Analysis Of The Anglo Saxon Code And Beowulf 's Motivations

The Anglo-Saxon time period was complicated and violent. The different tribes and peoples are at war for treasure, land, and fame. In addition to the violence, the religion of the Period is a mixture of pagan religions and Christianity. Another important belief of the time was the belief that fate ruled. As a result of the violence and the various beliefs, an important unifying factor for these people was the heroic code. The epic poem, Beowulf, was written during this hard time and uses the hero, Beowulf, as an embodiment of the code. The poet uses frame story, Biblical allusion, and foreshadowing throughout Beowulf in order to effectively create a representation of the heroic code and the belief in fate.

The Anglo-Saxons’ cultures and traditions are rooted in their beliefs of the perfect hero. Their ideal hero has many key characteristics influenced by their culture including courage, strength, bravery, thick skin, loyalty, humbleness, and the ability to create strong trustworthy friendships. Beowulf is an epic poem that exhibits the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero. The Anglo-Saxon traditions illustrated in Beowulf accurately represent the Anglo-Saxon traditions of the time period. This is accomplished through the distinct correlation of heroic characteristics between Beowulf and the culture’s traditional depiction of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

Being a great leader can depend on what circumstances are given and how they are handled. It can also fall upon the leader to be devoted, strong, humble, caring, and to be there when people need help, no matter the situation. Even in modern day, a leader has a duty to protect his/her followers, in order to stay in command and gain his/her trust and commitment. The Anglo-Saxon hero demonstrates these qualities by relying on his mental strength to overcome his age to defend and physical strength to hunt and destroy evil threats for the people who can not defend themselves. Future leaders can also use Beowulf as an example and can base their own leadership styles off of his characteristics.

Every culture has its own set of beliefs values and customs. Cultural beliefs, values, and assumptions are directly and indirectly acquired throughout a lifetime. A culture is the sum of a group’s way of life and this is no different with the ancient Anglo Saxon culture. Cultures usually have distinct figures that reflect their culture as a whole. The importance of religion, values, and heroes are reflected a great deal in the epic poem of Beowulf accurately showing the Anglo Saxon culture as a whole.

The Anglo-Saxons were Germanic pagans who invaded Britain and conquered large parts of the island in the centuries following the withdrawal of the Roman Empire. They crossed the North Sea to Britain in 449 AD bringing along new ideals with them. They valued many things in their culture; courage, religion, gratitude, strength, storytelling, loyalty, and morals are among some of the concepts they held in high regard.

In the land of the Geats many warriors have been raised to be boastful and confident. Through the culture of the Anglo-Saxons, the Geats became barbaric figures unlike the Celtic people who resemble the five knightly virtues. Beowulf helps resemble the Anglo-Saxon culture through his passion, ambition, and courage as well as through the stories of his successes that he shares. Gawain differs from this confidence and boastful attitude of the Geats due to the humble and courteous attitude that he carries. This difference in Celtic and Anglo-Saxon cultures can be seen in Beowulf 's heroic journey due to the physical trials that Beowulf goes through versus the virtuous and trials to character that Gawain faces. This difference from the emphasis on physical trials in Beowulf and the emphasis on the test of character in Gawain therefore demonstrate the difference in the two cultures that each hero belongs to.

According to the definition, a hero is one who embodies the values of their society. In the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous author, the character Beowulf is used to convey the value that Anglo-Saxons placed on courage, strength, and loyalty.

During the Anglo Saxon era the epic poem, Beowulf, displayed many themes. Beowulf and the Anglo Saxon culture are alike in multiple ways, one of them is being loyal through hardships. “In Anglo-Saxon culture and literatures, the characteristics of a hero are to be bold, strong, fearless, loyal and showing indifference to pain” (Lam). Beowulf showed all of these amazing qualities throughout the poem. There was never an instance where he wanted to give up and let his people down. He The most compelling of these themes is, Beowulf and the three battles he fought. Beowulf fought in unarmed combat with the dreaded Grendel, defeated the monster’s mother and then lived to courageously battle the dragon that finally defeated him in the end.

