Literary Analysis Beowulf

D. The ending contains many words that show how Beowulf’s people feel about the death of their leader. The word “sorrow” comes up as they are truly sad about the loss of Beowulf. They also tell stories about his “greatness”, “heroic deeds”, and “a life as noble as his name”. All of these show that the Geats had great respect for Beowulf as they recognize his characteristics as king. They send their praises up “warm with love” and cry over the stories that they share, continuing to show the sorrow and pain they feel. Beowulf is cremated on a huge funeral pyre and put into a massive tower that stands on a piece of land that juts into the sea. His warriors ride around the tower, sharing their stories of Beowulf and mourn his loss. This
is ironic since they had all abandoned him in his last battle. The ending has its christian influences to it. The men send their love up, almost like they’re sending it up to Heaven. Also, it says that they leave the body behind, but the soul goes on high, also hinting to an afterlife. Also, twelve men rode around the tower and twelve is a very symbolic number in the Bible.

E. Beowulf is important to the canon of British Literature since it shows where it all started. Beowulf wasn’t written down for eons, as it was always memorized and recited. This itself shows how literature started, not by being literature, but by being a memorized epic, and not written down. Beowulf also gives a good representation of the Anglo-Saxons themselves. Beowulf stands for the ideal person according to the Anglo-Saxons. He was noble, a warrior, courageous, chivalrous, and carried great honor. The Anglo-Saxons saw all of these characteristics to be necessary to be the ultimate leader. They were also very communitarian as they are often depicted as being together in the Mead Hall, and they were never really alone. They banded together to either drink or fight enemies. The ending of Beowulf is where many people say the Anglo-Saxons disappeared and while they don’t still exist, their influence in literature and their own characteristics show the foundation of British literature.

F. I do agree with J.R.R. Tolkien in the aspect that he cannot win. Fighting back from alienation is very difficult as the alienated person has been subjugated and been put down to a point where it is impossible to fight back up. Alienation in Beowulf is depicted in a very literal sense and being alienated was shown through very blunt characteristics, like not being human. Modern alienation is more about having a different personality, or different qualities as other people. Modern alienation is not as literal as it is depicted in Beowulf, but they are similar in that it is hard to overcome. In Beowulf, Grendel and Grendel’s mother can both be considered alienated. They contain the intelligence of a human and may even be smarter than the described Geats, but they are different in the sense that they aren’t really human. They are depicted as having claws and talons, along with inhuman amounts of strength and rock-hard skin. They try to fight their way up to the top, but are defeated by Beowulf. So the story is about the alienated and how it is impossible for them to win since they will always be defeated by the un-alienated Beowulf.

G.
Beowulf represents the ideal king. He possesses all the characteristics of a good king and constantly fights for honor and glory. He sails all the way over to the land of the Geats to help King Heardred fight humanity’s greatest evil, Grendel. When he defeats Grendel, he does not use his new influence and respect to take the throne, showing great nobility. He doesn’t just stop there, however, as he dives into the Mere to defeat Grendel’s mother, further showing his quest for glory and honor that a king should always possess. Plus, he receives her treasure, which he gives back to the people like a good king. After earning more respect from the people, he still does not take the throne from Heardred. After about fifty years, he finally becomes the king of his own land and rules with honor. He even goes and fights a dragon that is harming his people. He ends up paying with his life, which is very noble, while also taking the treasure from the dragon and giving it to his people. He also appoints a successor, Wiglaf, who he feels will lead with the same honor and nobility that he had. This epic is truly the story of a good king in that he shows nobility, honor, and glory, while overcoming the challenges of his people, showing compassion to other nations, and appointing a worthy
successor.