Beowulf Motifs Essay Example

Beowulf’s Contrasting Motifs Throughout his battles, Beowulf personifies the motifs of reputation, vengeance, and fate which contribute to the overall epic theme. Each of these contrasting themes contribute as to why Beowulf was such a tremendous epic hero. Beowulf, a young warrior with an honorable family name to be upheld, must venture off and seek his own reputation and identity among the sprawling branches of the family tree. With this thought, he seeks out to battle the mighty fiend Grendle armed with his two own bare hands. With much vengeance being sought out, Grendle’s mother goes after Beowulf for harming her son which only prevokes Beowulf’s own revenge on Grendle’s mother for slaughtering one of Hrogthgar’s best warriors, Esther. Later on in life as an aged and wise king, Beowulf single handedly faces his own fate by battling the dragon. By crumbling under the dragon’s rage, death has been accepted and has furthered his name. Coming from a highly valued family name, Beowulf must earn his own reputation within his own family. With this seemingly impossible task infront of him, he comes to face to face with the great monster Grendle armed only with his own bare hands. From deep within the muddy marshes, Grendel emerged. He radiated his anger and annoyance at having been awakened from a deep slumber. He grunted and groaned in disapproval. But quickly his anger turned to pleasure at the mere thought of filling his belly and diminishing the insistent hunger that threatened to engulf him. His pleasure was soon to be short-lived. With a vicious rage, Grendel tore the heavy, bolted door of the secured hall from its hinges, savagely stomped across the threshold, and finally his hunger drove him to crunch the bones of the nearest warrior in sight. Still starving, Grendle snatches up the next available warrior with his claws, but this time one with much powerful strength. As he tried to pull away from Beowulf’s grasp, Grendle only became weaker and weaker