Violence is a recurring theme for many stories, particularly in the York Play of the Crucifixion and Beowulf. The York Play of the Crucifixion went into detail of the soldiers’ task to crucify Jesus. Violence was a reflection of their job and of the times at hand. Beowulf is a heroic story of how one man concurred many monsters, his violent acts made him superior to others, making him a great King. This glorified him amongst the people. These two stories utilize violence in different aspects, while at the same time uniting their enjoyment to inflict more pain to their adversaries. Violence in the York Play of the Crucifixion was just a job to these men: “Now sen we four shall do this deed, and meddle with this unthrifty thing, let no man spare …show more content…
for special speed, till that we have made ending.” (442). These soldiers want to do a thorough job; violence was just a natural aspect of their assignment. However, they did enjoy inflicting more pain: “Let see, what bourd his bale might beet.” (443). They were increasing his suffering, by tightening the knots that bound him to the cross. In the quote “beet” refers to what trick they could do to increase his suffering. These soldiers were ordinary men forced into doing a terrible job. They made the best out of their situation but view their victim as an evil criminal; they also viewed Jesus as a babbling fool (446). The soldiers justified their acts of violence because Jesus was a traitor to Rome. In Beowulf, violence was used more as a heroic act rather than a job. Violence is a central part to the plot, the whole story is based upon different deeds Beowulf did to protect the people. Beowulf as a character himself grew tremendously throughout the story. When he was young he focused on killing Grendel, then killing Grendel’s mother due to a blood feud. This blood feud occurred because Grendel was killed, she came to avenge her son’s death, killing a soldier to prove a point. While this soldier was being mourned Beowulf spoke saying: “Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.” (72). Thus sparking the men into wanting to go get revenge for their fellow soldier, leading to the destruction of Grendel’s mother. After this, Beowulf waited 50 years before going into battle again, this time being killed as he killed the dragon. Although the acts of violence are consistent in producing pain, suffering, and death, the two stories utilize the violent acts in very different ways.
In the crucifixion, violence was used to distinguish the soldiers from regular people. Soldiers used violence, like they did to Jesus, to scare the people into obeying the laws that Rome put in place. Jesus was crucified because he was a traitor to Rome – according to the soldiers. Unlike how violence was used in Beowulf, where (the author) used violence to graphically describe the characters strength and position within society. The heroes’ are building up their own reputation rather than using violence to maintain control of the civilization. Those that preform violent acts were depicted as leaders, while others were looked upon as weak cowards. After King Hrothgar slights him during a banquet, Beowulf retells accounts of previous battles in horrific detail to reestablish his reputation: “So every elder and experienced councilman among my people supported my resolve to come here to you, King Hrothgar, because all knew of my awesome strength. They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea slaughtered sea-brutes.” (50). It’s evident that violence is a main game changer for the characters of both stories, even though it was used
differently. Both literary works utilize the power of violence to set the tone of the story, characters, and theme. The York Play of the Crucifixion depicts violence as a normal aspect of a Roman soldier’s life. The acts are performed like a mundane assignment. The personal aspect of violence isn’t a reflection of hate or distain. Instead, it is simply a necessary part of performing their job. Beowulf uses violence to set the tone of the story, characters, and theme by creating the imagery of a violent world where the leaders establish their dominance through violence. The literary use of violence can evoke a wide range of emotions, imagery, and realism.
Violence is regularly used in novels because, “It can be symbolic, thematic, biblical, Shakespearean, Romantic, allegorical, transcendent. ...Violence in literature, though, while it is literal, is usually also something else. That...punch in the nose may be a metaphor,” (Foster 49). There are two types of violence found in literature: intentional violence and authorial violence. The first type of violence is typical violence such as shootings, stabbings, drownings, and hit-and-run accidents to name a few. In this category, characters will inflict this type of behavior on themselves or on another character. The second type of violence, however, is meant solely to further the plot without another character’s intention. An example of this “narrative violence” is a death resulting from natural causes or a tragic accident that did not involve another character. Violence created by a specific injury that authors cause characters to visit on one another or on themselves. Both types of violence have similarities and differences. In both, the characters are killed off with the same goals of furthering plot or creating stressful situations for the characters. A difference between the intentional violence and narrative violence is that narrative violence does not involve a guilty party like intentional violence does. To Kill a
In the epic poem of Beowulf, written by an unknown monk in about 725 AD, the Anglo-Saxon virtue of comitatus is displayed as a slowly dying aspect of life. Comitatus is the basic idea that everyone protects the king at all costs even if it means a warrior giving up his own life, and if a king is killed, the warriors must avenge the death of the king or they can no longer serve as warriors for the next king. This value of comitatus is displayed mostly through the three battles that Beowulf encounters during the epic poem. An analysis of the three battles is important because Beowulf’s choice of weapons, behavior of the Thanes, and preparation for and attitude toward battle all emphasize the death of the Anglo-Saxon virtue of comitatus.
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
In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.
The Crusades were a bloody time period. They were a military campaign by the pope and the Roman Catholic Church to take back Jerusalem from the Muslims. They lasted from the 11th- 13th century. They were catastrophic and left Europe in ruins. Although the Crusades were such a violent period of time, they had a positive impact in history because of their role in the renaissance and exposing the Western world to the Eastern.
Beowulf portrays the life a warrior turned king who demonstrates the qualities that not only the ideal king should have, but also the ideal warrior should exhibit. This allows the reader to notice how kings in the past were, and the power they possessed over the people of the area.
