Violence played an important role in ancient literature and cultures, especially in epic poems. Often times the most heroic characters are the ones who inflict and perpetuate the most violence, such as Beowulf in the first-known Old-English epic poem of Beowulf. Violence proved to be beneficial to the townspeople in the story of Beowulf; they were protected from the outside dangers. In addition, the violence was also a reflection of the culture in which the anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet lived in. Heroism was a highly regarded trait in the Anglo-Saxon culture, warriors were willing to face any odds in order to acquire glory and become a hero, usually through violent acts, such as Beowulf. The purpose of violence in the poem is to protect Denmark …show more content…
and its inhabitants from the monsters, for an individual to gain power and respect, and to demonstrate strength and obtain honor. A Geatish warrior named Beowulf, heard of the plight that Denmark was having with Grendel the swamp monster and sailed across the sea to rid the town of its monster and save the Danes. He did this to prove his strength and gain honor and respect from Hrothgar the King of Denmark; also in return for a favor Beowulf’s father owed King Hrothgar. His fame and fearlessness is spread across the kingdom and when he returns to Geatland, he ascends the throne when the previous King passes. Beowulf’s long reign comes to an end in a final battle with a dragon, where they are both defeated. Beowulf, along with his other Geatish warriors and a few of Hrothgar’s Danish warriors, the demon, Grendel, and Grendel’s mother and the dragon all perpetuate the viciousness in this story.
Grendel initiates it by terrorizing and killing the people of the town, due to his anger with their noise and celebrations in the great mead hall of Heorot. Once he caught wind of the tragedy occurring to all of the Danes, Beowulf and his men reciprocate the ferociousness by achieving revenge and killing him. Their violence is depicted more graphically due to them tearing off Grendel’s arm once they had killed him, in order to display the arm in the Heorot. Hrothgar rewards Beowulf for his heroism in the fight. Grendel’s mother then seeks to avenge the death of her son, inflicting more violence upon the town. However her efforts to defeat Beowulf are shot down when he follows her back to her swamp and dives in after her, kills her, and rips her head off to again display in Heorot. Both the arm of Grendel and the head of his mother are tokens of recognition of Beowulf’s heroism. In the final battle between a dragon and Beowulf, him and another warrior slay the dragon, however the venom from the dragon causes Beowulf life to end as …show more content…
well. Since Beowulf is viewed as the hero of this story, his violence is regarded in a positive manner. He is praised for his killings, because he has rescued the town from their demon, hence, the body parts were placed on display in the mead hall, for all to see the result of his fearless behavior. The town appears to worship the aggression that Beowulf has demonstrated because due to it, they no longer have to suffer due to the torment Beowulf inflicted upon Grendel and his mother. In addition, throughout his entire reign as King, he leads a peaceful and prosperous kingdom, until the end when he meets his match with the dragon. He still died heroically though, because he destroyed the angry dragon, once again saving the town. The behaviors and depiction of violence in this story along with the reflection of the author’s society is a complete contrast to the Roman Empire and society.
The Romans were passionate about the Pax Romana, which involved creating a peaceful and prosperous society and economy. This nonviolent society and their values are quite contradictory to the town and society that appear to worship violence in Beowulf. What we can devise from the story to aid our understanding of the Anglo-Saxon culture of the author, is that the Kings during those times stipulated bravery and loyalty from their warriors, whom they later rewarded with treasure and honor for their heroic acts. While perhaps the Roman Empire did not have swamp demons such as Grendel to deal with, they focused on constructing a peaceful empire, rather than using their time and energy to fight with others or amongst
themselves. The use of violence in Beowulf, although depicted graphically can be said to be a positive aspect of the story, much like other ancient epic poems. A hero cannot be as strong and powerful without demonstrating his strength and power through fighting and slaying enemies. The slaughter of the swamp monsters proved to be favorable to the townspeople, without imposing violence within their society. They gained protection and were rid of the outside forces destroying their town. The purpose of violence in Beowulf is to protect Denmark and Geatland from Grendel, his mother and the dragon, to exemplify Beowulf’s heroic behavior and renown him as a hero in order for him to obtain honor. The role of violence in Beowulf is for protection and honor. Beowulf sails with his Geatish warriors to Denmark when he hears of the terror Grendel has perpetrated on the town, in order to protect and save them. He brutally defeats the demon and his mother, taking their body parts as tokens to display his heroic performance and be honored by the Danes and Hrothgar. Beowulf’s violence was praised throughout the town, while Grendel’s was viewed and used negatively.
