Beowulf Motivations Analysis

Pagan ideas and values were a large influence in the creation of Beowulf due to the period it was created in. As the narrative was passed down by mouth Christianity views were slowly developed into the story. The poem was written after Anglo-Saxons were Christianized, but it is evident that pagan views were still in their mindsets. With these ideals still present, paganism and Christianity were woven into the story, and we see a mix of heroic ideals and self-sacrificing virtues that create a story filled with religious influence. Fame, fate, and revenge are concepts tied with paganism that are shown throughout Beowulf alongside Christian values of loyalty, humility, sacrifice, and the negative consequences of greed and pride. No matter how

Everyday in modern times, a new mystery is uncovered and an old mystery is laid to rest or declared a true mystery. A lot of the time, there is a lingering questioning around these mysteries. This question generally comes in the form of a singular word; why? Every story has a who, a what, a when, a where, and a why. The why is the most important however. There has been an infinite amount of times where I’ve personally made a mistake and immediately wondered why I did that. The reasons why we do the things we do often reflect who we, as human beings, truly are. In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf is motivated by three main concepts which include an elevated sense of duty, the quest for vengeance and respect, as well as a desire to cement his legacy throughout the ages.

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.

_Beowulf_ is an epic poem that, above all, gives us a vision of a time long ago; a time when the most important traits to have were courage and integrity. The only thing that could give such fame to somebody was heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the example of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to accumulate fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is present throughout the whole poem seems to enrich the identities of its characters.

Beowulf is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.

According to Richard Schrader, “God sent the young man[Beowulf] to prevent a recurrence and gave him glory which spread widely.” (Schrader, 493). Everything that a knight does is for the glory of his land, people and most of all for God. English Literature tries to convey that if a person acts within their duties and perform righteous acts, then he will be blessed. And even as Beowulf becomes a king, these attributes are not lost to him. He displays honor and valor as the lord of his own realm. His subjects follow him because of this and honors his image (Beowulf, 101). And as a hero, these qualities must follow him always.

The epic poem of Beowulf is a story filled with majesty and mourning. Heroes and villains, struggles and victory. Men die, all the time. Along with all of this there is an underlying theme ever present throughout the script. It is the basis for actions, the reason for such passion behind a man's own bloody sword, the lust in his hungry eyes for revenge and conquers. In this time where the afterlife is uncertain, and familiarity is only known to a name, true heroism is the only assurance of identity and remembrance.

Many people believe that initially, Beowulf was a Pagan artifact. In fact, such belief has developed further to support that an anonymous Christian rewrote the piece with the intention to apply Christian characters in the first script. Academics, however, differ on whether the central thematic argument was Christian or Pagan. The author remarkably puts actions into the context of the Bible owing to the impulse at the era of converting everyone to Christianity. By, interlocking the old Pagan elements of folklore and Christian belief, Beowulf grows into a standard of fiction, which is difficult to outshine. The epic of Beowulf has no recognized author ever since its original tradition. However, it does represent the culture of the Anglo-Saxon from which it originated. Besides, it serves its goal of moral teaching as a work of art and the meaning hero-life (Disraeli). The poem’s hero, known as Beowulf, seems to display great bravery in all the things he takes part in during his time. Indeed, Beowulf represents one of the greatest epic heroes in history; he symbolizes bravery and honor, loyalty to his people, and the reputation he holds, as he represents the Anglo-Saxon culture.

Can I Graduate Yet? (An Analysis of the Motivations of Beowulf) “If I didn't care for fun and such, I'd probably amount to much. But I shall stay the way I am, Because I do not give a damn.” (Parker). Motivation can be defined as the desire or willingness of an individual to carry out an action.

Everyone has a sense of duty. They might not acknowledge that duty, however it is still there and if they don’t do it someone else will have to. Beowulf in the poem Beowulf has numerous opportunities to fulfil his duties and he does it well. Beowulf, being the biggest and strongest man, has the obligation to keep those, who can’t do it for themselves, safe. There are three major monsters in the poem that Beowulf has to conquer and his motives all differ. But they are all duties that he fulfils just for diverse reasons. Beowulf’s motives in the poem Beowulf are his people tell him he must go, he wants to keep people safe and avenge a great warrior’s death, and he wants to keep his people safe and as a last stand fights for them.

Epic Motivations vs. Epic Hero (Analysis of Beowulf's Motivations) Motivation has a funny way of pushing people beyond their limits, allowing them to succeed even more than they previously thought possible. Everyone's motivations are different; some people are motivated by other individuals while others are motivated by goals. A common appearance of motivations is seen in the epic poem Beowulf as well. This ancient epic piece of history was originally told orally for numerous years, captivating audiences long ago as it still does today.

The people of the middle ages lived their lives with a multitude of worries. Epic poems like Beowulf helped to ease the minds of these people by implementing two important themes: religion and courageousness. The poems use of religion helped listeners of the poem to increase their faith in the Holy Father as someone to protect and keep them. The poem also uses the courageous exploits of the hero Beowulf as an inspiration for them to be more courageous in their own lives.

The Epic Poem Beowulf comes from roughly around 1000 A.D. when Old English was still being used. Old English was a combinations of many different languages and cultures mixed into one. Although Beowulf doesn’t have a known author, it is Burton Raffel who translated the text from old English to what we now consider modern day English. An epic poem wasn’t about just anything, it had a much more specific group it fell under. Regularly you will see some type of hero that will come along and save his people for different things. It is believed that the motivations of Beowulf himself are that it is his duty to go be a hero, then not only because he is expected to go but he wants to go be a hero, and lastly his motivation would

Out With a Bang (An Analysis of Beowulf’s Motivations) From the Anglo-Saxon epic, the poem “Beowulf” is known to be the first written story in English history. The Anglo-Saxon era was the time of the vikings and Norse people. There is little to nothing known of this era except for the written language and a bit of the religion and lifestyle. However, the Anglo-Saxon era was the beginning of the written English language that we know today. It all starts with the poem “Beowulf”.

     Some literary scholars maintain that Beowulf developed character flaws through the course of the long narrative poem, and that at the time of his death he was a victim of pride, avarice, selfishness and an inordinate craving for glory. The purpose of this essay is to show that he was a tremendous hero from beginning to end.