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About beowulf
The significance of beowulf
Significance of the beowulf story
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In life, there are many motivations to make people do certain things. Money, love, and power are three of the most common motivations for people. According to the Anglo-Saxon code this is not the case for what motivates them. In the Old English epic poem Beowulf, there are many factors that motivate Beowulf to fight the three monsters. The first monster is Grendel who is followed by the second monster which is Grendel's mom. The final monster is a fearsome dragon who is out for revenge. In the epic poem Beowulf, the three things that motivate Beowulf to fight the monsters are duty, glory, and treasure. Beowulf’s motivation to fight off Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf is that it is his duty. A duty is something that a person must …show more content…
Someone from the Land of the Geats has stolen fro the dragon while it slept. Now, the dragon is out for revenge. Beowulf knows that he must fight the dragon although he is old and not as strong as he once was. As Beowulf is tragically injured as of his soldiers run except for Wiglaf. Together Wiglaf and Beowulf destroy the dragon. As Beowulf dies he gives the kingdom to Wiglaf and tells him to build a lighthouse in his memory. The treasure that Beowulf gets from the dragon can either be physical or emotional. It conveys on page 64 line 867, “Crying that no better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise.” The physical treasure is the treasure and riches of the dragon, while the emotional treasure is helping his people. There are many different things that can motivate people. There are three major motivators for Beowulf to fight the three monsters in the epic poem Beowulf. Duty is what motivated Beowulf to fight Grendel. Although Beowulf may have not wanted to fight Grendel he knew he had to. Beowulf was motivated by glory to fight against Grendel’s mom. Beowulf had to achieve something that would make his name live on after he had died. Treasure motivated Beowulf to fight against the dragon. Beowulf got both a physical treasure and an emotional treasure from his victory over the
The battle with Grendel represents the youth of Beowulf's life. The typical youth is very brave and fights for fame. Beowulf shows how the battle with Grendel is a representation of the youth of Beowulf's life by going to Hrothgar and asking him if he can fight Grendel for him and his people. Beowulf shows this trait when he says,
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
Which is to slay the dragon that continues to attack the villages and farms of Geatland.“ Beowulf spoke, made a formal boast for the last time:” I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his earth-fort and face me in the open.” (lines 2510-2515), being his final words to his people before he sets out to slay the dragon. While battling the dragon Beowulf gets burned and injured badly. All his men are frightened by this and run off besides Wiglaf. “ The nobel son of Weohstan saw the king in danger at his side and displayed his inborn bravery and strength(lines 2694-2626).... Once again the king gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife he carried on his belt, sharpened in battle , He stuck it deep into the dragon’s flank. Beowulf dealt it a deadly wound. They had killed the enemy, courage quelled his life; that pair of kinsmen, partners in nobility, had destroyed the foe. So every man should act, be at hand when needed;”( lines 2702-2710). Even though beowulf and wiglaf slay the dragon king Beowulf dies from his injuries. “ The dragon from underearth, his nightmarish destroyed as well.” (lines 2824-2826). After this tragic loss Wiglaf orders seven men to collect the dragon 's treasure. What remained after was placed in the barrow as a memorial
Early in the poem, Beowulf hears accounts of Grendel’s destruction of Herot, Hrothgar’s majestic mead hall. Knowing his strength and military prowess, Beowulf immediately devises a plan, recruits men, and orders boats, thrusting himself into a battle that was not necessarily his to fight. Beowulf felt obligated to end Grendel’s reign of terror. Though he knew the death of Grendel would bring him fame and honor, the idealized Beowulf was able to set aside personal ambition in order to end the suffering of the Danes. Shortly after slaying Grendel, Beowulf again displays an awareness of duty when Grendel’s mother extracts revenge upon Herot, killing one of Hrothgar’s best men, Aeshere. Instead of leaving Herot in a state of frenzy, Beowulf comes to King Hrothgar’s side, pledging allegiance and service. Bolstering the defeated king’s moral, Beowulf boldly addresses the older King Hrothgar saying, “So arise, my lord, and let us immediately set forth on the trail of this troll-dam. I guarantee you: she will not get away, not to dens under ground nor upland groves nor the ocean floor. She’ll have nowhere to fall to. Endure your troubles to-day. Bear up and be the man I expect you to be.” Beowulf could not set aside his duty and obligation, though he knew full well the suffering and pain that might result from his actions. Thus, Beowulf is a portrait of
“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
The mighty warrior Beowulf volunteered to help fight off the monster, Grendel. Beowulf showed great bravery because even though Grendel over sized Beowulf, he still accepted the challenge. He also showed strength, Grendel’s head was so massive that four men each had to carry it, but Beowulf could handle the head all by himself. Lastly, Beowulf revealed loyalty by coming to Hrothgar’s assistance, to help with defeating Grendel. Even after Beowulf became King he went to his last battle to defeat the dragon without any help from his
During these battles Beowulf is motivated by his search for glory. Beowulf’s remotivation during his final battle is a perfect example of this. Beowulf is “inspired again by the thought of glory” during this battle (181). The thought of glory gives him the strength he needs to carry on and defeat his enemy. Beowulf also starts the beginning of the same battle stating that he will “pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (171). These quotes show that the main reason Beowulf battles the dragon is for the glory it will bring him, and this battle is not the only battle wherein Beowulf is fueled by his quest for glory. Beowulf also pursues his battle with Grendel in order to “prove [himself] a proud deed” (43). This proud deed is the first of Beowulf’s great deeds and is the first deed to truly bring him great glory and honor. Even though Beowulf’s fight with Grendel is the first to bring Beowulf glory, Beowulf is said to have been searching for a way to gain glory since before the epic even begun. In one example of this, Beowulf challenges a man to a swimming contest, going through the ordeal “just to prove that he could win” (35). This contest proves Beowulf’s willingness to prove himself and to seek victory in even the small contests and feats. The feats that Beowulf preforms are in order to receive glory, and Beowulf does indeed receive glory for
The epic entitled “Beowulf” introduces its main character, Beowulf as a strong and mighty warrior who has proved his superhuman strength and endurance. As quoted in Beowulf 's introduction, “In his far off home Beowulf, Higlac 's follower and the strongest of the Geats- greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world-” (109-111) His power and strength is known by many and he continues to prove his might with every victory he achieves in the duration of this epic story. Although, many question why Beowulf fights the monsters voluntarily, seen as he is not obligated to do so. After analyzing this epic, one can come to the conclusion that Beowulf 's motivations for fighting
Pride manifests itself into many different forms and will sometimes overshadow a person 's good judgement, in turn affecting their actions. It is truly the cause for the rise and fall of men for centuries and thus has become one of the greatest concepts to be addressed in British literature. Throughout the literary works studied this semester, some form of pride has always presented itself as a major theme.
