Unferth in Beowulf and Odysseus in the Odyssey
Kemp Malone in his essay “Beowulf” comments that the hero’s swimming match with Breca, an episode of more than 100 lines, is “not told as such,” but set in a frame: “the flitting between Unferth and Beowulf” (Malone 144). This contention or challenge between the hero and a rude challenger appears not only in Beowulf but in other heroic poetry like the Odyssey.
When Beowulf and his crew of brave Geat warriors arrive to the court of King Hrothgar of Denmark, one of the king’s retainers, Unferth by name, has been drinking too heavily of the mead. This puts him into a drunken state of mind wherein he unwisely and rudely challenges the hero regarding a swimming contest sometime earlier:
Unferth, Ecglaf’s son, rose to speak,
who sat at the fee of the lord of the Scyldings;
he unbound a battle-rune - the journey of Beowulf,
the brave seafarer, caused him chagrin,
for he would not grant that any other man
under the heavens might ever care more
for famous deeds than he himself:
“Are you the same Beowulf who challenged Breca
to a swimming match on the open sea?
There out of pride you both tested sea-ways,
through foolish boasting risked lives on the deep.
None could dissuade you, friend or foe,
keep either of you from that hapless trip,
when you went swimming out of the bay,
your arms embracing the crests, sea-currents,
flung out your hands to measure the sea-roads,
the ocean of wind. The steep seas boiled
in winter’s pourings. You both toiled seven nights
driven by the waves, and in that swimming
he overcame you, had greater strength.(499ff.)
So far Unferth, a proud warrior himself, tells Beowulf that the hero is foolish and that he has been bested in this sea-competition by his opponent – both of which are big, embarrassing putdowns. Unferth continues to rub it in:
The sea cast him up on the Heatho-Raems’ shore;
from there at daybreak he sought his homeland,
beloved by his people, came back to the Brondings,
fair peace-fort where he had subjects,
stronghold, and treasures. The good son of Beanstan
had truly fulfilled his whole boast against you(519ff.)
Nothing like siding 100% with the foe! Before even hearing both sides of the story! Finally, in concluding, Unferth states his minimal expectations of Beowulf considering the latter’s utter failure against Breca:
in the air, Unferth tries to be the Grendel's martyr. Oh the heroic Unferth who
Even from an early age, Beowulf took every opportunity he could to show off his strength and fearlessness. When he first introduces himself to King Hrothgar, a Danish warrior by the name Unferth recognizes Beowulf and brings up a story from his youth. He explains to the entire hall how Beowulf had challenged another young man, named Brecca, to a swimming match and lost. Unferth says to him, ¨both of you daring and young and proud… risking your lives for no reason? All older and wiser heads warned you not to, but no one could check such pride¨ (Raffel 23). It is clear that in this story, that Beowulf´s pride consumes him and fuels his reckless actions. He goes on to tell Unferth about how he had stayed behind to fight 9 monsters, while Brecca
Cherry, K. (n.d.). The stanford prison experiment an experiment in the psychology of imprisonment. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/classicpsychologystudies/a/stanford-prison-experiment.htm
Beowulf is a classic hero in Beowulf for he fits the epitomized romantic mold so perfectly. His appearance is that of a hero, he is large, muscular, and intimidating. His intentions are also in the right place, he wishes to free Hrothgar’s people from the evil that is Grendel. He is a mature man, one who in the face of belittlement responds respectably and effectively. “Then up spoke Unferth…”Are you that Beowulf who with Breca swam on the broad sea-swell struggling together proud wave-wrestlers wagering your lives with reckless boasting risking for praise deep water-death?...” Beowulf answered…”and you were never known for such deeds nothing to brag of renowned as you are for killing your brothers…” (p.17-18 Beowulf) Beowulf doesn’t put Unferth down; rather he reminds him that he has no place to talk of heroic deeds and moves on.
Beowulf shows both wit and patience in his swift retort after Unferth challenges his skill. Later, after proving himself by dismembering Grendel, he accepts Unferth’s sword to face Grendel’s mother. This offering can be seen as an act of apology or forfeit on Unferth’s part and reveals another side of the hero: forgiveness. Beowulf did not deny Unferth his repentance, nor did he ridicule him upon his conceit.