These attacks in Heorot, gain the notice of the famed Geat, Beowulf. Eager for another chance to prove he is the best warrior, he sets off for Hrothgar's kingdom. Hrothgar and his people are seeking vengeance for the loss of many warriors, and others. Beowulf informs the king of his intentions in: “ I have suffered extremes and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it upon themselves; I devastated them.). Now I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat.” (Beowulf. L422-426). After foolishly losing some men to Grendel, he does indeed manage to rip his arm off. Consequently, the monster dies from his wounds. So ends the gruesome reign of the horrible Grendel. Unfortunately, they did not know about the
He lives in solitude in a cave at the bottom of the lake and is angered by the parties in the mead hall. To further emphasize the archetype, he is said to go on raids only during the nighttime. This shows more of his loneliness because he can not show his face in broad daylight. When his arm is ripped off, Grendel runs away. This shows his cowardice since he runs instead of finishing the fight on the spot. For the Anglo-Saxons, death in battle was the most glorious type of death, Thus Grendel running away would have been mocked by the crowd and re enforced the quality of courage. When the battle itself begins, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel bare handed. His comrades however stay to help him fight. This reveals the theme of loyalty. This theme is prominent during the main battle because Beowulf is shown to be, “Surrounded closely by his powerful thanes” (98). This ties into the theme of loyalty to one’s kin because although the weapons do no damage, Beowulf’s brethren stay by his side to help. This is also used to emphasize the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture, the battles serve as a way to show the listener the deep cultural significance of the kinship of the warriors. They are treated as one group,
Have you ever wanted to avenge a wrong doing done unto you? Well, the characters in Beowulf will stop at nothing to achieve vengeance. Revenge is so immensely practiced that it is a common act to pay of a deed done by an offender. However, a payment or truce does not satisfy the desire for revenge in the Poem. Every time a Character precedes to make peace, it eventually falls apart by a desire to avenge loved ones. This desire is usually upheld until someone is no longer left to be avenged or no one is left to avenge those whom they loved. This, although it may not seem so, happens commonly in this epic.
Beowulf sees Grendel's mother in a cave. He tries to hit her with his sword, Unferth's Hrunting, but it fails to pierce her skin. So he throws the sword away and attacks the mother with his bare hands. He trusts "in his strength, his mighty hand-grip." Beowulf manages to throw Grendel's mother down; however, she quickly retaliates and is soon sitting on top of him. She tries to kill him with a dagger, but Beowulf's armor protects him this time. Beowulf managed to throw her off of himself and sees a sword of enormous size, which he immediately grabs.
Although Grendel is depicted as a hideous bloodthirsty beast because he eats the Danes at Heorot continuously, he has some characteristics of a human gone wild. Grendel possesses the ability to feel human emotions such as envy and fear. When the Danes were having a feast in Heorot, Grendel “had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the creator outlawed and condemned as outcasts”(104-106). He feels envy towards the Danes for making him an outcast of society. He was jealous of the Danes that were having a great time together while he had to live a life of misery alone. Grendel feels fear as well as envy because “he was overwhelmed, manacled tight by the man who of all men was foremost and strongest in the days of this life”(787-789). During the battle between Grendel and the hero Beowulf, Grendel was unprepared for Beowulf’s fighting tactics. He, who usually is victorious after each attack in Heorot, did not expect to be defeated by Beowulf, which is shown because “his fingers weakened; it was the worst trip the terror-monger had taken to Heorot”(764-765). When Beowulf leaves his weapon and decides to wrestle Grendel, Grendel realizes that he is no match for Beowulf’s strength. He feared death just as human are afraid of death. An ordinary person would want to flee if he or she was being wrestled to the ground and about to die. Grendel felt like fleeing but Beowulf did not want to lose any opportunities to kill the villain and thus does the deed in one go. When he realizes that his end was near, “the dread of the land was desperate to escape, to take a roundabout road and flee to his lair in the fens”(761-763). Just as humans in their psychoanalytic development, Grendel had a fight or flight response. When he knew that he was going to die he immediately chose the flight response in which he could not do because Beowulf was much more powerful and aggressive. He does not let Grendel escape. Grendel’s pain is all the more acute because he is brought so close to mankind and yet always kept at an unbreachable distance from society.
Beowulf went to the dark lake where she had been dwelling. He was suited up with a helmet, armor, together with his own sword. However, he then found it to be useless against the mother. While in the battle hall, Beowulf spotted a superior sword on the wall. With this sword, he ended the life of Grendel’s mother. After this battle, Beowulf took Grendel’s head as a “trophie”.
