Throughout the epic poem of Beowulf‚ Paganism and Christianity correlate respectively creating a contrasting system of values present in the work. We notice elements of Paganism through the idea that wealth is important and to be held in a high regard‚ one must have an abundance of it. We also see Paganism present in the theme of vengeance‚ and how it seems to be essential in this poem through the vengeance of Hildeburh and Grendel’s mother and through the lack of a “death-price” from Grendel for
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In both works‚ the authors of Beowulf and Tolkien also assigned their society’s negative traits to their stories’ villains. In Beowulf‚ Grendel was swamp-dwelling son of Cain‚ the exiled killer of Abel and father to all evil spirits (102 – 110). Grendel’s swampy home is easily accessible to the Anglo-Saxon audience as dark and dangerous. On top of this‚ Grendel’s home exists on the outside edges of King Heorot’s lands: not central but still inside (103). This location represents the marginalities
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to it. Beowulf is more to the moral side of allegory‚ because of the way the characters are represented as good and evil. Grendel can be seen as more than just a crazed giant demon‚ he is an allegory of evil‚ by how he is a direct descendant of Cain; and with defeating Grendel‚ Beowulf is defeating evil itself. Grendel’s mother is an allegory of the original sin‚ and by defeating her Beowulf is over0coming sin and desire. The dragon is an allegory of Satan with the way he hoards treasure‚ destroys
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good and go against heroic actions. In Beowulf‚ Grendel‚ Grendel’s mom‚ and the dragon all challenge Beowulf‚ the hero‚ in different ways revealing his traits as a warrior. At such a young age Beowulf is given the title of a warrior. Early on Beowulf faces his first obstacle‚ the fight against Grendel. Grendel is known as the primary villain of the Danes. He is the one that everyone wants to defeat to win the title of a hero. Prior to the first battle‚ Beowulf constantly boasts about himself to show
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English 2-B Beowulf- Journal I think that the biggest theme in Beowulf has to be good vs. evil. This theme is stressed very much throughout the book in symbolism. Grendel represents pure evil‚ while Beowulf represents the exact polar opposite of the monster Grendel. In Beowulf anything evil or bad is related to hell‚ while anything good is because of their faith in god. The original concept of good and evil can be traced back to the sons of Adam and Eve‚ Cain and Able. Cain killed his brother
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away"(1761-8). Hrothgar bestows his wisdom onto Beowulf after Beowulf has defeated Grendel and his mother. Hrothgar reminds him not to let pride overcome him for everything is eventually defeated due to the power of fate. This exemplifies a theme woven throughout the story of Beowulf. Beowulf is presented as a valiant hero‚ slaying beasts with his mighty strength and demonstrating the importance of the balance between wisdom and strength‚ but as the story unfolds Beowulf slowly loses his vitality until eventually
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The story of Beowulf is one of the most well-known Anglo-Saxon works of all time. This story follows all of the basic characteristics of Anglo-Saxon literature‚ such as alliteration‚ fitts‚ and caesura. More importantly many themes are expressed in this epic that are common to Anglo-Saxon culture. The story deals with heroism‚ religion‚ and death. Bravery is one of the most admired traits at the time this was first spoken. It is obvious when reading Beowulf the influence of religion on the author
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Christian Principles in Beowulf In the epic novel Beowulf‚ the Christian monk who narrates the story has bias because the characters in the story are not Christian. The monk slips in his own religious beliefs throughout the novel. He also gives his opinion in certain passages about the how pointless he believes war is. The story originally had Pagan Saxon roots‚ but by the time that it was written down‚ almost all Anglo-Saxons had converted to Christianity. The Christian monk is motivated to put
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protagonists from Beowulf and Hamlet compare? Though both play a major role in an epic story‚ they share a few common viewpoints. The outcome of both stories is greatly influenced by the main character’s struggles in life. The situations that occur throughout these stories also impact the narratives. In addition‚ the various characters in each work influence the protagonists’ choices and lives. Each is involved in themes which can easily relate to those of modern day society‚ although Beowulf and Hamlet
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in the epic poem‚ Beowulf‚ translated by Burton Raffel. The poem tells of Beowulf‚ a great Geatish warrior‚ facing three monsters that threaten the vikings. Beowulf is a hero because he risks his life for the sake of others‚ doesn’t give up‚ and fights even though there’s a good chance he might lose. He proved this in his battles with Grendel‚ Grendel’s mother‚ and the dragon. In viking society the ultimate prize is getting a song written about the warrior in question. Beowulf had to prove his worth
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