Beowulf was originally written in around 500 to 1000 C.E. The name Beowulf derives from the old English words “beo” meaning bear and “wulf” meaning wolf. This strong name immediately shows the reader how Beowulf is a larger than life warrior. The aw of size and godlike features of Beowulf shows that no man would ever dare cross him. Very few beasts would pose a threat towards Beowulf. Beowulf is willing to travel from near and far to defend his fellow man. Finally, Beowulf falls into death’s grip and dies a hero and above all else with his honor. Beowulf’s honor and courage make him a perfect candidate for an epic hero. As Beowulf first arrives in King Hrothgar’s land and comes ashore the description of Beowulf is given by one …show more content…
The lieutenant recognizes the name of Beowulf’s father and is honored to be in Beowulf’s presence. After a short conversation the lieutenant has his men stick behind and even guard Beowulf’s ship. It only takes moments for Hrothgar’s men to fall into order of Beowulf. Beowulf speaks with such honor and strength that the lieutenant without much delay takes the army to Hrothgar to make a reason to slay Grendel. As Beowulf meets with Hrothgar, Beowulf is blunt in saying that he will slay Grendel. Beowulf slays creatures before and has not yet met his maker. The honor of Beowulf is shown when he states he will use nothing but his own hands and strength to fight the beast, Grendel. Grendel had killed dozens of Hrothgar’s men and scared the kingdom into keeping away from their Herot, which is a magnificent hall where the Danish feast and party. This does not frighten Beowulf in the slightest way and Beowulf is accepted in the possibility of being overtaken and devoured by Grendel in the …show more content…
Hrothgar leaves a land that Beowulf is still ill-knowledge with alone as their leader and protector. Hrothgar leaves Beowulf his mighty sword and jumps to his death before anyone could try and plead him to do otherwise. Beowulf takes the honor Hrothgar has bestowed upon him and swears to protect Herot just as Hrothgar had done. Little did Beowulf know, he would be tested with his courage, strength, and honor sooner than he had most likely hoped. Beowulf’s glory has now come back to haunt him as Grendel’s mother, a dragon is searching for blood. Beowulf slays Grendel’s mother with a sense of ease as it seems. The mighty sword given to Beowulf by Hrothgar was the mightiest weapon in all of the land. Beowulf heads to the lair of Grendel and his mother where he finds riches beyond anyone’s dreams. Beowulf and Herot would be quite prosperous, but as one may know; this is not such an easy
Hrothgar, the king of the Danes is faced with the issue of a horrible monster, Grendel tearing apart his soldiers and causing bloodshed. This is where Beowulf comes along, he is prepared with his men to defeat this monster and when the time comes Beowulf is more than ready to face him. Beowulf
Michael Crockett J00456099 British Literature 215-104 Dr. Volf Digression and Episode Analysis: Beowulf Hrothgar’s Speech The significance of Hrothgar’s Speech is where the Geats and Danes came to celebrate Beowulf’s victory over Grendel’s mother. This victory has finally helped and freed the Danes from the monsters that where terrorizing them for 12 years. Hrothgar foreshadow Beowulf’s death and he warned him to beware of the trap.
Beowulf faced an overwhelming obstacle when he faced Grendel. Beowulf faces Grendel in the hall Heorot. Grendel is a man eating monster that killed many people in the nights before. Grendel is an overwhelming obstacle because he wasn’t able to be defeated even by groups of elite soldiers and Hrothgar combined. Also, Grendel was capable of committing mass murders in minutes. He fought with Grendel one night without a sword. Grendel ate a guard during that
One of the strongest men on the face of Earth was Beowulf—savior of souls, and annihilator of evil. Beowulf is an epic poem that originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, told in Anglo-Saxon English. The poem depicts the odyssey of a man, Beowulf, who comes from the land of Geats to defeat a hellish creature, Grendel, which has been spawning terror upon King Hrothgar and his men, who live in the land of the Danes. On the way to King Hrothgar’s land, Beowulf encounters many monsters, and upon his arrival to the land of Danes, Beowulf vows to destroy Grendel in order to return peace and safety to King Hrothgar and his men. The poem often characterizes Beowulf with two distinct traits: pride and selflessness. Beowulf shows several moments of motivation
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
As him and his men see the shining reflection of the Danes’ spears, Beowulf feels and interprets the uncertainty they feel, for he is this mysterious man showing up to this island filled with turmoil. As the Geats are reluctantly let in, Beowulf introduces himself and gives detailed backgrounds of his many battles, flaunting his accomplishments and emphasizing his triumphs. In the midst of his storytelling he says, “‘I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. / As I sat in the boat with my band of men, / I meant to perform to the uttermost / what your people wanted or perish in the attempt / in the fiend’s clutches. And I shall fulfil that purpose, / prove myself with a proud deed / or meet my death here in the mead-hall’” (43).
