BeowulfReputation : Good Or Bad?

In the poem, Beowulf, he himself gains glory, high honor, and a free trip to Valhalla.

Honor, something powerful enough to sculpt the world’s oldest and most powerful empires. Throughout history great empires such as China, Japan, and the Anglo-Saxons have fought and died in the hunt for honor and fame; bringing life to many great and powerful heroes. Beowulf, one such hero, who fought many great battle in the name of honor and fame; putting his all into each battle he encountered. In the epic Beowulf, Beowulf decides to help Hrothgar with the dreaded monster Grendel and then battling him bare handed. Throughout the epic of Beowulf, Beowulf is mainly concerned about honor and fame, in his hunt for honor he agrees to help Hrothgar and fight the monster, Grendel, bare handed; but why?

Beowulf, the defender of Hrothgar and Heorot, exhibits far more complicated (and less sincere) shades of revenge than the Grendel’s mother. At the end of the day, Beowulf’s goal is to become the preeminent warrior in all the land. In his society, the only way to gain such widespread celebrity is through courageous and self-endangering acts. Beowulf masks these deeds with a façade of seeking revenge; he supposedly comes to Heorot to save the Danes from Grendel’s terror, but his true motives lie in becoming a hero. His reward is not the pride of doing a good deed; Beowulf is rewarded with lavish and expensive gifts.

As with loyalty, the importance of reputation also guides Beowulf throughout the poem. One’s reputation reflected one’s importance in the warrior culture. When Beowulf first arrives at Heorot, he tells the Danes about his past deeds that have brought honor for him and his king:

Beowulf is extremely important to the modern day western society because he is the creator of what is identified as the superheroes, otherwise the people who stand out in society. These people are the athletes, singers, actors, or any type of human being who have done something influential or important in their activities. Beowulf is a prime example because he was the one hero that the Anglo-Saxons admired and modeled their life after. The epic of Beowulf created what is known as the Anglo-Saxon code, which can be summarized by respect. However, Anglo-Saxon is still taught in law school today, an example of a prestigious law school that teaches the code would be Yale, “The laws of all nations which have developed steadily and in their own seats,

The world as it is depicted in Beowulf is home to many aspects of society that are at odds with behaviors acceptable in modern culture, but perhaps shares a startling number of similarities as well. As part of the Anglo-Saxon society, the concept of loyalty is imbued into the seams of the civilization, and allegiance can be found split between lords and kin. Tales concerning themselves with eternal human problems are not few and far between in Beowulf—given that it is an epic poem—and antithesis governs the flow of the narrative. In the midst of the battles raging between evil and good, heroes and villains, mourning and glory, and victory and defeat, death is omnipresent, constantly looming and prompting men to drift towards their swords. This is a society in which chances for a clean slate—a tabula rasa—are minimal, and every action is chiseled in stone, forever etched into eternity. During a time period when very little is certain, the only guarantee of being remembered, of having your name go down stamped with your identity, is through heroism and action. Boasting is a means through which one can build a reputation for himself, planting his name into his opponents’ heads and setting a foundation for success. It remains a skill to be used prudently, though, as overstating and misrepresenting one’s abilities has the great potential to yield adverse repercussions.

What are the challenges of the Anglo-Saxon life, that Beowulf faces? The strongest competitors Beowulf faced were Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.

Word has traveled across the seas to Geatland of a great disturbance in Heorot. A threatening creature has befallen on Hrothgar, King of the Danes, and his people. In no time, a Geat by the name of Beowulf arrives at Heorot. However, why would one man, an unpopular man at that, not known of possessing any strength or talent, travel a great distance to offer his services to the Danes? Textual evidence provides that Beowulf, although he proves himself brave and strong, expresses his ego through boasting of his epic deeds, illuminating on his strength and wit. In addition to feeding his ego, it can be proved that Beowulf is out to make a legend of himself since he comes from a broken lineage, and in the time of the Danes and

Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leader.

In conclusion, Beowulf is an epic poem that portrays many characteristics of what an ideal hero of this time would be, the flaws that can come with that burden, and the lasting impressions an ideal hero should have on the people affected by it. Beowulf had confidence he his abilities which led to his reputation being known and well liked. The way he handled the battles and the faith that comes with it, allowed him to be seen as an ideal hero in many peoples’ eyes. As with most heroes though, things become more demanding and they tend to slip in the ways they believe

Your reputation is the way someone or people look at you or perceive you. Whether or not someone is going to like you, or is someone is going to dislike you. The characters in Beowulf believe their reputation is important. They show us this by the acts they have committed, the challenges they have overcome, or even how they help others. Or in Grendel’s case, how he tears through town and destroys it.

Payton Laube Professor Parrish English 241 28 August 2017 Critical Response Paper #1 In Beowulf, both Sheafson’s funeral and Beowulf's funeral held symbolic significance and important moods. Dealing with the opening funeral, the reader can tell that king Sheafson was highly respected and admired. After the death of Sheafson, he had a burial that consisted of being sent out into the ocean on a ship with many treasures. In Beowulf, the narrator stated, “...beyond the whale-road had to yield to him/and begin to pay tribute. That was one good king…” (lines 10-11).

The famous poet James Russell Lowell once said, “Reputation is only a candle, of wavering and uncertain flame, and easily blown out, but it is the light by which the world looks for and finds merit” . Reality stresses the importance to be more concerned with personal character than self reputation, because character beholds who you really are, while your reputation is merely what others perceive. The epic of Beowulf, written in Old English, describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century. Having an outstanding reputation was an important aspect of life, and in the world of Beowulf it was no different.

Beowulf is always seeking to help his enrich his image. This flaw in his character, as well as his feeling of invincibility leads to his downfall later in life. “Again and again the angry monsters made fierce attacks, I served them well with my noble blade, as was only fitting. Small pleasure they had in such a sword-feast, dark things in the sea that meant to eat me, …I had chanced to kill some nine sea-beasts. I never have heard of a harder night-fight under heaven’s vault, or a man more oppressed on the ocean streams.”(Beowulf p83) It is very apparent here that Beowulf is extremely proud of what he had accomplished, and was not going to let some other person who had done no major heroic deed try to put him down. In fact, he goes on to say that no one in the world has fought such a hard fight as he did that night.

Imagine that you are the hero of a village. You are the person that everyone looks up to- you have all the fame and fortune you could possibly want. But, this doesn’t just come to you on a silver platter. There are risks to take, challenges to overcome, and lives to be put at stake. You must defeat creatures of all sizes and strengths to gain this honorary title. This is Beowulf’s reality as he must conquer unbelievable tasks that nobody else would dare to face. Because of this, Beowulf is recognized as a boasting person, brave, and selfless; and rightfully so.