Throughout many types of literature, violence exists to enhance the readers interest in order to add a sense of excitement or conflict to a novel. This statement withholds much truthfulness due to the fact that without violence in a piece of literature such as Dracula by Bram Stoker, the plot would not have the same impact if it was lacking violence. Dracula's power and evilness led to the violent happenings which began with the conflict of Jonathan's inner struggle, as compared to the conflict which blossomed later on with good versus evil.
In this essay, I will uncover the countless insights that can be learned about the characters in Beowulf, as well as the society as a whole, based on the weapons the characters choose to use in battle. During the Anglo-Saxon time, roughly between 400 and 1066, swords were considered the most precious weapon someone could own. Although it is not certain who wrote Beowulf, and when, many people believe it was composed in the middle to end of the Anglo-Saxon period. Analyzing the different weapons, and significance of each, in Beowulf, and comparing them to the weaponry at the time, provides the readers with a great deal of insight into the society during this period. The use of weapons in Beowulf not only provides the readers with insight into
Beowulf is an interesting story in that it has a meaning that is firmly rooted in fantasy creatures based in mythical origins while providing insight into religious ideals and practices of the time. It also speaks of tradition and the struggle of man against things perceived as evil. In this tradition especially, Beowulf is an incredible allegory regarding the struggle of good and evil in the Christian tradition.
In his Crucifixion, with the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist Mourning (c.1460), a piece within the Northern Renaissance collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rogier van der Weyden portrays a stark image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The right panel of the diptych depicts the gruesome image of a crucified Christ. Weight pulls the emaciated body down into a Y-shape, contrasting the T-shape of the cross it is mounted on. The only movement comes from the loincloth wrapped around Christ’s waist that dances in the wind. Blood visibly trickles from the corpse’s wounds. Behind the body, a red cloth is draped down the grey wall. At the base of the cross sits a skull and bone. The left panel portrays the Virgin Mary swooning in despair as Saint John attempts to support her weight. Her hands are clasped in prayer as she gazes up at her lifeless son. Both figures are clothed in pale draping robes. The vibrant red of the cloth that hangs from the grey wall in the background contrasts the subdued colors of the
The oldest of the great lengthy poems written in English and perhaps the lone survivor of a genre of Anglo-Saxon epics, Beowulf, was written by an unknown Christian author at a date that is only estimated. Even so, it is a remarkable narrative story in which the poet reinvigorates the heroic language, style, and values of Germanic oral poetry. He intertwines a number of themes including good and evil, youth and old age, paganism and Christianity and the heroic ideal code, into his principal narrative and numerous digressions and episodes; all of which were extremely important to his audience at the time. Vengeance, part of the heroic code, was regarded differently by the two distinct religions. Christianity teaches to forgive those who trespass against us, whereas in the pagan world, revenge is typical and not considered an evil act. In Beowulf, the ancient German proverb "revenge does not long remain unrevenged" is strictly adhered to and verifies that revenge is part of pagan tradition.
The epic and oral poem Beowulf illustrates a loss of community, cultural values, and tradition. Beowulf, the main character, is an ideal king and archetypal warrior. History is relevant to Beowulf; this Germanic society was being taken over by Christian missionaries who were seeking to convert this culture. The character of Beowulf is a reflection of the Germanic culture's virtues; heroism is emphasized in the text's multiple references and constant focus on heroes and what it is to be a hero. Beowulf, who is reflective of an older generation of heroes, strives for community. In contrast, Christianity's focus is on the individual. This conflict is ended once Beowulf, a figure of the past and the old world, passes on. With Beowulf, the hero dies. Hence, Beowulf's efforts to keep his culture and his ethics alive are impossible as war and Christianity conquer the Germanic land.
Pictures drawn by monks allowed illiterate medieval people to develop thoughts of right and wrong. Beowulf is an example of a dramatic tale preserved by the Christian monks. The dramatic tale was a model for the medieval people to practice their piety. Since, Beowulf fought against a monster, ogre, and a dragon he becomes a warrior and this demonstrate his display of piety because as an old man he kills the dragon. The tale of Beowulf is a valuable story to the medieval people because the values shows warriors in the story of Beowulf being loyal serving their king till his death. Plus, it shows practices of the warrior piety to the king. Adding to this the tale allows society to take upon having piety since the king Beowulf was rewarding the warriors for their
The last battle in Beowulf was against the fierce dragon that could also be saw as the power of Satan. During this battle Beowulf chooses to use a weapon because of the dragon’s deadly venom, it would only be fair. It was a hard fight but Beowulf wasn’t capable of defeating the dragon. This battle could be compared to the will of Christ, in which Christ gave his life for the people, while Beowulf did the same. The dragon now represents the evil a man must fight in order to preserve the good in life. Although Beowulf was defeated, it was not shamelessly, just like Christ he saved the people. Beowulf had a good heart but was sometimes overturned by the bad influences in life. He represents the fact that everyone makes mistakes, you can’t be perfect all the time, everyone’s bound to lose.
In Beowulf’s younger years, he personified all of the best values of the heroic culture when saving another kingdom from their demons. Beowulf’s willingness to sacrifice his life in order to save strangers his father owed a debt to is quite selfless. His bravery comes into play when he remains unchanged in his resolve even after hearing of all the King’s men and subjects slain by the beast.