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Analyze the character in the epic beowulf
Epic narrative of beowulf
Analyses of beowulf
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Beowulf was a great hero in his time. He always was one to go the extra distance to prove his greatness. It was shown many times throughout Beowulf the Epic Poetry, either when it was Hrothgar King of the Danes spoke highly of him, when he fought the evil and wicked Grendel along with his mother, or his final battle against a dragon who dared to attack his kingdom. No matter where you look, throughout the poem Beowulf is constantly trying to prove his courage. Beowulf was always one to be the best or strive to be the best. He wanted his name to be known throughout the world. Beowulf would fight many enemies throughout his life time. When he went to offer his help to Hrothgar King of the Danes, he was already spoken highly of Beowulf. Hrothgar went to say to his knight “he knows of your noble birth and that having you come to him from over the open sea you have come bravely and you are welcome” (Line 127-130). Beowulf traveled for long times over sea to fight battles. The King was already impressed that Beowulf already had traveled such a great distant to help the kingdom and the people of it. Beowulf’s name was well known so it wasn’t any surprise that The King …show more content…
A dragon then dared to attack Beowulf’s kingdom. Beowulf now an old man still accepts the challenge presented by said dragon. Beowulf gets his gear and seeks out this murderous dragon and says “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me” (Line 608-611). Even as an old man Beowulf wanted to get more fame and have more battles. Although this was his final battle he still went in with no fear. He fought the dragon with everything he could. Beowulf went through his life seeking fame, he showed his might and courage through battle and became one of the most recognizable epic heroes that we have
In Beowulf, the protagonist Beowulf is shown as a hero with extrodinary strength. This is not what makes him a hero. By definition, a hero is a man of exceptional quality. However this term does not do Beowulf justice. His self-imposed purpose in life is to help others, and eventually sacrifices his own life in doing so. Beowulf’s battle with the dragon serves as a critique of the notion that Beowulf is a hero. The Dragon section displays many of Beowulf’s heoric characteristics. Beowulf establishes himself as a hero by fighting the dragon, exemplifing strength and courage when fighting the dragon, and sacrificing himself so that others can live.
Nobody dared to stop the bravest man in all the land known as Beowulf. Beowulf is the strongest warrior from Geatland. When Beowulf hears about the Danes and Hrothgar’s struggle to keep his men safe, he offers to help. The Danish king, Hrothgar, accepts Beowulf’s request to kill Grendel and his mother. Beowulf proves his strength and becomes famous when he defeats Grendel in a battle using nothing but his bare hands in Herot. He keeps Grendel’s arm as a symbol of his victory. Grendel’s mother looks for revenge, but she is also killed by the brave warrior. Beowulf becomes the King of Geatland after the king’s son, Heardred, is killed. Beowulf rules for 50 years and he is very successful in keeping peace across the land and Geatland becomes very prosperous. Beowulf later dies after a final fight against a dragon. The Geats build a tower strong and tall just as Beowulf requested so that sailors could find it from far and wide. Beowulf perfectly embodies the Germanic heroic ideal.
