Beowulf Society Essay

Although Beowulf had the strength of thirty men put together but he still took the men to battle with him. No armor or weapons could hurt him so he defeated Grendel with his two bare hands by ripping off his shoulder. Grendel hurt and dying then retreated to his lair to die. He then later takes on Grendel’s mother by chopping off her head with a great big sword hanging on the wall. It was made by giants and no man’s strength can carry it except the Great Beowulf. He willingly went against a creature that no man could ever defeat so the Danish people could live fearless from the undefeatable Grendel. He was praised for the great deeds he had accomplished. Beowulf later on became a great King after his uncle Hygelac died. Hygelac had a son but he was too young to rule the kingdom. Beowulf didn’t take the throne at first and said he would monitor the young boy and protect him.

A prolific and boastful hero prince who goes on many breathtaking and daring adventures that would, later on, come back to bite him in the end. This heroic tale was greatly known as “Beowulf”. Which was written around the 8th through the 11th century by an Anglo-Saxon poet. The intended audience for this story were the soldiers that followed Beowulf into battle, to instill confidence and bravery or the soldiers from other countries that were in conflict with or against Beowulf, to instill fear in the soldiers. The Beowulf tale was an oral tradition told by poets or bards before and after battles; while the warriors drank, ate, and sang. Beowulf is about a warrior prince coming to the aid of King Hrothgar of Denmark who is tormented by a demon

The epic poem Beowulf follows the battles of a warrior named Beowulf. Beowulf originated during the Anglo-Saxon Period, which was also known as the Dark Ages. This time period was a preliterate society; unlike most of the poems we know today, the poems and stories of that time were orally spoken. The literature of that time focused more on the cruel lifestyle of the warriors and the unspoken rules they had to live by. In Beowulf, Beowulf, the prince of the Geats, had many devastating challenges, including battles with fearsome monsters such as Grendels and a Dragon. Throughout the poem, Beowulf shows many signs of courage and bravery while he saves his nation and his people. Beowulf is considered an epic hero because he illustrates the idea of being of noble status, showing bravery, and bringing glory to his nation and his people.

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

To begin with, One of Beowulf’s characteristics for being an epic hero would be his strength. Beowulf first killed Grendel, which no one else could defeat because Grendel was too powerful. Then, Beowulf killed Grendel’s Mother who was defeated by Beowulf’s bare hands because his sword wasn’t powerful enough to kill her. Last, Beowulf defeated the Dragon by taking his heart from his body which is something no one else could have done. Beowulf’s dedication and strength set forth to him being able to defeat the dragon. "I’d use no sword, no weapon, if this beast could be killed without it, crushed to death, like Grendel, Gripped in my hands and torn limb from limb." (42). This quote means that when Grendel couldn’t be defeated by any weapons, Beowulf made it simple and said that he was going

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.

The historical document of Beowulf, which also shows the importance of literature, reveals the important cultural values of the warrior society. The epic poem, set in Sweden during the 6th Century, tells the story of a warrior named Beowulf. Scops, or storytellers, keepers of an oral tradition, told stories of heroes and culture from their times. They performed and told the tale of a great thane, finally writing it down sometime around the 8th Century; the only surviving epic poem from this time. As a great piece of literature, this poem follows the life of Beowulf from that of a young and loyal thane who becomes a great respected king and dies proudly, as a warrior. The warrior culture at this time reflects the values of the society of

“No better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise.” This is an ultimate description of the heroic events of Beowulf, an old Anglo-Saxon poem about a warrior who battles and destroys three horrifying monsters. Although written long ago, the emotions expressed within this work, emotions of bravery, valor, and ethics still speak to us centuries later. The anonymous author of the poem convinces us through the masterful use of various literary elements that emphasize its meaning and message. Conflict, imagery and setting are three literary elements that contribute to the effectiveness of the poem.

“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.” – Ayn Rand. To fully understand the complex world and culture of the Anglo-Saxons, one must examine the only form of historical evidence available – texts. One particular great work from this time period is often underrated and overshadowed in modern society by many other ancient works such as Iliad or Oedipus Rex. The epic poem, Beowulf, was sung by multiple unknown Anglo-Saxon poets four centuries before the Norman Conquest. The theme of good versus evil was constantly reappearing throughout the storyline, the portrayal of evil and its downfall initially shaped the poem’s plot, and illustrates an alien presence; something that

Many readers of the poem Beowulf may find it difficult to distinguish the 'good' kings from the rest – indeed, almost every man who holds a throne in the epic is named at one point or another to be 'good'. By examining the ideals of the time period as identified by the 'heroic code', it becomes clearer that a truly 'good' king is one who generously distributes treasure and weaponry to deserving retainers to honour courage and strength displayed in battle and to encourage the defense of the kingdom (Intro). When Beowulf ascends the throne of the Geats, the heroic traits of courage and strength for which he was so highly praised as a warrior do not serve well in making him a good king. Indeed, by exhibiting the traits of a thane, that is, by

Beowulf is an epic poem whose earliest surviving copy was written in 1000 A.D. The story consists of three thousand one hundred and eighty two lines that follow the life of the title character. The original author of the epic poem is unknown mainly because it started as a verbal tale passed down orally through the ages. Finally someone wrote it down in a document now called the Nowell Codex. The epic tale is centered on Beowulf and his actions in an adventure to repay a debt owed by his father to Hrothgar, a Danish king. A gargantuan monster that is terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead hall is Beowulf’s target and Beowulf sails across the sea to aid his father’s

The movie Beowulf was focus on three main values, the value of LOVE, BRAVERY, and LOYALTY.

Beowulf is an Old English poem. It was written sometime between 700 and 1,000 A.D. Over the years it has been edited and rewritten countless times. Some of the more recent versions do their best to stay as close to the original story as possible while others make rather large changes to make it more engaging for today’s audiences

     He killed three monsters and then he died. Not a very interesting fate, but it is none the less one that I find myself having to write about regardless of whether or not I want to. Thus it was, the mighty Beowulf of old England that went forth to slay the evils which plagued the lands of his own people as well as those of his neighboring tribes. The second battle was one that was brought about by Beowulf’s willingness to go and help an old friend, and thus he nearly lost his life once more. For those not acquainted with the story of Beowulf, he was said to be the strongest man ever to live, and given this he was fated according to their beliefs to accomplish certain things in his life. Some of these things

In Beowulf, attention is given to descriptive visuals presented as a means to demonstrate the scale of epic narrative the poem operates on. The visualization in the poem, however serves as dual purpose of illustrating not only the landscape and characters for its audiences but also their personal image to society. Gold, while first mentioned in the opening lines as a supplementary visual for the “ensign” of a heroes shroud, progresses quickly to become an embedded value in the world of Beowulf (Line 45, page 50). While most people would consider the application of gold in the text, as a simple model of economic value for the Geats and Danes, is in truth a symbolic use of societal value. Societal value, in Beowulf is seen through the use of imposing cultural normality’s and customs, in which the characters find themselves obeying and also embracing at every turn. For characters such as King Hrothgar, he uses gold as a means to demonstrate wealth and power by offering Beowulf physical gold as a sign of his societal accomplishment. As the text progresses, gold is symbolically applied as apart of the characters traits and power, with the title character of Beowulf proactively attempting retrieve gold from a dragon as means to maintain his societal duties as a lord to his people. When understanding the further development of societal standards, Gold can also present a symbolic value of peace in society as King Hrothgar attempts to plead for peace from Grendel by offering it