Beowulf the danger of pride
Beowulf
The danger of pride
Pride can be destructive. In the poem Beowulf, we can observe that pride has always been a really dangerous, even deadly flaw. The paradigm of pride really obvious in this poem. We are going to study Beowulf's battle against Grendel, where we can observe the importance of reputation.
Beowulf’s pride can be related to the epic hero he’s incarning. He represents the braveness, the strength and it seems like he doesn’t fear anything. Although, his power obligates him to protect his people, even if it means that he has to pay with his own life, as we can see with his last battle. The first aspect of Beowulf's pride in this passage is with his Boast Toast. We see that he's in a constant need of respect and admiration. He keeps referring to his lineage. He starts with “Higlac is my cousin and my king”. This reference to Higlac is to prove to Hrothgar that he is talking to someone important, someone with connexions. But it also is to show that because he’s the king’s cousin, he is truthful. He wants to impress his audience.
Another aspect of his pride is to always highlight his achievements. In line 418 he says “They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth… death was my errand and the fate they had earned.” The entire passage describes his achievements, but the last sentence “Death was my errand and the fate they had earned” is a symbol of pride. He’s comparing himself to the grim reaper, he’s saying that he’s the one who decides who has the right to live and who has to die.
We can also see that his pride makes him believe that a higher power has chosen him, he thinks that it is his duty to protect everyone and that he’s the only one able to do it. It even makes him look arrogant, he says “the monster’s scorn of men is so great the he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will
The danger of pride
Pride can be destructive. In the poem Beowulf, we can observe that pride has always been a really dangerous, even deadly flaw. The paradigm of pride really obvious in this poem. We are going to study Beowulf's battle against Grendel, where we can observe the importance of reputation.
Beowulf’s pride can be related to the epic hero he’s incarning. He represents the braveness, the strength and it seems like he doesn’t fear anything. Although, his power obligates him to protect his people, even if it means that he has to pay with his own life, as we can see with his last battle. The first aspect of Beowulf's pride in this passage is with his Boast Toast. We see that he's in a constant need of respect and admiration. He keeps referring to his lineage. He starts with “Higlac is my cousin and my king”. This reference to Higlac is to prove to Hrothgar that he is talking to someone important, someone with connexions. But it also is to show that because he’s the king’s cousin, he is truthful. He wants to impress his audience.
Another aspect of his pride is to always highlight his achievements. In line 418 he says “They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth… death was my errand and the fate they had earned.” The entire passage describes his achievements, but the last sentence “Death was my errand and the fate they had earned” is a symbol of pride. He’s comparing himself to the grim reaper, he’s saying that he’s the one who decides who has the right to live and who has to die.
We can also see that his pride makes him believe that a higher power has chosen him, he thinks that it is his duty to protect everyone and that he’s the only one able to do it. It even makes him look arrogant, he says “the monster’s scorn of men is so great the he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will