Comparing The Value In Beowulf And The General Prologue Of The Canterbury Tales

As Beowulf gains wealth through winning battles, he also gains status. By defeating Grendel, he receives treasures from king Hrothgar. Also, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats after Heardred, son of Hygelac, dies. He continues to gain vast treasures through multiple victories. His increase in wealth and status inevitably causes an increase in pride, clouding his judgement. When the dragon attacks the Geats, Beowulf insists to fight the dragon alone even at such an old age. Although pride in the Anglo-Saxon culture is seen as a positive characteristic that warriors possess to gain confidence and perform well during battles, Beowulf’s overwhelming pride from an increase in wealth ultimately persuades him to make the fatal decision. The consequences

Renaissance literature is widely known throughout the world. Chances are you have read some if you ever picked up a book. Renaissance literature is known for its poems and stories written about love, death, and time. The stories Macbeth, Beowulf, and the Canterbury tales all prove the themes of love, death, and time in Renaissance literature. Macbeth, a play that concern treachery and regicide and the killing of a king is widely known in the world of renaissance literature.

A hero’s journey or a monomyth as Joseph Campbell called it, is a basic pattern that a person must take to become a hero. No matter the time period or culture the literature was created in heroic characters followed it. For example, an epic poem called Beowulf whose author is unknown because the poem had been passed down for centuries. The main characters of Beowulf are Beowulf a Geatish hero who fights the monsters, Grendel a demon descended from Cain, Grendel's mother an unnamed swamp-hag who possess fewer human qualities than Grendel, and a fire-breathing dragon an ancient powerful serpent who protectors a horde of treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf obtains lots of approval from the Danes, King Hrothgar, and the Geats. Beowulf almost didn’t

The Initiation is the second stage in The Hero’s Journey. The Belly of the Whale, which usually occurs during the hero’s departure, happens much later in both Beowulf and Spider-Man. In Beowulf, that part is represented in the scene when he is in the lake fighting Grendel’s mother. “Squatting with her weight on his stomach, [Grendel’s Mother] drew / a dagger, brown with dried blood, and prepared / to avenge her only son. But [Beowulf] was stretched / on his back, and her stabbing blade was blunted / by the woven mail shirt he wore on his chest. / The hammered links held; the point / could not touch him” (lines 502-507). For Spider-Man, this is when he is fighting his final battle with the Green Goblin. Peter is getting beat to a pulp by

Adapting to someone’s piece of art like this is like taking a craft, and altering it or to build off it to produce a new piece of art. Sometimes adaptation mimics the original piece. Other times the resemblance is so slight that it can be considered completely stray from the plot and theme.

For Beowulf to retain its relevance after a journey from single surviving manuscript to famous epic poem, one can assume its star role is filled by a character extraordinary. The poem’s hero, Beowulf, strikingly resembles many renown principal characters. It would be an uphill battle arguing against him joining the likes of Hercules, Jesus Christ, and many more in their Übermensch status. Based on his words and actions, it is painstakingly clear that Beowulf is an archetypal hero; someone who shares the common characteristics of a hero, and follows what Joseph Campbell calls “the hero’s journey” (Campbell 45-221).

Treasure and Weapons: One Man’s Trash Usually, treasure is used to represent power and wealth, and while a demonstration of power can certainly apply to Beowulf, the use of the symbol to show wealth is non-existent in this story. One of the writers of Beowulf even goes as far as to show a mass of treasure being completely rotted and useless. The use of traditional treasure such as gold is intertwined with weaponry and armor as well. As a reward for Beowulf’s actions, gold armor or swords are usually given rather than something that would be of more value in today’s age. The weaponry within Beowulf holds more symbolism than just being a replacement reward.

In the Medieval Ages, wealth and jewels were not just a material one would use to buy lavish things or to wear to show an importance in status. Armor, weapons, jewels, coins and wealthy treasures possessed significant value within the warrior realms of duty, protection, heroism, loyalty and accomplishment. Gold can also symbolize a King’s royalty, relationships and fame. Modern-day archeological evidence proves this importance of metal and treasure through the uncovered Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon burial treasure-hoard. The significance to Sutton Hoo shows clear evidence that at this time, society thought of gold as a symbol for Pagan beliefs into the afterlife and as precious and delicate.