Towards the end of the story, Beowulf travels to fight a dragon who is protecting a large treasure. He wants to prove to his kingdom that he is still the brave and strong man he used to be, but his main motivation is the treasure he will get after his victory. "And Beowulf uttered his final boast: 'I've never known fear, as a youth I fought In endless battles. I am old, now, But I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares To face me'" (606-610). On the other side, the dragon has the same motivation. He is willing protect the treasure if it takes his life. This makes the fight one to the death. "When he comes to me I mean to stand, not to run from his shooting Flames, stand still till fate decides Which of us wins" (619-622). Beowulf feels that if he cannot have this victory, that this is the proper way to
The greatest value of Beowulf is his bravery, some may say bravado. There is no doubt that he is a great warrior. Beowulf's heroism belongs to a different time than that of King Arthur or Sir Gawain. For that reason his bragging about his prowess might seem decidedly unheroic. When he tells Unferth "I count it true that I had more courage, More strength in swimming than any other man" (514-15 (41) it might be interpreted in a poor way. What he is saying though is true. In addition, in order for him to succeed he must orally deliver his resume. Nevertheless, bragging aside, Beowulf is undoubtedly a brave man. When Beowulf sets out to kill Grendel's mother he simply "donned his armor for battle, Heeded not the danger..." (1328-29 60). When his sword fails him he uses his physical strength: "On the might of his hand, as a man must do Who thinks to win in the welter of battle Enduring glory; he fears not death" (1420-23 62). Certainly he is in search of fame. Though this is true it must not discount his brave actions. He gains his fame truthfully by doing battle with menaces to society. He does not lie or manipulate to achieve fame, he uses what is rightfully his, his bravery. Beowulf's bravery differs from that of King Arthur's for several reasons. King Arthur by being king must be brave, to rule the state people must respect him. Beowulf's bravery carries the story. One because it details his ascension in fame and secondly it also outlines his downfall.
To qualify as an epic poem, Beowulf reflects the values of the culture in which it was created. The Anglo-Saxon culture and the poem share many of the same values. They shared a heroic ideal that included loyalty, strength, courage, courtesy, and generosity. Like all epic poems Beowulf is a long narrative work that tells the adventures of a great hero and also reflects the values of the society in which it was written. Both Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons believed in those qualities as an individual.
Beowulf by far endures more than the average person as the poem progresses. He is faced with daunting challenges of defeating three monsters that would kill any other man. Beowulf exemplifies bravery by never backing down no matter what the threat was. He was loyal by honoring his promises of keeping those around him safe and alive. And finally, his unwavering confidence helped him push through the toughest confrontations. These traits and the fights with the three different monsters are what genuinely make Beowulf a hero.
In conclusion, although Beowulf possessed many heroic qualities he would not be considered a hero in today’s world. A hero varies from culture to culture. The Anglo-Saxon appreciated different things in a person that what do not we appreciate today. Many things have changed a lot with time, the requisites for being considered a hero have also changed. Today we do not like to solve problems with war. Pride and honor are not as important as the willingness one has to help others. Beowulf is not feeling that contact with people he doesn’t identify with them because he believes himself better, a part of a hero´s cycle is to be identified with the community. To be part
Beowulf displayed great courage and honor throughout his journeys and battles; he was an epic hero. An epic hero is a person who is viewed as larger than life and possesses values of a certain society. From the time of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel to his brawl against the dragon, he has showed everyone what being an honorable hero looks like. His heroism is revealed through both youth as a young warrior and wisdom as a reliable king. He never backed down and didn’t give up when situations were tough. Beowulf had obligations to fulfill and went about every aspect of his life with courage and strength. He cared for his people and was willing to take on anyone that threatened them or his kingdom. He sincerely was the hero of his time.
Everyone feared his abilities and wouldn’t dare attack him. Then a dragon was woken from its slumber and attacked part of Beowulf’s land. “Yet the prince if rings was too proud to line up with a large army against the sky-plague.” (159: 2345-2347). Beowulf could have taken all of his warriors to fight, but he was too smug. He had to be the one to fight it, or die trying. Beowulf had a need for glorious battle and impossible tasks. He brought few warriors with him to kill the murderous creature. When they reached the dragon, Beowulf made the decision to go in alone because he was too proud, and full of himself to ask for help. When the time came that he needed his warriors, they all ran except one. Beowulf was such a great warrior that no one else in his army had any skill at battle. They had no courage or experience because of Beowulf’s need to go in alone. Beowulf met his match against the dragon, and perished. The need for all the glory and fame drove Beowulf right to his death. It wasn’t the actual threat that killed Beowulf, but the careless decisions that were the real
Beowulf was a highly skilled and great fighter, but because of his over-confidence in himself the fire-breathing dragon kills him. Beowulf’s excessive pride is evident from the very beginning of the epic. He is almost always boasting about himself to one person or the other. In the first part of the epic, when Beowulf first travels to Hrothgar’s kingdom to rid him of Grendel, he talks about the mighty deeds he has done in his life. “Hail, Hrothgar, health ever keep you! I am Hyglelac’s thane and kinsman; mighty deeds I have done in my youth…they saw themselves how I came from combat bloodied by enemies where I crushed down five, killed a tribe of giants, and on the waves at night slew water-beasts; no easy task, but I dove out trouble from Geatland-they asked for it, the enemies I killed.”(Beowulf p73) One can easily picture him standing proud and tall in front of a multitude of fellow warriors, proclaiming all the deeds he has accomplished in his lifetime.
