Beowulf: 1500 Years Separating The Ancient Anglo-Saxon Society
Beowulf 1500 Years Later
With over 1500 years separating the ancient Anglo-Saxon society from the modern day society an average person would believe there are no similarities. However, as portrayed in the epic poem Beowulf many similarities are present in ideals and traditions. The ideals portrayed by the main character Beowulf are extremely similar to the ideals the current society lives by.
The Anglo-Saxons show throughout the story of Beowulf the traits of extreme bravery, violence, and the memorials of their fallen heroes. Beowulf shows extreme bravery when fighting Grendel’s mom. Beowulf swims down a murky filthy lake to retrieve his target and defeat her. The narrator yelled, “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s/ …show more content…
answer; the heaping water covered/ him over” (Beowulf lines 570-572). The Anglo-Saxons loved the heroic member of the society, Beowulf portrays this hero when he jumps into the lake to get Grendel’s mom. The Anglo-Saxons strived and lived off violence. When Beowulf duels Grendel the monster, he does not hold back. The narrator graphically describes, “But his power had gone./ He twisted in pain, and the bleeding/ sinews deep in his shoulder snapped. Muscle and /bone split and broke, the battle was over” (495-499). Beowulf, in the eyes of the Anglo-Saxons, is a great hero to the Geats and Danes. When he is ultimately dethroned by the Dragon the society set up a memorial in his honor. The narrator explained, “The brave Geats build me a tomb/ When the funeral flames have burned me and built it/ here at the water’s edge, high on this spit of land, so sailors can see/ this tower and remember my name and call it/ Beowulf’s tower” (810-815). Beowulf’s tower shows that the Anglo-Saxons memorialized the fallen heroes of the time. He is a great warrior and they reward him by giving him his own tomb. The society of the Anglo-Saxons revolved around violence, heroism, and the ability to bury their dead.
The society of the 2000’s shares many of the same qualities as its ancestors some 1500 years ago.
While the modern day society may not have great warriors in their world they have a different breed of heroes. People make brave decisions every day. Whether it would be a police officer arresting a murderer or a fireman running into a burning building, there is constantly a hero around. The population sees violence as a form of entertainment. Many video games are extreme cases of violence. Games like “Call of Duty” are solely based on killing the opponent. Many people fuel their desire for violence by paying for it, the Ultimate Fighting Championships or better known as “UFC” require customers to pay up to $60 dollars to watch two grown men beat each other to the brink of unconsciousness. As a society violence is something that is required for every day function. Just like in Beowulf, the heroes of the United States of America are forever held in a National Memorial. The Washington monument in Washington, D.C is in remembrance of the first President. It is a very large tower just like in the story of Beowulf. The Anglo-Saxons never forgot their great hero, and the citizens of the United States will never forget theirs. After 1500 years many of the same traditions and traits of the Anglo-Saxons are present in the present
world.
The traits portrayed by the great hero Beowulf are present in current day life as well as 1500 years in the past. The story Beowulf shows many traits of the Anglo-Saxon society. Three of these were bravery, violence and the ability to memorialize their heroes. Many of these traits have been passed along after 1500 years and that right there is remarkable.
With over 1500 years separating the ancient Anglo-Saxon society from the modern day society an average person would believe there are no similarities. However, as portrayed in the epic poem Beowulf many similarities are present in ideals and traditions. The ideals portrayed by the main character Beowulf are extremely similar to the ideals the current society lives by.
The Anglo-Saxons show throughout the story of Beowulf the traits of extreme bravery, violence, and the memorials of their fallen heroes. Beowulf shows extreme bravery when fighting Grendel’s mom. Beowulf swims down a murky filthy lake to retrieve his target and defeat her. The narrator yelled, “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s/ …show more content…
answer; the heaping water covered/ him over” (Beowulf lines 570-572). The Anglo-Saxons loved the heroic member of the society, Beowulf portrays this hero when he jumps into the lake to get Grendel’s mom. The Anglo-Saxons strived and lived off violence. When Beowulf duels Grendel the monster, he does not hold back. The narrator graphically describes, “But his power had gone./ He twisted in pain, and the bleeding/ sinews deep in his shoulder snapped. Muscle and /bone split and broke, the battle was over” (495-499). Beowulf, in the eyes of the Anglo-Saxons, is a great hero to the Geats and Danes. When he is ultimately dethroned by the Dragon the society set up a memorial in his honor. The narrator explained, “The brave Geats build me a tomb/ When the funeral flames have burned me and built it/ here at the water’s edge, high on this spit of land, so sailors can see/ this tower and remember my name and call it/ Beowulf’s tower” (810-815). Beowulf’s tower shows that the Anglo-Saxons memorialized the fallen heroes of the time. He is a great warrior and they reward him by giving him his own tomb. The society of the Anglo-Saxons revolved around violence, heroism, and the ability to bury their dead.
The society of the 2000’s shares many of the same qualities as its ancestors some 1500 years ago.
While the modern day society may not have great warriors in their world they have a different breed of heroes. People make brave decisions every day. Whether it would be a police officer arresting a murderer or a fireman running into a burning building, there is constantly a hero around. The population sees violence as a form of entertainment. Many video games are extreme cases of violence. Games like “Call of Duty” are solely based on killing the opponent. Many people fuel their desire for violence by paying for it, the Ultimate Fighting Championships or better known as “UFC” require customers to pay up to $60 dollars to watch two grown men beat each other to the brink of unconsciousness. As a society violence is something that is required for every day function. Just like in Beowulf, the heroes of the United States of America are forever held in a National Memorial. The Washington monument in Washington, D.C is in remembrance of the first President. It is a very large tower just like in the story of Beowulf. The Anglo-Saxons never forgot their great hero, and the citizens of the United States will never forget theirs. After 1500 years many of the same traditions and traits of the Anglo-Saxons are present in the present
world.
The traits portrayed by the great hero Beowulf are present in current day life as well as 1500 years in the past. The story Beowulf shows many traits of the Anglo-Saxon society. Three of these were bravery, violence and the ability to memorialize their heroes. Many of these traits have been passed along after 1500 years and that right there is remarkable.