Animosity In Beowulf

Grendel has been terrorizing Heorot Hall killing all the warriors and Hrothgar is in grief because he can do nothing about it. Hrothgar is an old king and does not have the physical strength necessary to defeat Grendel. Since Hrothgar did not have the physical strength to defeat Grendel “the time was long, / the space of twelve winters, that the Scylding king / endured in torment all possible cares, / the fullest agony (Beowulf 146-149).” Hrothgar did not have the required physical strength to defeat Grendel and because of that he was tormented by Grendel’s killings of his people for twelve years. Hrothgar’s feud with Grendel proves the author’s reasoning for alluding mortality because it shows the importance of physical strength in a leader during this time period and it shows that leaders will be tormented by the fact that they do not have the physical strength necessary to protect their

Beowulf was written around 800 C.E., and the exact author of the poem is unknown. The story was set in Europe during medieval times. The Danes in the story used a type of Feudal government. Simply put, the king would give his constituents things and in return they would pledge their loyalty to the king. Hrothgar is the kin g of the Danes and is described in the poem as,” noble king, our dear lord, friend of the Danes, the giver of rings” (49). This shows Hrothgar’s generosity good will towards his people. During this era, violence was commonplace and it came from every direction. Kingdoms were often at war with one another over land and resources, so societies had to deal with violence from within their own walls, just as we have to today.

When Grendel watches Hrothgar first start out, he proves himself to be a great warlord. This happens after the tree incident where Grendel first encounters human beings. Hrothgar showed what he could do and how strong his men were. He then sent men to his neighbors every three months or so to gather tribute from them. “He worked out a theory about what fighting was for, and now he no longer fought with his six closest neighbors” (37). This is a necessity of a quality of a good king. He knows how to gain power quickly. Hrothgar is smart to play to his advantages and bully his neighbors and create an even bigger army to proclaim himself king eventually. Hrothgar proves to be ambitious. He decides that as a testament to his greatness and everything he and his men have accomplished, they will build a meadhall. “He would build a magnificent meadhall high on a hill… to stand forever as a sign of the glory and justice of Hrothgar’s Danes” (47). Hrothgar’s ambition shows to the men that he will cement a place to remember the great history of the Danes and all they have accomplished. He also possesses the quality of an excellent negotiator. When his power starts to fade, a king by the name of Hygmod begins to rise up against Hrothgar. Hrothgar takes his army and goes to Hygmod’s hall and confronts him. Hygmod offers his sister as a peace offering to which Hrothgar accepts. “Come,

He explains how he ended up coming to the aid of Hrothgar after hearing of all the disaster and terror Grendel had wrought upon the mead hall. Quickly at a feast to celebrate the arrival of Beowulf a dane, Unferth, immediately questions how worthy Beowulf’s credentials are and actually work. To which Beowulf exclaims, quite boastfully, all of his accomplishments and how they came to be the story of how he escaped several sea monsters. He is so prideful of his accomplishments that Hrothgar had to give him a couple of reminders “that pride, untempered by humility, will result in the tragic fall”. (Christian) Hrothgar also took the time to point out to Beowulf that even his status as King was achieved through the grace of God. And that all the success given by God should be handled with humility and a sense of sharing. (Christian) Since you can’t really accomplish anything by yourself especially in that time period. Hrothgar built his kingdom up by offering protection to others for a price that had to be paid or he would be attack that kingdom. And then he had a fight will Grendel which showed that Beowulf would willingly give up one of his crew just to stop him. He laid down pretending to be asleep so he could see the monsters tactics and the when he came to attack Beowulf that is when he struck. Beowulf sprung at him with Grendel unknowing that he was being watched was scared and was easily defeated by Beowulf who ripped his arm off and watched him walk away slowly dying. But the kept the arm that was ripped off as a trophy.

Beowulf’s tragic flaw is evidently, his hubris. It leads him to overestimate his strength and let pride come in the way of his safety. The beginning of the poem quickly showcased Beowulf’s belief that only he can save the Danish people from Grendel the monster. He reveals this when telling the thane of Hrothgar, “I can counsel Hrothgar, advise him how...he may overcome this fiend…or else forever afterwards a time of anguish” (Beowulf 278-279, 283). Beowulf ultimately believes he is the Dane’s only hope and without his aid, Hrothgar and his people will suffer. It seems as if he almost sees himself as a man of

As the reader continues further into the story, it becomes increasingly obvious that Beowulf has the reputation of a courageous, outstanding warrior. This reputation is displayed immediately following the introduction of Beowulf when he decides to venture to Denmark in an attempt to save Hrothgar’s mead hall from the destruction of Grendel, a monstrous demon. Yet another hint towards this stature appears shortly after Beowulf’s arrives at Heorot. As the herald of Hrothgar begins