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.
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that tells a story of a Geat hero named Beowulf who comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, and agrees to help his people defeat the monstrous Grendel. After successfully ridding the land of the beast, Beowulf eventually becomes the king of the Geats for quite some time until his own demise at the hands of another beast. The story was influenced by both pagan and Christian mythologies as it was written during a
After the first victory, Beowulf’s “comrades willingly go with him because of their confidence in his ability to lead them and to achieve their objectives” (Loughman). Beowulf becomes a role model not only for his thanes, but for the Danes of Heorot as well. Following defeat of Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar gives a sermon before the celebration honoring Beowulf begins. Hrothgar says “Beowulf, my friend, your fame has gone far and wide, you are known everywhere….forever you will be your people’s mainstay and your own warriors’ helping hand” (McArthur). King Hrothgar informs Beowulf of his significance to the Danes and how he serves as the backbone of his group of warriors.
Continuing, even though he did not defeat Grendel by himself, Hrothgar demonstrates the wisdom a king needs to rule his kingdom. At the arrival of Beowulf’s troops, Hrothgar knew distinctly that he needed to gain their loyalty in order to let Beowulf fight Grendel, so he generously gave plenty of drinks and he even brought out his own wife to please them, “…the Helming woman went on her rounds, / queenly and dignified, decked out in rings, / offering the goblet to all ranks,” (620-622). Hrothgar utilizes his tactful mind to gain these warriors’ trust, even though he could not fight anymore like Beowulf, the Danes’ king’s wisdom remains and makes him qualify as a king. Furthermore, Hrothgar gives advice to Beowulf, which reveals the insight Hrothgar has and the great worldview he yields. He says to Beowulf, “…beware of that trap. / Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, / Eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.” (1758-1760). In these lines, Hrothgar warns Beowulf about the danger pride wields, which can infiltrate the strongest warrior; he pointed out the most dangerous trap, which people in that time period ignored easily when they become a leader.
Upon entering the Danes' hall, Herot, Grendel is confronted by Beowulf, who immediately seizes Grendel's arms and drives fear into the monster's heart, "... [Grendel] knew at once that nowhere on earth/ Had he met a man whose hands were harder..." (lines 751-752). Through his slaughter of Grendel, Grendel's mom, the dragon, and other monsters, Beowulf proves his amazing strength to the other characters and to the readers.
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
Beowulf's fight with the dragon is a puzzle. On the surface, it appears to be the hero's final victory, and a fitting end to his noble life. Yet, the circumstances surrounding the battle – Beowulf's disregard for his thanes' advice and the Geats' bleak future without their king – raise pointed questions about Beowulf and his motivations. No where else in the poem are the hero's actions portrayed as anything but right and good.ǂ Not surprisingly, this issue has drawn considerable critical attention. Some critics insist that Beowulf's decisions regarding the dragon are entirely in accord with the heroic ideal.1 Others argue that Beowulf sought out the dragon for selfish and prideful reasons.2 In a way, the puzzle of the dragon-battle is the
Born of royal descendants, the mythical being of Beowulf claims to have the strength of thirty thanes and has come to Hrothgar’s kingdom to rid it of the evil monster. He fights for honor, loyalty, and family and announces that he shall defeat the beast without the assistance of man-made weapons. The moment Grendel encounters Beowulf he notes the strange ways in which he moves and his instinctive pattern-making. Their meeting marks the first time Grendel admits a true fear for a human being, noting how his “lips don’t match the words coming out of his mouth.” Beowulf is the only person that is capable of destroying the “destroyer,” and Grendel knows it. His apparent fear leads readers to believe that maybe Grendel is questioning his position at the top of the food chain. Beowulf introduces to Grendel the idea that the world always was and always will be, regardless Grendel’s role in
Cravings for revenge often serve as ammunition for sinful, destructive crimes. These actions, often ignited by vengeance, is demonstrated at the attack of Grendel’s mother on herot hall. By taking away the life of Hrothgar’s advisor and beloved friend Aeschere, she sucks the happiness and joy out of each soul in the hall. Hrothgar’s agony was nursed by Beowulf’s advice as he said, “It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning” (97). Through these words of wisdom, Beowulf calls attention to his belief that avenging the death of Grendel’s mother will bring an end to the sorrow and pain. In these terms, mourning is a sign of weakness and fragility, while Beowulf follows the footsteps of the warrior code’s clout. He takes it upon himself to dive into the murky meere to protect his people and gain additional recognition. As the Danes patiently waited for Beowulf to emerge from the water, it is written, “Hygelac’s kinsman kept thinking about his name and fame: he never lost heart” (107) . In this aspect, Beowulf is a strong king because nothing could get in his way of his success. Through his mission to prove his worthiness to the people of his homeland,