Beowulf Character Analysis

During the battle of Grendel, we see a confident and proud Beowulf, who boasts about his power and might before the battle. For example, Beowulf’s confidence is clarified when he says "I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore... I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield... hand-to-hand is how it will be..." (Beowulf 433-440). Beowulf choosing not to use a sword is completely unnecessary and is a result of pure confidence. Though he wasn’t allowed the opportunity to challenge Grendel one on one due to the beast’s surprise attack, Beowulf still managed to eliminate Grendel and show his immense strength.

He lets his faith of the lord take over his battle. Beowulf says “I am in no way weaker than Grendel. For this reason will I not give his life to the sleep of death with a sword He has no skill with a sword mighty though he may be in his horrific feats. We shall make war without weapons. Let the wise God, the holy Lord, decree success on whichever side seems right to Him” What Beowulf is explaining in this quote is that there’s no reason why they should both use swords or weapons, When they both are as just weak, & they both don’t have many skills he point out that he wants the lord to make that big decision to decide on who gets to stay alive. This part of the quote gives an example of a metaphor “I am in no way weaker than Grendel” Beowulf is comparing him and Grendel being both as weak without using like or

Are everyone's motivations to become a hero pure? This question can be hard to answer depending on the hero. Spidermans motivations for saving an innocent child were pure, but what about people suffering from hero syndrome? A syndrome, that has become a recent phenomenon. This syndrome makes people seek heroism or recognition by creating desperate situations that they resolve in order to become a hero. As common as this syndrome is today, it was not a common syndrome in the tenth century. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, a mighty warrior named Beowulf fights three terrible monsters. Beowulf is a hero of the tenth century. Beowulf's motivations to fight the

In “The Battle with Grendel” we also see how Beowulf can be violent. For example, lines 385-397 demonstrates how powerful Beowulf is while fighting Grendel. The quote says, “Grendel/ Saw that his strength was deserting him, his claws/ Bound fast, Higlac’s brave follower tearing at/ His hands. The monster’s hatred rose higher,/ But his power had gone. He twisted in pain,/ And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder/ Snapped, muscle and bone split/ And broke….Grendel escaped,/ But wounded as he was could flee to his den,/His miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh,/ Only to die, to wait for the end/ Of all his days” (385-397). This moment in the text shows how intense and extreme Beowulf’s actions were while fighting the monster. We, as readers, start to see how Beowulf slowly becomes who he is trying to defeat.

Beowulf’s two main positive attributes are his selflessness for the people that he does not consider friends initially as well as confidence to go into battle whenever certain death is prevalent. During the story Beowulf goes against four different enemies, three that are monsters where typical weapons would do no good and an impossible battle against the Swedes. In all he is the only person save Wiglaf at the end that is willing to fight these enemies. The moments leading up to Beowulf’s fight with Grendel, the narrator implies the sheer animosity of the enemy, “None of them expected he would ever see his homeland again or get back to his native place and the people who reared him.They knew too well the way it was before, how often the Danes had fallen prey to death in the mead-hall. (Heaney 47)” Nobody, likely including Beowulf even saw the remote possibility of him defeating even, only the first monster, yet he showed a willingness to fight and powered through and won. It is heavily implied that he only did this for his own glory and the pure danger of the situation, but by many especially the characters in the book, this is interpreted as someone without a fear of death.

Beowulf’s virtues of courage and strength appear throughout the poem during his life as a warrior and as a king. He begins the story with courage and “the strength of thirty / in the grip of each hand” (380-381), which are vital to his accomplishments as a warrior. His courage and strength are apparent when he fights Grendel without the use of weapons. Both virtues are crucial to his success in that battle and lead him to become a leader of wisdom and stature. As king of Heorot he uses his courage and strength in the battle against the dragon. Before the fight he has a feeling of uncertainty and it is stated “He was sad at heart / unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. / His fate hovered near, unknowing but certain: / It would soon claim his coffered soul.” (2419-2424). His sense of forthcoming death may illustrates a lack of confidence in his ability to slay the dragon; however, it also shows tremendous courage by involving himself in an unevenly matched fight. Although his physical strength may have abandoned him in his last fight against the dragon, his courage and wisdom intensified his glory beyond his death.

One of the ways Beowulf is considered evil is that he is very self-absorbed. Throughout the whole text, people see in many ways that he is very egotistical. For example, when arguing with Unferth about fighting the monsters in the sea with Brecca he states “But the truth/Is simple: no man swims in the sea/As I can, no strength is a match for mine.” (lines 533-534) This quote shows that Beowulf thinks very highly of himself but not in a good way. When arguing with Unferth he’s basically is mocking him telling him that he isn’t any better than Beowulf himself and that Beowulf thinks he’s better than everybody. Another part in the book where we see Beowulf being very self-absorbed is the night they were waiting for Grendel to show up and he said: “Grendel is no braver, no stronger than I am!” (lines 677-678) He think’s he’s better than everyone else just like when he was arguing with Unferth. He thinks that he can do everything that a normal person can’t which makes him look very cocky.

