After two battles, Beowulf decides it is time for him and his men to head back to their homeland. Continuing to show courage, honor, and strength Beowulf states that if the Danes ever have anymore problems with monsters he will help protect
A hero is someone who is idealized for his courage and noble qualities. Beowulf and Sir Gawain can certainly be called heroes. They both have many qualities that are expected of heroic knights and warriors. They are both brave, gallant, and skilled men, but are they the perfect heroes their people believe them to be? While they are portrayed as perfect heroes and they possess many heroic qualities, Beowulf and Sir Gawain are far from perfect.
It is no question that Beowulf was one of the b est, if not the best, warrior of his time. His skills of being a tremendous warrior are not to be questioned, but his position as a king could use a closer look. While the qualities of being a great warrior and a great king can be similar, there are some differing qualities to keep in mind. There is an extensive comparison to be made between Beowulf and Hrothgar, as a warrior and as a king and the qualities that each of them bring to the table. On lines 17 00-1739 of Beowulf, Hrothgar gives his famous speech to Beowulf on what it means to be a successful king. Hrothgar feels the need to give Beowulf this advice because he knows that Beowulf will one day need to know how to more than a warrior.
The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the reader’s perception of Grendel and his role in Beowulf by narrating the story through Grendel’s point of view. John Gardner transforms the perceived terrible evil fiend who is Grendel into a lonely but intelligent outcast who bears a striking resemblance to his human adversaries. In Grendel, John Gardner portrays Grendel as an intelligent being capable of rational thought as well as displaying outbursts of emotion. He portrays Grendel as a hurt individual and as a victim of oppression ostracized from civilization. The author of Beowulf portrays Grendel as the typical monster archetype as compared to John Gardner’s representation of Grendel as an outcast archetype.