Beowulf remains one of the most important works of English literature though it was written centuries ago. One reason for this fact is that many of the themes that it touches on are still pertinent in today's extremely different society. One of the most prevalent themes found in Beowulf is the importance of the heroic code. Much of this epic poem is dedicated to conveying and exemplifying the heroic code which values such attributes as strength, courage and honor. Conflicting with this ideology are other factors such as Christianity, and these tensions affect the lives and decisions of the narrative's characters.

Beowulf is an epic hero who symbolizes the perfect qualities in the Anglo-Saxon society. These qualities all get together to make up an epic story. He has the ideals, attributes and convictions that were regarded in the Anglo-Saxon society. Beowulf shows these ethics in his own particular words and behavior during distinctive circumstances all through the story. Beowulf was considered "the strongest of the Geats" furthermore "greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world".

Anglo Saxon’s history is well known for their loyalty, courage and bravery. Beowulf our protagonist is symbolized as a hero, who represents the Anglo Saxons at the time. Beowulf earns his fame and respect through battling creatures nobody else would want to face. These creatures symbolize the evil that lurks beyond the dark. Beowulf’s intense battle with these creatures’ symbolizes the epic battle of good versus evil. In the end good triumphs over evil but one cannot avoid death. Beowulf’s death can be symbolized as the death of the Anglo Saxons. Beowulf’s battle through the poem reflects the kind of culture that the Anglo Saxons had. The youth of a warrior to his maturity then the last fight which results in death. Beowulf wanted to be

Originating in the Anglo-Saxon period, the epic poem Beowulf portrays a legendary hero. Beowulf established the earlier form of heroism, and was then later introduced in to the English culture. Praised and admired by many people, Beowulf possesses several distinct traits that allow him to be defined perfectly as an ideal Anglo-Saxon hero; his eagerness to seek glory and fame, rather than richness and treasures, his loyalty and graceful attitude not only to his rulers but also to his followers, and his contradictory beliefs of faith and fate

In present day's society a hero can be seen as someone who risk their own safety or well-being to help someone else either individually or to help the community. Today's requirement to be a hero can be anyone as long as they make sacrifices for others, in which they can be seen as selfless and caring. Many traits that are portrayed of heroes currently were once used to determine a hero in Anglo-Saxon times. In the epic poem Beowulf, by an unknown author, the protagonist Beowulf is visioned to be the archetype of an Anglo-Saxon hero. Some of these attributing qualities that make a hero today were a few of the biggest qualities in Anglo-Saxon times; Beowulf's heroism is personified by his brute strength, his courage to engage in certain

Like societal norms in contemporary western society, the Germanic heroic code acts as a set of rules and regulations that govern many everyday aspects of individuals lives in the Anglo-Saxon culture. Although similar to modern societal norms in terms of application, the Germanic heroic code is very different in many other ways, specifically in the sense that rebellion against this rigid code results in extreme implications such as persecution, exile, or execution. In his publication Beowulf and Epic Tradition, William Lawrence states that the code is “defined with the utmost strictness, and [is] not lightly to be transgressed” (28). In stating this, Lawrence is referring to the idea that the code is in place to govern individual’s actions in everyday scenarios of all statuses, and that there are two ways to respond to the

As we have learned, one of the most important features of the heroic code common among ancient epics is the preservation of the hero’s legacy. In Beowulf, a very large portion of the story narrates Beowulf’s accumulation of wealth, power, and most importantly fame through martial prowess and peerless leadership. This accumulation of glory in battle is crucial if the hero wishes to ensure that his name and legacy live on after he dies. This abruptly brings me to my main focus: Wiglaf. I believe Wiglaf’s purpose in the story is to perpetuate Beowulf’s legacy, and an in-depth analysis of his characteristics and actions can be used to support this idea.