In the fictional epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf is a hero that can defeat any monsters and he saves towns from their wraths. Although the battles between Beowulf and the various monsters may seem clear cut as good versus evil, Beowulf has a mix of both humble and selfish intentions behind each battle. In each of the three battles in the book, Beowulf does something to create a more difficult battle for himself to appear stronger and better. Against Grendel, Beowulf restricted himself from using weapons because when he would win, he would look that much better. When Grendel’s mother fought Beowulf, he kept his men from helping him and fought the beast himself. Against the dragon in his final battle, he used weapons and the help of his men and quantified it because he was older than he was against Grendel. Beowulf set the bar too high and each battle after the first made him seem weaker and weaker. But in each battle, Beowulf challenges himself unnecessarily to appear as a better warrior.

A lot of people have a routine. A pattern of events that makes their daily lives run with ease. People also have a keen eye for finding routines in the world around us. There are patterns in everything. In music, musicians tend to use the same couple of cords throughout their songs. In movies the hero usually ends up winning. This was a pattern noticed and outlined by Joseph Campbell in his book The hero with a thousand faces. The story will start with an ordinary world in which our hero’s parents are odd in some way. There is a call to adventure which is often initially refused. Then our hero meets a mentor who teaches him about his power. There are some trials and tribulations until the hero overcomes a supreme ordeal. Finally the hero returns

Beowulf is an epic poem being cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. Beowulf is an Old English epic poem. The poem is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Herot has been under attack by a monster named Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory. Beowulf is clearly a hero because of his brave deeds, he is a strong and responsible leader, and his courage. Beowulf is a hero because of his brave deeds. Throughout Beowulf, Beowulf does many deeds which are considered to be brave during the Anglo-Saxon period.“Grendel is no braver, no stronger/Than I am! I could kill him with my sword; I shall not,Easy as it would be. This fiend is a bold And famous fighter, but his claws and teeth.../ Beating at my sword blade, would be helpless. I will meet him With my hands empty-unless his heart /Fails him, seeing a soldier waiting /Weaponless, unafraid. Let God in His wisdom /Extend His hand where He wills, reward /Whom he chooses!”. In his first battle, Beowulf fights Grendel. He fights without any armor. Also, Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother. He then

The tale of Beowulf follows one of history's oldest heroes as he ventures throughout Nordic Europe on a quest to kill the infamous monster Grendel, however in contrast with many of the regaled heroes of the past Beowulf remains constant in every aspect of his character. His goals, values, and actions never undergo even the slightest amount of alteration, even throughout his unusually long life, he remains static, Why? Some would argue that Beowulf’s unchanging personality could be contributed to poor penmanship by the author of the tale, or that it simply could have been lost throughout the ages of the story being retold orally, but despite all of that, it seems most likely that Beowulf was intentionally portrayed this way in order to set an example for those who would encounter his story, in all senses of the Nordic Culture that he came from, Beowulf is the Paragon of what a nord should aspire to be, his values encompassed everything their culture held dear in this world: gold, glory, the well-being of his people, and an aspiration to have his name ring out for the rest of eternity.

In his three major battles, Beowulf fights for many different reasons. His motivation varies, and as he grows older and wiser his attitude toward these battles also changes. Throughout the epic, Beowulf bradoshously beats Grendel, then more methodically murders Grendel’s mother, and with his last breathes humbly hollers for help to slay the dragon. This shows that Beowulf’s early focuses of glory and riches changes as he becomes a weathered warrior acknowledges that he cannot defeat his enemies alone and must utilize the resources provided to him such as armor, magical items, and companions.

In the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is said, "Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people" (Beowulf 5). That being stated, it is very apparent throughout the entirety of the story. The main character, Beowulf, quickly comes to a position of power once defeating multiple atrocities and executing numerous heroic deeds. The people in the city admire Beowulf and abide to his ways; but once offered kingship, he declines. Throughout the epic poem, it is obvious that Beowulf would rather be a hero than a king because of the individual representation that comes with it, the rewards, and the self-reliant aspect.

Most teachers emphasize that a well-written character in a story should be deep, believable, and human, with flaws and personality. Then, say that Beowulf, a poem about a man who is as deep as a sheet of paper, is a masterpiece. While the poem Beowulf is one of the most important and influential pieces of literature in the world, Beowulf himself is a poorly written character when compared to characters of today’s standards.

My fondest memories of my childhood in Texas with my dad came from watching the Houston Texans play football. Touchdowns were scored, careers were made and broken, and in one hour, the entire city stood united. Dedicated to our football team, we watched in awe as JJ Watt terrorized opposing players. He stood peerless on the field, with his unimaginable strength and determination. Every couple plays he would make a sack or tackle, and all I could see and hear was the roar of 70,000 fans jumping and screaming like he had never done it before. This moment of pure ecstasy is similar to the emotion felt by the people of Denmark, when Beowulf slayed the horrific Grendel, ridding the village of fear and worry. Although JJ Watt doesn’t have superhuman strength or slay mythical creatures, he is nevertheless a hero. Since Beowulf thrived in the Anglo-Saxon Era, the definition of a hero has modernized by branching out towards a more realistic, yet arduous status to attain. The threshold separating citizens from heros is the willingness to perform tremendous feats for those who can’t do so themselves: not all warriors are spawned from life or death situations.