The story of Beowulf is the oldest piece of English literature to dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. A monk discovered the tale and translated it. The monk instilled his own religious beliefs into his translation. This can be proven to the numerous allusions to the Bible and God throughout the text despite the fact the Anglo-Saxons practiced pagan beliefs. Beowulf tells the story of a king named Hrothgar who lives with his faithful warriors in a place called Herot. Every night a monster named Grendel, who is jealous of the prosperity and friendship of the king and his warriors, travels to Herot to kill and devour Hrothgar’s men. After years of Gendel wreaking havoc Beowulf, an epic hero, is called upon to defeat Grendel. After Beowulf …show more content…
defeats Grendel he goes on to then defeat Grendel’s mother, and eventually be crowned king of the Geats. It is only after a battle with a dragon that Beowulf meets his demise. The tale of Beowulf reveals a lot about the values of the Anglo-Saxon Culture. The Anglo-Saxons value loyalty, bravery, and friendship. These values of the Anglo-Saxons can also be reflected in the contemporary values of the human condition, specifically emotionality. The first, and arguably the greatest, value of the Anglo-Saxons presents itself as loyalty.
Loyalty was especially important between Hrothgar, the king of the Geats, and his men. Hrothgar built a mead hall as a gift to his warriors because of their loyalty. The mead hall represents a haven for the warriors. There the warriors sang and rejoiced until Grendel came and disrupted the peace (Raffel 1). Hrothgar had the obligation to his loyal men to find a way to protect them. Enter Beowulf. Beowulf displays loyalty by choosing to help Hrothgar. Beowulf repaid Hrothgar for a time the king had protected Beowulf’s ancestors (Raffel 23). Later in the epic, Beowulf tells his men to stay behind as he takes on a battle with a dragon alone. Wiglaf, one of Beowulf’s warriors, notices that his king is in trouble and convinces the rest of the men to come to Beowulf’s aid. He does this by reminding them of all that Beowulf has done for them (Raffel 46). Altogether, loyalty is a value of the Anglo-Saxons that can be traced throughout Beowulf. It relates to the concept of emotionality in the human condition because loyalty associates with strong emotional ties to another person or peoples. Loyalty represents an internal drive to repay deeds and not to abandon people in their time of …show more content…
need. A second value quite prevalent in Beowulf is bravery.
The Geats hail Beowulf as an epic hero because of his fanatic bravery in the face of imminent danger. To start, Beowulf decided to take on the monster Grendel even though all who tried to defeat the monster had failed (Raffel 24). After that Beowulf faces Grendel’s mother nearly losing to her in a battle that takes place in the monster’s lair (Raffel 37). Then in his final battle, Beowulf spares his men imminent danger by defeating a dragon and eventually losing his own life. The Anglo-Saxons prized death in battle as a token of bravery. Death in battle also signified a fearless drive to protect the land of the Geats no matter the cost. Dying in battle meant honor. That honor can be tied to the emotionality because of the pride individuals had in their kings who were brave enough to protect
them. Lastly, is the value of friendship. A huge concept in the story of Beowulf is the mead hall. As mentioned before, the mead hall provides a place where warriors gather together to celebrate their comradery. When Grendel threatens this place, Hrothgar feels a great deal of sorrow knowing the men he loves and cares about are dying (Raffel 22). This bond of friendship between Hrothgar and his men allows them to stay united when faced with the threat of Beowulf. Another example of friendship is the story of Beowulf and Brecca. Brecca and Beowulf swam against each other. Brecca beat Beowulf only because Beowulf had stayed behind to battle sea monsters. Instead of trash talking or minimizing his friend Beowulf simply let it be known that Brecca won (Raffle 28). Friendship can also be tied to emotionality in the human condition because strong emotions are associated with friendship. These emotions include: love, admiration, and respect. To conclude, the importance in analyzing Anglo-Saxon culture in comparison with the human condition lies in the fact that people haven’t over time. People in today’s world still value loyalty, bravery, and friendship. The human condition binds all people together under a common thread. This commonality between humans and their cultures outlasts time.
“Staring at his grotesquely muscled shoulders--stooped, naked despite the cold, sleek as the belly of a shark and as rippled with power as the shoulders of a horse--I found my mind wandering...He was dangerous” (155). Even from the first day Beowulf showed up at Hrothgar’s kingdom, Grendel knew he was dealing with something worse than a hero. Once they finally start to battle, the monster in Beowulf is fully revealed to Grendel and Grendel sees again the stupidity and meaninglessness in the human’s definition of a hero.“Grendel, Grendel! You make the world by whispers, second by second. Are you blind to that? Whether you make it a grave or a garden of roses is not the point. Feel the wall: is it not hard?...Hard, yes! Observe the hardness, write it down in careful runes. Now sing of walls! Sing!” (171). Beowulf forces Grendel to make a fool of himself and unlike Unferth who longs for a heroic death, Beowulf knows he is going to win and has no desire to die. His mindset of victory, groups him with monsters who have one goal, to kill and never be killed. This shatters the Anglo-Saxon ideals of heroism and in Grendel’s death, when he is surrounded by oblivious creatures who don’t have a purpose, the meaninglessness of it all, including the meaninglessness of heroic deeds becomes evident to the
Beowulf is an epic poem that was written in the late tenth-century, at the kingdom of the West Saxons. The two main characters are Beowulf, a young man; and Grendel, a furious dragon. Beowulf's world is a very violent society with wars as a dominant part of daily life. Dragons and monsters are a constant threat to the Danes and the Geats. Warriors are a necessity to this war-like society. Beowulf is a hero as well as a great, and honorable, warrior.