After the cold-blooded battles between Beowulf and the gruesome monsters ended, the valiant hero returns to the Land of the Geats triumphant against the monsters , Hygelac eagerly asks Beowulf “How did you fare on your foreign voyage,/ dear Beowulf, when you abruptly decided/ to sail away across the salt water and fight at Heorot?” (1987-1990). People of Sweden are waiting

In “Bede’s Story of Caedmon”, there is a heavy focus on God, religion, and singing. In other words, it is mostly about peace, happy times, loving, and feeling good. In “Beowulf”, the poem centers on violence, a lot of fighting (battles) and killing. The connection shared in “The Dream of the Rood” is the positivity/feeling good and the negativity/violence. The diversity was evident in “The Dream of the Rood”.

When Beowulf returns to Geatland he speculates about a feud between Hrothgar's Scyldings and the Heathobards, a tribe in southern Denmark with whom Hrothgar hopes to create peace through the marriage of his daughter. Beowulf is cynical, imagining a rekindling of aggressions. In fact, the Heathobards later burn Heorot in events not covered by the poem but probably familiar to its audience. In the Finnsburh section (Heany 1068-1159), revenge overcame the peace of the land. The time period gave the morals of revenge a different appearance, but ultimately were still used to advance the plot

Events: Grendel terrorized Heorot, so Beowulf decided to come to Hrothgar’s aid. He defeated Grendel and there was a big celebration. That night, Grendel’s mother came to avenge her son and killed many thanes. Beowulf decided to pursue her to her home on the bottom of a swamp, were he fought and defeated her. He then went home. 50 years passed, Beowulf was now king. A dragon awoke and threatened the land; Beowulf attacked him and with the help of Wiglaf, defeated him. However, in the process Beowulf was fatally wounded and he died.

This essay will elaborate and on the conflict between beowulf and christian ideals of pride and eternal reward. In beowulf, there are situations where the main character does things for fame and rewards instead of the greater goods of the people of kingdom .

King Hrothgar of Denmark, who is a descendant of the great king Shield Sheafson, has a grand and mighty kingdom. This kingdom quickly became prosperous and so, the king builds a great mead-hall Heorot, where the warriors of his army can gather to drink, be granted gifts from their lord, and listen to stories and songs from the Bards. After time, however, this loud and frivolous noise from the hall angers Grendal, a horrible demon who dwells in the swamplands near Hrothgar’s kingdom. Grendal terrorizes the people every night, killing and destroying the villages. The Danes suffer these nights for many years. Eventually, however, a young Geat warrior named Beowulf hears of Hrothgar’s trouble. Loving the idea of a challenge, Beowulf sails to Denmark with a small group of men, determined to end Grendel’s reign of destruction. Hrothgar, who at one time had done a great favor for Beowulf’s father Ecgtheow, accepts the warrior’s offer to kill Grendal and holds a grand banquet in his name. During this feast,

Interpretations of Beowulf’s theme vary much more than commentary on the poet’s style. In this essay I hope to state clearly some of the popularly mentioned themes running through the poem, and to carefully delineate many aspects of the author’s style.

Being the ultimate ruler, Hrothgar initiates his monstrous character by influencing his loyal warriors. Although some may argue that the Danes are evil, Hrothgar molds and motivates their actions as their respected king. Rising to power and fame, Hrothgar built Herot, a celebratory mead hall to distribute treasure and feast with his warriors. Through success in battles, Hrothgar, “whose word was obeyed all over the world,” rewarded his loyal Danes with “his treasure-full hands” in Beowulf (6). Receiving praise and craving eternal fame, the Danes followed Hrothgar’s instructions at all costs. Furthermore, the Danes are influenced by Hrothgar through the Shaper’s songs. Describing Herot, the Shaper “sang of a glorious mead-hall whose light would shine to the end of the

Beowulf’s displayed qualities of bravery, which led to his portrayal as a hero. Hearing that a demon, Grendel tormented the citizens of the Danes, Beowulf goes to Heorot to return a favor to Hrothgar given that Hrothgar helped out Beowulf’s father. Going to Heorot was Beowulf’s first act of heroism in this poem because he willfully chooses to return this favor through helping out Hrothgar’s people by defeating this ferocious demon. The undefeated Grendel has made the people of Danes victims for 12 years, therefore Beowulf taking up this challenge was a bold move. In the poem, it states,