This essay is going to describe someone`s character traits that I read about. A fictional character named Beowulf. He is a larger than life character of Epic proportions. Beowulf was a warrior, who was honorable, brave, and courageous.…
Vengeance in Beowulf is a very important theme for reasons of glory and riches etc. This can be seen in battles involving vengeance such as Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s Mother, Beowulf’s battle with the dragon, and in short stories that include battles and fiends between kingdoms and individuals.…
Beowulf can be analyzed in an endless numbers of ways. There are different morals, themes, and meanings behind the story. A common meaning, maybe even the most important, is the dual ordeal in Beowulf. The dual ordeal is an external battle with vicious opponents and an internal battle with human tendencies of pride, greed, cowardice, betrayal, and self concern. Each external battle Beowulf wins, his internal battle grows.…
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ (Matthew 5:38). As stated in the bible, revenge has been around for a long time, since the beginning of time. With this in mind, the epic poem, Beowulf, ties into the idea of revenge. Beowulf is an epic poem, originally written in Anglo-Saxon. Though the original author is unknown, it has been translated by Burton Raffel. The story follows an epic hero, Beowulf, who travels to modern day Denmark, to fight a monster named Grendel who is terrorizing the king, Hrothgar, and his people. Back to the main point, the main theme of Beowulf is revenge, for Grendel’s attack on Herot, Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, and Grendel’s mother’s attack.…
Toxic. Evil. Cruel. In the epic poem Beowulf a villain, Grendel preyed on innocent humans when nighttime fell. Grendel was a demonic monster and needed to be stopped. Beowulf came to the rescue and saved Herots people from this creature. Drugs and Alcohol are very toxic to your body and even can cause death. Although they bear many superficial similarities, the differences between Grendel and alcohol and drug addiction are striking.…
The epic poem Beowulf is a memorable because opens to the Anglo-Saxon literature. It is a synthesis between to the Greek, Latin, Germanic and Christian Literature. Beowulf is an imaginative poem that realizes a deep human drama as the fleeting of existence.…
The true strength lies not within the number or quantity, but within every desire and dedication of one’s heart. The present time needs heroes, heroes that will show true strength and courage. Courage that will lead this lost generation for a change. Each day every one of us faces different problems. Problems that will test our strength and willingness. Do what others cannot, what others will not even against the odd. If it is the desire of your heart and blessed by morality.…
A couple is enjoying a lovely ride through the cornfields on a summer day. Suddenly a small, shiny spacecraft crash lands next to the couple. They run to the craft and inspect it, they open the lid to reveal a baby. The couple adopts the baby and he grows to become the greatest superhero of all time, Superman. The same type of story happened thousands of years prior, this time we travel to the land of the Danes. Beowulf arrives on a ship, requesting the presence of the king. He is here to save Hrothgar’s people and slay Grendel. Beowulf was the first real superhero and his story is legendary.…
The hero has forever stood as a prime example of who we should be and who we should strive to become. However most stories which that have a hero tell the tale of how the hero overcame tribulation in his own life or perhaps within his own character to rise to the challenge set before him. So if a hero is who we should strive to be, which of the hero’s flaws do we accept, or are his flaws simply something that helped him become the hero he is? Beowulf is one of the first epic stories of time which has been properly recorded and just like any other heroic ballad our hero is not perfect. From the onset of the story it is easy to see that Beowulf is a very hubris or prideful young man, but is that a good thing or does it hinder him in his quest? The story itself brings to light Beowulf's pridefulness when Healfdene’s son Hrothgar warns Beowulf about being too prideful: “Pride overpowering gathers and grows! The warder slumbers, the guard of his spirit; Too sound is that sleep, too sluggish the weight Of worldly affairs, too pressing the Foe, The Archer who loses the arrows of sin”. The older and wiser of the two men, the king is warning Beowulf that his hubris might be his downfall, like so many other young heroes. The fact that Christians were the ones to document this story also adds to the importance of humility, which is a strong Christian belief.…
In epics, the faithfulness and loyalty of characters are put to the test in relationships and conflicts. Through these situations, some thanes fail to live up to the ideal of loyalty. However, Beowulf maintains loyal to his alliances through all struggles which illustrates his extraordinary faithfulness. In the epic Beowulf, Beowulf emphasizes the ideal of loyalty throughout his relationship with his lord Higlac and his host Hrothgar.…
Revenge, the common instinctual sense of self-justice exists in us all. Its manifestations may be observed through primitive, physical violence, skulking, character-assassination, or perhaps by simply taking it to authorities for them to dish out cold justice. Our need for vengeance unites us, while our actions with it divide us. The unknown author of Beowulf, however, was able to add more uses to revenge. The author drove the plot through cause and effect, showed how alike characters are through their actions, yet distant through their motivations, and even showed the toll of revenge.…
Valor is often seen as an upside to someone’s personality, but when very brave, it mistakenly leads to being brave in situations where the dispute is unfavorable. Excessive bravery leads to careless or unneeded acts, times when doing something is insane. Having too much courage results in recklessness. Courage takes over rationality, the outcome being unwise choices, which leads to consequences. In both passages the qualities of bravery leads to unnecessary risks.…
Evil has no definitive interpretation; it is a matter of morals and the mindset of the being. It depends on the person to define such an ambiguous idea, some have faith in God(s), others look to dictionary definitions. Though based on Grendel’s intelligence and his repeatedly disgusting acts, he is evil. He is an astute being that can comprehend what kind of pain he creates by his ways, and he has no remorse for anything. Grendel’s actions are revolting, from ruining Wealhtheow, to killing harmless beings, to many spouts of unprovoked violence.…
Betrayal. Deceit. The Rosenbergs. Described by History.com as a married couple, with two sons, they were convicted of leading a spy ring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. Controversy over the death sentence ensued, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower replied that “...the Rosenbergs may have condemned to death tens of millions of innocent people all over the world”; that the death of millions is even graver than the death of two ("Rosenbergs Executed"). Besides the controversy over the sentence and execution, the betrayal, or the idea of betrayal, threw people into a fit of arguing and debate. Just as a nation goes into uproar about espionage, aiding the enemy and defying one’s character, a friend or a family will go into a proportional uproar over lying and irresponsibility, pushing aside one’s values and morals. While the characters in Beowulf and Lord of the Flies show loyalty in conquering the beast in the forest, the struggle to accept their identity causes strife within the characters.…
myself) the pride of online fame. When assessing Beowulf's personality, we need to keep in mind the era Beowulf takes place in (a few hundred years A.D. or so). To appear weak, to appear soft-spoken, and to appear unimportant was social suicide, whether you actually were these things or not. For example, the old king, hindered by old age, loses a dangerous amount of moral from his people from allowing Grendel to attack the hall every night for twelve years.…