Beowulf is a very brave hero, he has fought and killed many creatures before, but this battle was different. He knew this battle was of great importance to everyone, and that made him that much more nervous. This creature was fierce and had been tormenting their village for as long as they could remember, so her death would be a huge victory for Beowulf and it would be an even bigger relief for the villagers. All of the people in the village were cheering for Beowulf as he walked away headed off to the greatest battle of his life.
Hrothgar tells him of a past king who also sought fame throughout the lands. His name was Heremod. He was a brutish king who “brought little joy to the Danish people, only death and destruction.” (Page 117 Lines 1711-1712). He “killed his own comrades”(Page 118 Line 1714) as Beowulf had done in the fight against Grendel. To watch how Grendel fought, Beowulf let one of his own comrades die “greater good” which creates a gray area and compromises the belief that Beowulf is as great of a hero as he seems. What Beowulf learned from this story is that Heremod only achieved fame. He will forever be remembered as the king who plagued his people and did little good for the country. There is no glory or honor in what Heremod had done. Beowulf realizes that the absence of these two qualities caused the memory of Heremod to be a hateful one. Beowulf wanted to be better than that, so when he is made king after the deaths of both Hygelac and Heardred, he “[sat] in majesty and ruled over the Geats. He was a good king.”(Page 163 Lines
In Beowulf’s later life he also follows Hrothgar’s advice. Beowulf knows that he has an obligation to protect his people and the people the respect of the people gives him the ability to have his treasure and confidence. When the people are harmed he takes it to heart that he failed and he needs to fix it. “Their words brought misery, Beowulf’s /sorrow beat at his heart: he accused/ himself of breaking Gods law”2227-2229. All though Beowulf is in the later part of his life he is still willing to keep his reputation and his right to confidence in line by fighting a dragon for his people. Throughout his life Beowulf earns the respect of his people like Hrothgar told him to.
Beowulf seems to always show signs of bravery thoughout the story. He is pitted against monsters and is, therefore, strong and courageous often to the point of seeming superhero. For instance, when Beowulf is going to go find and kill Grendle with his men, he stops to talk with the coast guard, Beowulf says " ... Then you are either the bravest man in the world..." Many poeple throught the story think the Beowulf is very brave! Once Beowulf and his men leave the coast guard the author makes a remark; "When Beowulf had heard of all the stories about the dreadful demon Grendle, he was determined to go and help Herothgar kill the monster..." This demonstrates intrepidity, because he is willing to go risk his life for another country. Another source of courage is when Breca and Beowulf fights off the nine sea monsters. First of all even doing the daring contest in the sea is a sign of dauntlessness, but a true sign of bravery is this, " And I swung my sword to fight them off..." Can you now see that the author meant for Beowulf to be the hero, and the bravest one of them all ?
There was barely a time when Beowulf’s reputation was at stake. He serves his king until Hygelac is killed in combat. When Hygelac 's son dies in a feud Beowulf becomes the king and holds the throne for 50 years. The question at the end of Beowulf 's life is whether or not he allows pride to blind him from prudent action. Does he love fame and enjoy being viewed as a hero way too much?