In the first part of the book, Beowulf heard of the trouble facing King Hrothgar in Denmark and decided to take action, he arrives to find out that it has been twelve years since anyone has dared step foot inside of Hrothgar or face peril at the hands of Grendel, whose only motivation is to prevent any type of joyous noise. He is routinely described as a descendant of Cain, as a disfigured and ugly creature, with huge and lumbering features…
When Beowulf was first recorded, it was likely written by Christian monks, who either interpreted the story in their own way or simply made edits of their own. This resulted in many nods to Biblical stories, one such nod being that Grendel was descended from Cain. On the other hand, in this day and age, religion is becoming less and less prevalent in everyday life, and for the sake of enjoyment, the religious background of Beowulf had to be…
Deciding what is the best choice for others and deciding what choice is best for us is an ongoing battle. Sometimes the best choice for you might not be the best for others, which deems us selfish. The remaining times, the best choice for others might not be the best choice for us, which judges us as people pleasers. Most audiences can relate to the story of Beowulf because we all battle through these similar conflicts daily. Throughout the poem Beowulf, the audience becomes conscious of the fact that the characters of this time period are continuously fighting two contradicting battles; an external battle between the vicious monsters and an internal battle with human habits of pride, cowardice and self-concern.…
The Anglo-Saxon culture embraces virtues such as courage, strength, loyalty, cunning, and generosity. These virtues are exemplified by the epic hero Beowulf. Beowulf possesses each of these characteristics. Throughout the epic tale of Beowulf, the hero displays each of these virtues through his actions and adventures.…
Literary critics of Beowulf often criticize the poem for its lack of historical accuracy. The lens in which the poem is viewed engenders a view of the poem’s weaknesses and strengths. Many critics fail to think of the poem in a different perspective and thus fail to capture the literary value and strength the author put behind each line and stanza of the poem. J.R.R. Tolkien asserts his view that Beowulf should be criticized as a work of art and not as a historical piece of literature. Furthermore, Tolkien conveys that because of the literary flair the author of Beowulf included in the poem, the work should be considered one of the most successful poems of Old English. Tolkien takes into account the themes of youth and old age and the literary…
The first battle Beowulf is faced with is against Grendel. Grendel decides to attack because he is jealous and hates the joy and happiness he hears from the mead-hall; he decides to attack out of jealousy and annoyance. Beowulf decides to fight Grendel to not only gain glory for himself and to create himself a good reputation, but also to serve as assistance to the people of Herot. At the time of this battle, Beowulf was youthful and proud; he bragged on how he would be able to defeat Grendel and save the people. Beowulf chose to fight Grendel without any weapons in order to be on the same “playing field” as Grendel who was also weaponless. Beowulf asks the king to fight alone, with the help of his men only. He stays awake, awaiting the…
In Beowulf we as readers are not given any sort of background of the humans. When characters are mentioned we are given a brief overview of their family history. Another example would be on pg. 83 of Grendel when Unferth’s encounter with Grendel is mentioned. In Beowulf we as readers have to infer why Unferth was jealous of Beowulf’s prowess. Grendel is a much more detailed description of the story of Beowulf. There is still some bias in both stories because of the points of view they are told in. Grendel is told in the first person obviously since it’s told in the view of the monster while Beowulf is told in third person. However as much as this translation tries to tell a more in depth story, it cannot. This is through no fault of the translator, but of the story itself. However Grendel is just a story of Beowulf put into a different perspective. By no means is Grendel part of the original story from the original manuscript. It’s very interesting to see how much thought was put into Grendel. Grendel was believable more in this age because of the many portrayals of the beast having human qualities. In our era we have Vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein, and lots of Disney movies. Grendel had a very interesting perspective, and gave very valuable…
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself" -Joseph Campbell. The story I'm writing about is the Epic poem call Beowulf, which was translated by Burton Raftel. Beowulf is a hero who defeated many monster that are killing innocent people. In his life, as a hero, Beowulf shows that he is bossy, independent, and fearless; which are all the qualities of a real Epic hero.…
“You have created a monster and it will destroy you” (Garrett Fort). Beowulf translated by John McNamara, the character Grendel plays an important role in aspects such as being an outcast, a murderer, and a “monster”.…
Part A- Beowulf like all epic hero’s is strong loyal and brave. These characteristic are what define Beowulf, and instill fear is his enemies. He boasts about “(driving) / five great giants into chains” (248-249) and “In the blackness of night, hunting monsters” (251). Beowulf protects his followers and king, and is proud of his accomplishments. He strives for greatness, his words are arrogant but his actions shine through his overbearing pride and give him the capability to be heroic. (Part B) Beowulf is an epic hero; he takes great pride in his actions, unlike Grendel who feels jealous of humans which causes him to be spiteful towards them: “ Grendel snatched at the first Geat / He came to (and) Ripped him apart” (313-314). Grendel’s pride lays in the fear he instills on humans, without pride Grendel would be a monster with no motive to kill. Furthermore, Beowulf’s pride stems…
In the epic Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero however in today's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.…
Who is your favorite superhero? There are many heroes around us and some we may not know. The very first hero is Beowulf he was a hero to his people and done many good. He was the one who started doing well.…
way. Rather than attacking him with a sword like every other Geat, he grabs onto…
Beowulf is said to be a hero because he defeated Grendel and stopped him from…
When I sent my son out into Herot, the meadhall of Hrothgar, I knew he would shower a reign of terror upon all the land, and that is exactly what he did. Grendel terrorized Herot, just as I had so many years before. I was so proud of my son, and of myself that I could finally sit back and pass the torch to the next dominant sea monster. However, Grendel's end came before his time, and even before mine. To my shock and disbelief, someone had overcome my son. That someone went by the name of Beowulf. My Grendel, my own blood, was dead at the hands of that feeder-of-ravens.…