beowulf essay
Jordan Allred
9/3/13
Period 4
A Chain of Revenge When in a fight, everyone always wants to throw the last punch or have the last say in the matter. They will not rest until something is done to satisfy them. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Charles W Kennedy, Beowulf illustrates how he and other characters in the story contradict the Christian ideal of forgiveness by using revenge. In this epic poem, the characters seem to always use revenge in their life. Constantly, either Beowulf or the gruesome monsters are exacting revenge on one another. All of this can be shown in the story of Beowulf. The first act of revenge in the poem is when Beowulf goes to king Hrothgar’s kingdom and slays Grendel. When Beowulf goes to Hrothgar’s kingdom, Beowulf speaks to Hrothgar, saying, “Single-handed I’ll settle the strife!” (Line 329) Beowulf is very determined to avenge king Hrothgar’s kingdom because they have been under attack from Grendel for the past 12 years. King Hrothgar is rejoices when Beowulf says that he will kill Grendel when He says, Speak of great deeds as your heart may spur you!” (Line 373) King Hrothgar is greatly pleased because he too has been seeking revenge on Grendel for his devious actions. King Hrothgar has no choice but to submit to the monster because he could not do anything about it. But alas, he finally has the opportunity to get revenge on the beast so he accepts Beowulf’s help. After the battle with Grendel, Beowulf gives a long heroic speech on how he was able to kill Grendel by saying, “By the favor of God we won the fight.”(Line 699) When saying this speech, Beowulf’s
Allred 2 shows proudness to the people of god and that without god, he could not have revenge on Grendel. Overall, Beowulf uses revenge to take care of troubles that happen to him. The next act of revenge is when Grendel’s mother comes into the picture. The troll wife is angry when Beowulf kills her son, Grendel. She wants revenge on the Danes for doing such
9/3/13
Period 4
A Chain of Revenge When in a fight, everyone always wants to throw the last punch or have the last say in the matter. They will not rest until something is done to satisfy them. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Charles W Kennedy, Beowulf illustrates how he and other characters in the story contradict the Christian ideal of forgiveness by using revenge. In this epic poem, the characters seem to always use revenge in their life. Constantly, either Beowulf or the gruesome monsters are exacting revenge on one another. All of this can be shown in the story of Beowulf. The first act of revenge in the poem is when Beowulf goes to king Hrothgar’s kingdom and slays Grendel. When Beowulf goes to Hrothgar’s kingdom, Beowulf speaks to Hrothgar, saying, “Single-handed I’ll settle the strife!” (Line 329) Beowulf is very determined to avenge king Hrothgar’s kingdom because they have been under attack from Grendel for the past 12 years. King Hrothgar is rejoices when Beowulf says that he will kill Grendel when He says, Speak of great deeds as your heart may spur you!” (Line 373) King Hrothgar is greatly pleased because he too has been seeking revenge on Grendel for his devious actions. King Hrothgar has no choice but to submit to the monster because he could not do anything about it. But alas, he finally has the opportunity to get revenge on the beast so he accepts Beowulf’s help. After the battle with Grendel, Beowulf gives a long heroic speech on how he was able to kill Grendel by saying, “By the favor of God we won the fight.”(Line 699) When saying this speech, Beowulf’s
Allred 2 shows proudness to the people of god and that without god, he could not have revenge on Grendel. Overall, Beowulf uses revenge to take care of troubles that happen to him. The next act of revenge is when Grendel’s mother comes into the picture. The troll wife is angry when Beowulf kills her son, Grendel. She wants revenge on the Danes for doing such