Throughout the epic poem Beowulf, there are countless mentions of gold, jewels, swords and other treasures. The role of wealth, treasure and gold all lead to glory and honor and being able to settle scores. Gold acted as a score settler because the characters could avoid problems or other altercations by paying wergild or "manprice". During this time period kings gave treasures and gold to their followers as a reward of their glory and honor earned as well as their loyalty to their king. The idea that the role of wealth, treasure and gold is a symbol of glory and honor and is used to “pay debts” is absolutely true in this poem.

The stories of Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are exceptional examples of how literature has evolved. The story of Beowulf was lengthy, but didn’t contain as much description as The Canterbury Tales. Over the course of 300 years (the amount of time between when Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales were written) the way of writing had developed from short story to full books. One story was split into three parts, while another was split into multiple parts. In the three part story , there is a shorter ending than the story with multiple parts. Between Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales, there are vast differences considering the writing styles, word choice, and descriptions.

Throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, treasure and weaponry were highly valued among the kingdom and its people. Only those worthy enough to the King or Queen would receive treasure. Treasure was typically given to high-ranking warriors and loyal civilians that had accomplished some great deed. Beowulf shows that these men were so attached to those treasures and weapons that they buried them along with their dead

Courage, perseverance, and honor are all traits of a hero. Beowulf and King Arthur both share many qualities of a hero. The epic of Beowulf is about a great Geat that defeats the horrid Grendel of Denmark. The story, Once and Future King, is about the great King Arthur and how he became king and his reign in England. Beowulf is a fearless leader that defeats great monsters and deadly giants. Later in his life he defeats Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. King Arthur was the outcast in his family; he did not fit in as a child. As he grows older, his tutor Merlyn teaches him about different values in life. King Arthur, formally known as Wart, becomes king when he pulls the famous sword from the stone. Both Beowulf and King Arthur shared many traits that made them epic heros.

In Beowulf, the epic depicts an abundance of scenes of how wealth, in today’s modern culture, shows someone’s power. One way the benefit of wealth is shown in Beowulf by the kings in not solely the story but the Anglo-Saxon culture. This is shown by King Hrothgar when he talks about how he handled his enemies, saying, “Finally I healed the feud by paying / I shipped a treasure-trove to the Wulfings” (Heaney 470-471). Moreover, the amiable King Hrothgar pays his enemies with precious gold from his treasure hold and he ends up settling the feud. It is displaying how being wealthy can synthesize the jubilance a person can obtain by being so powerful that they can pay their enemies to stop attacking them. Another way that wealth can demonstrate the power in Beowulf is when the kings are being described. One excerpt that shows this is when King Hrothgar greets his companion, Beowulf, saying, “Then the grey-haired treasure-giver was glad” (607). The author specifically describes the highest powerful men in the land as treasure-givers. Comparatively, this not only showcases the Anglo-Saxon cultural beliefs, but is an even greater reflection on current the population. The wealthiest man in the world, currently, is Bill Gates with a net worth of 85.6 billion dollars (Kim). Not only is he extremely wealthy, but his influence in

An epic is a long, narrative poem that encompasses a hero or a heroine who is usually involved in an amazing battle between two forces. It includes forces that are not of the human world such as demons, angels, gods, and spirits. The epic of Beowulf is about a hero with superhuman strength that defeats the demon who torments the soldiers of the kingdom. In The Rape of the Lock, the heroine Belinda has a piece of her hair cut and stolen from her and the major battle is trying to get her lock of hair

To understand the culture of a certain time period, one of the best resources available is not a textbook but a story written from that time period. For example, the story Beowulf, which was written at the beginning of the Middle Ages, is a fantastical story about a man named Beowulf who defeated demonic monsters through heroic acts. Despite the fact that it is fantasy, Beowulf depicts what the local and national government of Scandinavia was at the time, what the religion of the area was, and what human characteristics were seen as most important during that period. Another example of a cultural piece was the story Aeneid which was a Roman story written during the Classical Period. This piece makes the same illustrations of the culture as Beowulf did. Comparing both these stories as well as their characters excellently demonstrates how two pieces from different periods can give an in depth look into the