Taking a Look at Beowulf - 679 Words

Beowulf, the story of a man of superhuman strength who battles against a variety of demonic monsters to save King Hrothgars kingdom from fear and later defends his own kingdom against a dragon which ultimately leads to his death, is thought to be written sometime around the 8th century. The timing is significant because it is around the same time that the English society was teetering between pagan and Christian beliefs. This shift in societal beliefs is evident throughout the poem with references to God, Cain, and fate being decidedly Christian, and other references to heroic legends of the Germanic times reflecting much more pagan influences. Now there is still debate on whether the Christian influences were added later to a once pagan centric poem, but the end result of both points of view being combined in this work is not. The description of Beowulf’s strength is obviously done from a pagan perspective, he’s seen as an unstoppable force, power which is unmatched by anyone else in the world. During the battle with Grendel his strength is made clear when Beowulf grabs Grendel for the first time, â€Å"The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth† (Lines 749-752). Beowulf’s audacity and belief in himself as a warrior were also pagan, he chose to confront Grendel himself, unarmed, only using his strength as his weapon, no swords or shields to protect him. An 8th century superman if youShow MoreRelatedThe Heroic Values Of Beowulf986 Words   |  4 Pagesportrayed. In Beowulf, the main character in the anonymously written poem Beowulf, he shows the importance of being courageous and selfless. Beowulf is courageous enough to fight Grendel, the monster that terrorized the Danes. Beowulf is a lso selfless because he is willing to sacrifice his life in order to stop Grendel from attacking anymore innocent people. Values like courage and selflessness are defined differently today. Courage is stepping out of one s comfort zone and taking action on achievingRead MoreBeowulf s Legacy : A Summary859 Words   |  4 PagesBeowulf’s Legacy: A summary of what the story of Beowulf taught the Anglo-Saxons to become a better people You’re on the ground. You’re bleeding, blood gushing out as though it was a geyser. You can’t hear anything, vision is failing you, and you’re just now realizing where you are. The setting is a battlefield. Gore and loss are mixed with the scent of gunpowder and smoke. You look toward what you think was the enemy; a tank. It’s barreling toward you, but you are petrified. You glance behindRead MoreCharacteristics Of Beowulf And The Teaching Of Leadership710 Words   |  3 Pagescreated an article called titled â€Å"Beowulf and the Teaching of Leadership†, its main claim is about whether Beowulf was a great leader or not. The article states about Beowulf’s traits and the story to see if he is a leader or not. To support their claims, the authors used a model called â€Å"Conger and Kanungo’s (1994) Charismatic Leader Model†, a model that is made to use to describe any types of leaders who follow the model or not. The aut hors use the model to see if Beowulf fits well with the model to proveRead MoreThe Hero in Beowulf in Hamlet Essay618 Words   |  3 Pagessimply looked at as the protagonist in the story. Acclaimed heroes in literature, such as Beowulf and Hamlet, when compared to one another can give a person a better sense of the changes in the hero. Although they both are the main characters in their stories, there are noticeable distinctions between each one’s motives and approaches to conflict. The first thing to point out about both Hamlet and Beowulf was simply the fact that they were both the protagonists of their stories. The stories wereRead MoreBeowulf Is The Oldest Recorded Poem1328 Words   |  6 PagesThe epic poem, Beowulf, is the oldest recorded poem in English and at 3200 lines long, comprises roughly ten percent of the surviving poetry in Old English. Although written in this language, Beowulf focuses on the feats of the poem’s namesake Beowulf, a Geatish prince, and the invading Germanic tribes in Denmark. Understood early on in the poem, these tribes have a lengthy and powerful warrior culture; a culture heavily influenced by heroic virtues, blood vengeance, and paganism. Along with theseRead MoreEssay on Beowulf: The Ultimate Hero1705 Words   |  7 Pages A hero is one who places himself or herself at risk for another by performing great deeds of courage. In the epic poem Beowulf, the character of Beowulf is clearly a hero. Not only is Beowulf a hero because of his physical strength, but he also gives the glory to God. Beowulf is the ultimate hero who put his life on the line for an entire kingdom. Read MoreVengeance And Vengeance In Beowulf1017 Words   |  5 PagesV is for Vengeance Anglo-Saxon culture consisted of receiving fame, glory, and wealth through acts of vengeance and courage. â€Å"Beowulf† portrays these parts in great detail and shows how destabilizing it can be. Through acts of vengeance, a never ending war occurs. It is said in â€Å"Beowulf† that old tongues poke and prod youngsters to wars with incendiary comments like, â€Å" That sword, that previous old blade over there, I think you know it friend. Your father carried it, fought with it the time he couldRead More Beowulf and Modern United States Essay604 Words   |  3 PagesBeowulf and Modern United States Many people who read the poem Beowulf would probably find it hard to find similarities between the poem and life in modern America. How could one compare an ancient Anglo-Saxon culture with the sophisticated world that we are living in today? But, if we look closely, we may be able to pinpoint some parallel between the two societies. This essay will discuss the topics of warrior life, the â€Å"bad guy,† and social similarities. One might wonder how a warrior cultureRead MoreSimilarities Between Heroes And Monster In Beowulf743 Words   |  3 Pageslooking at people who have risked their lives, or devastated the world proves their existence. Similarities between the heroes and monsters of today and those found in poetry centuries ago exemplifies how they still exist. In the epic poem Beowulf, characters Beowulf and Grendel represent the ideals of a hero and monster. Their qualities of courage and envy parallel with that of some of the most significant people today. De Vigny i s wrong in his assertion that heroes and monsters are fictitious, andRead MoreDifferent Characteristics Of Grendel And The Epic Of Beowulf1023 Words   |  5 Pagesdevelopment is influenced with each â€Å"monster† a he faces in the tale. In Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is a hero who faces two different kinds of monsters, Grendel and the Dragon, where his character development is completely different from one to the other. Each monster he faces represents different meanings to him. Beowulf displays a different kind of hero with each monster he seeks out, such as Grendel and the Dragon. When Beowulf is called to fight Grendel he portrays himself as confidant and a