Beowulf is a hero that shows honor respect and courage. In lines 710-1007 is where the battle with Grendel happened. Thinking of the destruction that he will get, Grendel bursts into Heorot. Grendel tears the door from its hinges with his hands and quickly becomes a Geatish warrior while Beowulf carefully looks around. When Grendel reaches out to pick Beowulf up, he is surprised to find his arm gripped with a strength than he never knew could even happen. Confused and frightened Grendel doesn’t want to run back to the safety of the swamplands. He tries to escape, but Beowulf wrestles him down to the ground. The crash around the hall, making noise on the walls and smashing the mead-benches. Grendel begins to panic in pain and fear; the sound
Then the Danes decide to go back to Herot and while they are sleeping, Grendel’s mother comes to attack them in order to even the score for the killing of her son. Then she leaves, taking the body parts of her son and Esher (which is one of Hrothgar's close friends) with her. Beowulf attempts to save him by entering the monster-filled lake, although the sword that he uses is useless against the skin of Grendel’s mother. As he continues to fight, he grows tired, but then notices that there is a huge sword on the wall of the battle hall where he was dragged to. The sword just so happened to be a magical one that was blessed by the giants that made it.
In contrast, Beowulf is seen as a hero, even when exemplifying the violent and dangerous qualities the dragon is feared for. Anglo-Saxon society prized loyalty, personal valor, and fame. In order to be a hero, one must recognize the need to act, and not shy away from it. The dragon, based on that definition, embodies the Anglo-Saxon idea of a hero: it is loyal to its cause, it is a good warrior, and it recognizes the need to act. It even has a sense of justice and a sense of wrong, shown by the way it reacted to the theft of the chalice. The dragon becomes vengeful and defensive, using cruelty as a means to correct the wrong. Described as “the guardian of the mound” (2302), the dragon’s intent is identical to Beowulf’s. Beowulf is seen as a hero not only because of his actions, but because he is human. The only thing that makes the dragon different is its inhuman qualities, and therefore it is a monster, a “ground-burner” (2713). Heroism in Anglo-Saxon society is a concept embodied by warriors and guardians, who would vie to be the most well-known. Heroism, to the Anglo-Saxons, is an excuse to use cruelty as a way to further one’s fame. It is a social crutch of sorts, leaned on for the vain chance to be immortal. When Beowulf agrees to fight the dragon, it is to have a heroic death, so he may be remembered. In the battle, just as with Grendel and Grendel’s mother,
Beowulf is among the earliest surviving works of literature. It was written in Old English and dates back sometime before the tenth century A.D. The poem is set in Scandinavia, and tells the story of the heroic warrior, Beowulf. Beowulf was the perfect hero. He fought for his people and defeated evil with his ability to bring on justice. Three of Beowulf’s traits that serve as evidence of this were his remarkable physical strength, his ability to put the well-being of others before his own well-being, and his courage.
Beowulf is called upon again to defeat this monster. Beowulf puts on his armour and takes the sword Hrunting and descends into the monster’s lair. Grendel’s mother quickly grabs Beowulf and takes him to the battle arena. Once there, Beowulf fights and finds his sword cannot pierce the monster’s hide. So once again, Beowulf throws his sword aside and fights hand-to-hand. Yet, he could not defeat her with his hands alone. Then Beowulf sees, “hanging on the wall, a heavy, Sword, hammered by giants, strong And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons.” Taking the sword and holding it high above his head he strikes the monster in the neck cutting deep into the skin, breaking bones and all. Thus ending his second heroic battle with a mythical beast and proving that he is indeed worthy of praise. Yet, this is not the greatest of his deeds.
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
In the beginning of the novel, Beowulf takes interest in the plight of Hrothgar, King of Denmark, and wants to help him fight Grendel. Grendel is a large monster that has been harassing members in the mead-hall of the Heorot. Beowulf owes Hrothgar a favor, due to the fact that Hrothgar saved his father in years past. Hrothgar is honored to have Beowulf attempt to fight the swamp monster, and decides to hold a feast in his name. When Grendel shows up to the feast, Beowulf illustrates his bravery by fighting Grendel without any armor. When Beowulf wins the battle by ripping Grendel’s arm off, everyone in the mead-hall praises Beowulf for his acts of courage. In this scene, Beowulf proves that he is a hero by fighting off a monster that everyone else was afraid of. This made him look
Beowulf looked over on the wall next to them and saw a magnificent sword hanging on the wall adorned with beautiful carvings, it was blessed with magic. No normal man could ever have lifted that sword, but Beowulf was no normal being. He waited for the right moment to go and retrieve the sword, and when he found the perfect opportunity and he ran straight towards the wall. He pulled the sword down with great force and began running towards Grendel’s mother. Beowulf took in a deep breath as he leaned back and heaved the sword forward. Beowulf had sliced straight through Grendel’s mother’s scaly neck, blood began to pour everywhere and he heard her bones cracking as the sword passed through her.
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.