Chapter I- Introduction
Summary of Beowulf
Beowulf is the 3182 lines longest surviving Old English poem. It survives in a single manuscript, thought to date from the turn of eleventh century, though the composition of the poem is usually placed in the eight or early ninth centuries, perhaps in an Anglian region. The Action is set in Scandinavia, and the poem is chiefly concerned with the Geats (now Southern Sweden), Danes and Swedes. It falls into two main sections from line 1- 2199 it describes how young Beowulf’s defeat of two monsters, Grendel and his mother, at the request of King Hrothgar, and from the line 2200 -3182, comprise of telling how an aged Beowulf, now king defeats a fire- bathing
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This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly an incorruptible, aren’t you? You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self- righteousness. And I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.”(Batman: The Killing Joke). Batman when fight with crimes, he fights it with some restrictions, because he believe in justice is for all and all deserve a chance that why he is never willing to kill Joker, and whenever he catches him he put him in the Arkham Asylum. In all the Batman series, it is high lightened that if one wants to make a change in the world he simply can’t fight with rules and ordeals of the world which is conveyed by one of the dialogue by Harvey Dent a.k.a Two- Face to Batman, “You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time. But you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair” (Batman: The Dark Knight). Batman try to fight the rules and regulation of this cruel world and in …show more content…
The main dissimilarities lie behind their intentions. Humility has become a desired truth in modern times today, whereas in Beowulf’s time self – confidence to the point of hauteur as a favorable attribute. Beowulf fights the monsters for praise and worthiness. On the other hand, Batman never reveals his identity when fighting criminals, therefore showing he is not looking for praise but rather protecting the innocent citizens out of the goodness of his heart and justice. Batman cannot accept any physical awards or gifts, because than it would blow his cover. Batman understands this and is not discouraged from doing what he thinks is right because he will not receive gifts or rewards for it. Beowulf does what he thinks is right because he wants to help those around him. When Beowulf kills the dragon, he too was mortally wounded. As his last words, he told Wiglaf that it would make him happy to see the loot he has won from the dragon for his people. If Beowulf is happy that his people are benefitting from his action, then he is unselfish. Batman and Beowulf are both heroes in different places, but in the same
With more than three thousand lines, Beowulf is the longest epic poem written in Old English.( “Beowulf.” The British Library, The British Library, 9 Dec. 2014, www.bl.uk/collection-items/beowulf). Beowulf has three major battles. His first major battle occurs when he travels to the land of the Danes from his home in Geats after hearing that the King of the Danes, Hrothgar and his people are being attacked on a nightly basis by a monster named Grendel. This has been going on for twelve years at the great mead hall that Hrothgar built as a place where the Danes meet to drink, eat, sing and enjoy themselves. Grendel is a demon who is a descendant of Cain. Hearing the music and noise that the Danes make angers Grendel who is an outcast. No one is able to defeat Grendel.
Beowulf and Superman are characters that define what it means to be an epic hero. Epic heroes are leaders, warriors, or rulers that possess characteristics that provide for the betterment of their people. Although they are similar in many ways, Beowulf and Superman are also different in many ways to. Beowulf is known as a great warrior with unmatched fighting skills, and Superman is known as a man from another world that has god like powers. Beowulf and Superman possess the characteristics of battling supernatural foes, superhuman capabilities, and unmatched warriors.
Beowulf is a great piece of Anglo-Saxon literature that can be, and has been, translated in multiple ways. Of the many outstanding translations, two of which are by Burton Raffel and Seamus Heaney, different ways of writing are portrayed. Grendel’s description is written quite differently in both translations. Heaney’s translation is more similar to the Anglo-Saxon style of writing than Raffel’s translation.
“It’s a bird...it’s a plane...no! It’s Superman!” When people say a modern day superhero, the names “Spiderman”, “Superman”, and “Catwoman” flash into mind. However, we forget about one of the most influential superheroes of today’s time; a soldier. Despite the differences, there are many similarities between Beowulf and a soldier because the two have more in common than we realize.
Although there are many similarities, the few differences between Beowulf and Batman are quite evident. The epic
The novel Beowulf, A New Translation with an Introduction. by Burton Raffel, is an epic tale of good vs evil. Beowulf is the idealistic hero of the Middle Ages based on his generosity, strength, and courage. He puts his life on the line for an entire kingdom by protecting his people and proves his worthiness of a superior warrior. He is continually recognized for his strength and courage. Beowulf is not so different from modern day superheroes such as Captain America in the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron. Captain America defeats evil with his mighty shield and protects the people through his generosity to protect Earth, his strength, and courage. The protagonist of both the novel and movie share commonalities of a superhero.
Beowulf is an epic poem that was written in Old English in between the 8th and 11th century. King Hrothgar who rules the Danes, is being tormented by this beast called, Grendel. For some time now, Grendel has been attacking Heorot Hall, a mead-hall, and has been killing off many of the Danish soldiers and sometimes even devouring some. The king didn’t seem able to protect the people in his village from this great demon. Until, one day, Beowulf shows up and actually offers to help King Hrothgar by volunteering to find and kill this dreaded monster.
Lastly, Beowulf is brave like Superman. Beowulf and Superman are both trying to help save their areas. Beowulf is trying everything he can do to save his country including doing things
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
Most of us have heard of modern day heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and the Hulk. Each is a hero to many children. Heroes are introduced to people early on in life usually as fictional characters, but as children grow older their perceptions of heroes alter. The characteristics of a hero are usually based around the ideas of a society or culture. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero. Beowulf, a pagan warrior and the main character of the epic, shows certain characteristics such as bravery, loyalty, and generosity, which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how modern day heroes show the much of the same qualities as Beowulf.
Heroes, from Beowulf to Superman our cultures have always created heroes. We may always have political, social, economic and religious differences, but at the end of the day we all have one thing in common, heroes. They help define who we are and what we want to be. They give us hope and inspire us to head in the right direction. They show us that good will always triumph over evil and that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Heroes give us the inspiration we need to overcome problems in our own lives and that is why we create them. Beowulf perfectly embodies the idea of a hero. He defeats the evil Grendel and his mother, slays the dragon and saves his people. He is
Heroes. From the timeless tale of Beowulf to the well-known chronicles of Superman, cultures all throughout the world have taken it upon themselves to weave a fabrication of a fantastic being, said being a hero of a sorts, that always makes it to defeat the bad guy and save the day. Even whence we as human beings always tend to have our political, social, economic and religious differences, at the end of the day we all have one thing in common that fills our dreams with hopes of the future, of safety, of a peaceful life; heroes. Helping to define who we are and what we want to be, giving us hope and inspire us to head in the right direction, showing us that good will always triumph over evil and that anything is possible if you set your
The poem Beowulf presents the transformation of Beowulf from a brave warrior to an honorable King. The evolution of Beowulf shows how he fulfills his obligations to the warrior’s heroic code and then transcends into a King who loyally protects his Kingdom. Beowulf’s transformation is shown through a progression of three increasingly more difficult conflicts he must overcome- first with Grendel, then Grendel’s mother and finally against the mighty dragon. These three events are seen "as the three agons in the hero 's life"(Chickering 64). Through these adverse events Beowulf will change from brave young warrior to noble King. This paper will examine the manifestation of heroism in the poem
“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.
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.