This quote is one of many examples of Beowulf’s pride. Beowulf, a strong warrior, wants to fight Grendel, a malicious monster. Although his adventure is seen to benefit his honor and glory, he is thoughtful of others and gives his time, labor, and treasures to them. The Anglo-Saxons hold a high respect for pride and sacrifice. Beowulf’s lust for glory and pride is obvious he wants to be known and feared. But throughout the story there is an unspoken tone about his constant charity. When he fights a monster for
In Beowulf the classic epic, Beowulf, the hero of the epic, and other major characters reflect heroic ideals and beliefs of courage, generosity, unquestioning loyalty and devotion. Courage is most evident throughout Beowulf Beowulf does not back down from any challenge that stands in his way whether it be Grendel, Grendel’s mother, or the dragon. His bravery is most evident in his preparation for his fight with Grendel, Beowulf, “took off his shirt of armour, the helmet from his head, handed his embellished sword, best of irons to an attendant,…” He chose to bravely fight his foe, man to beast without weaponery for he knew it would be “cowardly” to defeat Grendel with a sword and armor when Grendel himself had none. Even in his latter years, as an aged man, he would personally go an...
When the story begins, Beowulf has gone to the land of the Danes to kill Grendel for the people, not for the glory. Beowulf brings his own hand picked, group of soldiers with him throughout his battles, and refuses to allow help from others. Beowulf also tells the readers he will not use weapons unless necessary. Before the battle against Grendel, a Denmark officer states, “A chosen warrior who bravely does battle with the creature haunting our people, who survives that horror unhurt, and goes home bearing our love” (ln. 210). Also, when Beowulf’s men abandon him in the battle against the dragon, he does not choose to run in fear, but to continue fighting. In this moment much like in his past, Beowulf shows how honorable he really
Throughout the heroic poem, Beowulf demonstrates his sense of duty and justice in numerous events. During the preparation for battle with grendel, Beowulf displays his passion for justice by exclaiming, “That this one favor you should not refuse me-- / That I, alone and with the help of my men, / May purge all evil from this hall.” (164-166). This quote signifies Beowulf’s integrity and devotion to his people. Another instance when Beowulf demonstrates a sense of duty and justice is after he defeats Grendel’s mother. As he was exiting the cave after his success, Beowulf encounters Grendel’s lifeless body and severs his head to bring to the King; “He sought Hrothgar / To salute him and show Grendel’s head.” (601). The act of Beowulf bringing Grendel’s severed head to Hrothgar signifies the importance of justice to Beowulf. Moreover, Beowulf exemplifies how a hero should care for his people by saying, “For all of this, that His grace has given me, allowed me to bring to my people while breath / Still came to my lips.” (807-809). This quote signifies Beowulf’s sense of duty and justice because he demonstrates his responsibility for the safety of his people and the success of the kingdom. A great hero has a sense of urgency when his kingdom is in harm’s way and a passion for justice regardless of the consequences. Evidently, Beowulf encompasses a sense of duty and justice throughout his
“Feeling important makes one heavy, clumsy, and vain. To be a warrior one needs to be light and fluid,” Carlos Castaneda. For the Angelo Saxon Warriors, “Fighting was a way of life, and not to avenge the death of a family member was a social disgrace, so endlessly intricate blood-feuds generated perpetual excuses for going to war.” (Mursell, Gordon, 1997)These people believed they must work together to fight, not one individual is more powerful. Beowulf learned this later, his first two battles he fought alone, but he soon realized he could not do it alone, he needed help. He received a lot of the glory; however, he had much help. He was a true leader and warrior, because in the end he died for his people. In the epic of Beowulf, Beowulf has three main motivations for his actions.
The origins of the Anglo-Saxon code can be traced back to the earliest recording of the English language. This recording is an epic monologue know as Beowolf. In this piece of literature an ancient Geatish warrior named Beowolf fights three monsters throughout the course of the three part epic. Beowolf was not forced to fight these monsters (Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon}; so, what then was the hero’s purpose in these quests?