Beowulf, an epic poem, written by unknown and translated by Seamus Heaney, is an artifact of the Anglo-Saxon era because it is a piece of literature that was documented once. During the time it was written, writing was not common. The poem reveals a lot of the Anglo-Saxon practices and beliefs, but it also is compared to Christianity because was written down by a christian monk.
Beowulf is an epic poem that explores many themes and motifs within the Anglo-Saxon society. The Author, who remains anonymous, composed the epic around 1000 A.D. The literature focuses mainly on a Scandinavian warrior named Beowulf, who comes to the aid of Herot, a small town ran by King Hrothgar. Beowulf arises to rid the town of evil forces, such as the demon monster Grendel, and his savage mother who seeks revenge for the death of her son. As he ages, Beowulf presumes his title as king of Geatland, still eager to protect his loyal followers from danger.
One of the first examples of respect and trust in the poem is when Beowulf arrives with the intention of fighting Grendel. Beowulf's intention is to honor the allegiance between his father, Ecgtheow, and Hrothgar. When Ecgtheow was alive, he killed Heatholaf who was a Wulfing and it started a war. Hrothgar decided to send treasure to the Wulfings which repair the conflict and ended the
To be considered an ideal hero, you must be willing to risk everything to succeed. A hero is one who would give his own life to save another; one who is fearless in the face of death. In the epic poem Beowulf, our hero thrives on the opportunity to prove his worth. He is young and strong and is driven to make a name for himself. The author describes Beowulf’s exceptional ability and warrior character long before he is named in the poem: "Great among Geats, this man was more mighty than any then living" (Damrosch 913). Shortly after Beowulf arrives in Denmark, Wulfgar, one of King Hrothgar’s men, explains to the King why he must meet with the men that have come to slay the beast. ”Far-sailing Geats have come to our kingdom across the wide water. These warriors call their leader Beowulf and bid me bring their plea to our prince, if it pleases him to allow them entrance and offer them audience. I implore you t...
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.
Picture a world shrouded in darkness and despair, where war is inevitable and its inhabitants live with a relentless sense of fear. Medieval Europe was not a peaceful or secure place, but rather a world filled with turmoil, suffering, and unrest. Commoners living in medieval Europe never strayed far from the security of their homes because evil and suffering lurked within every facet of society. The story of Beowulf recounts the life of an idealized warrior, whose desire for honor instills deep convictions of justified violence. In many ways, Beowulf’s attitude parallels the warrior instinct exhibited by the crusaders as they attempted to recapture the Holy Land. Hence, the world of medieval Europe painted suffering for a just cause as an honorable
The main character, and protagonist, Beowulf is first introduced in the novel by means of ancestral lineage. Born into greatness, Beowulf makes his reputation indisputable through action. With the King Hrothgar as witness, Beowulf declares his intentions to aid the Danes by way of slaying the awesome beast Grendel who has caused havoc among the lands. "Now I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat." As every great hero fulfils his boast, Beowulf did not fall short. Though the destruction of Grendel brought relief and rejoicings- a mother's wrath would cause it to fall short. Again, the mighty Beowulf takes on this mighty beast, descendant of Cain. As Hrothgar desperately states: "Now help depends again on you and you alone./ Seek it if you dare."
Loyalty, strength, courage and fame. All of which a hero should posses is all shown in Beowulf. Loyalty is questioned but it could go either way. Selfish or not. I argue loyalty is held by Beowulf as a hero and stays true to his king. Each of the four heroic traits can be identified within the three battles in which Beowulf participates. Whether or not Beowulf wins or loses the fight, he will be remembered as the courageous warrior who battles the beast without the help of a weapon.
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...
The poem Beowulf was written between 700-750 A.D. by an unknown author set in Denmark and Sweden, other wise known as Scandinavia. The original Beowulf only exists in one copy, and was severely damaged by a fire. The poem was an epic with many Christian references throughout the poem. In the poem, Grendel attacks the people of the Danes at night for the loud celebrating in Herot (mead hall), that drives him mad with rage, bringing death and destruction. Beowulf kills both Grendel, and his mother, then returns to his land to later become the king of the Geats. While in the 2007 film, Beowulf kills Grendel, is seduced by Grendel’s mother, lies about killing her, and becomes king of the Danes.
In the beginning of the story, a mythical monster named Grendel who is attacking King Hrothgar’s mead hall Herot. When Beowulf hears of this tragedy, he volunteers to go and fight the mythical beast. The author wrote, “So Beowulf chose the mightiest men he could find the bravest and the best of the Geats, fourteen In all.” Once Beowulf arrives, he is given a feast and then decides to stay in Herot overnight to confront Grendel. Grendel then arrives and kills one of the Geats before Beowulf can get into the battle. Beowulf then goes hand-to-hand against Grendel and ends up tearing off Grendel’s shoulder. Grendel then retreats to his lair to die. This is only a mere example of why Beowulf is a hero.
Beowulf was written around 700 A.D. by an unknown author. While it is a part of English Literature, it does not take place in England. Instead, it tells the reader events that happened in Sweden and on the Danish island of Zealand. The pagan and Christian references suggest that the poem is most likely written about the time that the Anglo-Saxon society was converting from paganism to Christianity. Monasteries provided a place for learning and they also saved some of the manuscripts, such as the story Beowulf. Christianity does eventually replace pagan religion as far as Anglo-Saxons are concerned. Although the unknown author of Beowulf develops the main protagonist to represent both paganism and Christianity, the ideals conflict create a unique epic poem.
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.