Even the researchers themselves began to lose sight of the reality of the situation. Zimbardo, who acted as the prison warden, overlooked the abusive behavior of the prison guards until graduate student Christina Maslach voiced objections to the conditions in the simulated prison and the morality of continuing the experiment. "Only a few people were able to resist the situational temptations to yield to power and dominance while maintaining some semblance of morality and decency; obviously I was not among that noble class," Zimbardo later wrote in his book The Lucifer Effect (Zimbardo, 2007). According to Zimbardo and his colleagues, the Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrates the powerful role that the situation can play in human behavior. Because the guards were placed in a position of power, they began to behave in ways they would not normally act in their everyday lives or in other situations. The prisoners, placed in a situation where they had no real control, became passive and
Subjects became so entranced in these roles that the guards started to behave as if they really were the guards of a true prison. Zimbardo had told them to think of themselves in this way and it led to the guards mentally abusing the prisoners with their cruel and degrading routines. In Romesh Ra...
As the welcoming celebration for Beowulf goes on, Unferth begins to ridicule Beowulf about his swimming competition with Breca. Unferth is jealous and feels threatened by Beowulf " for he would not allow that any other man of middle-earth should ever achieve more glory under the heavens than himself." (Norton p. 33) Unferth is a very peculiar character. Although he has committed the horrific crime of killing his brother(s), he is privileged enough to sit at the feet of the king, a very respected position. His sin,an enormous violation of the comitatus, suggests that there is something wrong in Hrothgar's kingdom and perhaps helps to foreshadow its destruction. Ultimately, it will be destroyed, as the text says, by a fire after " sword-hate between son-in-law and father-in-law to awaken after murderous rage." (Norton p. 28).
The Stanford Prison Experiment was a study put together by Phillip Zambardo to test the psychological effects of a prisoner and guard scenario in a mock prison setting. The experiment lasted approximately fourteen days and was comprised of twenty-four male students, all of whom were picked at random to take part in the experiment. Each individual was also randomly given the role of either guard or prisoner. The mock prisoners were subjugated to psychological abuse, harsh authoritarian rule by the guards, and intense living conditions to ensure maximum results were met. Due to the intense amount of stress brought on from the ordeal, a few prisoners were unable to continue and the experiment concluded prematurely. Everything about this observation
Beowulf is very prideful. He boasts about his tasks as often as he can. He likes to showboat his heroism and bravery. When Unferth challenges Beowulf’s honor and calls him a liar and a loser, Beowulf does not take it well. He calls Unferth a liar and a murderer and immediately tells Hrothgar’s court what really happened during the swimming match that Unferth was referring to. Beowulf is driven by his need to be an honorable and well-respected man. The honor he seeks is not wholly for his King’s glory, but for himself.
The idea of experimentation of prison life achieved by the Stanford University students was intriguing and the results were interesting. Haney, Banks, and Zimbardo’s study due to a result of their curiosity of the reactions of subjects when placed in prisoner or prison guard roles. Their inspiration for the study was somewhat unclear; however, hypothetically reasoning was placed on determining aspects of the actual reality of incarceration. The experimenters also strived to test the theory on whether prisoners face abhorrent conditions due to their interpersonal evils, or do to the aggressive and deviant behaviors of prison guards (Haney, Banks, Zimbardo, 1973).
Unferth seems to be jealous of the courage that Beowulf has to kill Grendel. This jealousy is demonstrated through the distorted version of a swimming race between Breca and Beowulf. Also Unferth wants to be the one who kills Grendel for his king, Hrothgar. This goes along with Thesis VI: Fear of the Monster Is really a Kind of Desire, which Beowulf is a symbol of something that Unferth desires he could be.
One of Beowulf's major flaws is his large ego. His hubris, or excessive pride, is the tragic flaw that causes his death. It's important for Beowulf to show strength even when there isn't an important heroic task to be accomplished. When there aren't demons or dragons to fight, he gets into, "swimming contests" with other warriors: “Well, friend Unferth, you have had your say about Breca and me. But it was mostly beer that was doing the talking. The truth is this: when the ...
Subjects became so entranced in these roles that the guards started to behave as if they really were the guards of a true prison. Zimbardo had told them to think of themselves in this way and it led to the guards mentally abusing the prisoners with their cruel and degrading ro...
In the excerpt about Beowulf, and the poem The Wife’s Lament, they both demonstrate themes of betrayal and anger. To begin, in Beowulf, Unferth; a jealous courtier who feels inferior of Beowulf, is angered because he wants to be the one to protect Herot and receive all of the credit for slaying the monster Grendel. Furthermore, Unferth begins to question Beowulf, he states, “Are you the Beowulf who competed with Brecca, vied with him at swimming in the open sea when swollen with vanity, you both braved the waves, risked your lives on deep waters because of a foolish boast?” (Gardner 455) Unferth claims how Beowulf could not even win a simple swimming contest, so how was he supposed to defeat Grendel? After, Beowulf argues how for five long