Examples Of Honor In Beowulf

Honor, putting himself out there, showing he’ll push to the limit or die to try. Beowulf puts his reputation before the people. “ I had a fixed purpose i meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in attempt”( Heaney, 632-638). What Beowulf is indicating is that he’ll fight and perform as he was meant to or die to try. What Beowulf projects are his honor to be the most he can, stating his internal integrity, “One could define honor as your internal integrity or dignity” (The Nine Noble Virtues, pg.2). Grendel has no honor Killing and destroying, even knowing that himself has no honor, “ Not of course that i fool myself in thoughts that i’m more noble. Pointless, ridiculous monster crochet in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children, martyred cows” (Gardner,pg.6 ). How much effort does Beowulf project?

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?

In Beowulf, selflessness is a big part of the story, Beowulf goes out and helps the people of another place. He doesn’t have to do it because he doesn’t live there so if he didn’t defeat Grendel it wouldn’t affect him either way. He does it though and not only defeats Grendel but also Grendel’s mother because she came after the people when her son was killed. Beowulf knew that if he didn’t kill her the people would still live in fear. That’s what makes him selfless. He does things that need to be done for others and not so much himself.

One example of Beowulf’s strengths was no other man could do the same tasks, and fight the battles he fought. Beowulf goes into many battles throughout his lifetime. Also, the quote in line 505-506 “If weapons were useless he’d use his hands, the strength in his fingers”. Beowulf also lifts the giant forged sword from the wall and swings it hard enough to cut of Grendel’s mothers head. A sword that is described as “so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated lengths.

Hypocrisy: the act of saying one has moral standards but then committing actions that do not correspond with those standards. The theme of hypocrisy can be detected within the epic poem Beowulf. In this lengthy poem, the Danes are being terrorised by a demon named Grendel. Upon hearing of the Danes predicament, Beowulf, a Geat hero sets out with fourteen other men to help the Danes. All fourteen of them travel across the sea till they reach Denmark, the home of the Danes. Here the monster Grendel has killed and stolen the lives of many. The people of the Danes speak about how these killings make him a monster, and yet they do these things as well. The Danes and the Geats both have killed whole villages of people just to obtain their

A way Beowulf demonstrates his heroism is the way he stays true to the Geats by honoring them. Before

Chivalry can be considered the code of the medieval warrior, that was based on a set of rules that include honor, valor, courtesy, and, at the center of it all, loyalty. Throughout Njal’s Saga, Njal and his wife are consistently showing chivalry especially when Njal helps Gunnar at the Althing, when he warns Gunnar about the Halberd, and when Bergthora says she will die in the fire with Njal. Similarly to the Nilsson, another character, from Beowulf, who is both a king and warrior consistently shows his chivalry throughout his poem; this warrior is called Beowulf. He shows his chivalry in different ways than that of Njal and his family; he shows his chivalry when he makes an oath to the king, affirms his promise my killing Grendel, and when he protects his men from Grendel. Njal, Bergthora, and Beowulf are both examples of chivalry, and they prove it through their actions that take place in their books.

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:

“Where is the glory in doing something that others have done” (Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief). A quote befitting of the character Beowulf who slew the abomination known as Grendel to save the people of Heorot, then killing his vengeful mother using the sword Hrunting and finally as his last legendary exploit he brought down a mighty dragon to save his kingdom, the most prominent definition of an epic hero and the epitome of what the ideal Scandinavian hero is. On the surface, this may seem like Beowulf is a selfless hero willing to go to great lengths to save the people around him but after deeper analysis of the story, it may be that Beowulf’s pride and search for glory is what truly drives him.

In Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, courage is undoubtedly the most important trait a man could have. The Geats thrived for 50 years under the powerful and courageous reign of King Beowulf. However, the Danes suffered through twelve winters under Grendel because of King Hrothgar’s fear. The strength and bravery of a strong leader and warrior can lead many countries to peace and power. Throughout Beowulf, many characters exhibit courage, which increases their morale on the battlefield and leads to victory.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf share several similar qualities. Each story suggests that honor, truth, and heroism are the most important a person can exhibit, though in each tale these are manifested in different ways. Both characters, in attempts to keep these values, make mistakes that endanger their lives.

Beowulf showed a large amount of honor against Grendel. Grendel is a monster, a descendant of the biblical leader Cain who terrorizes the mead hall created by King Hrothgar leader of the Danish people. Grendel would attack the mead hall named Heorot at night and kill/eat soldiers due to his foretold immense brute strength. Beowulf hears of this so called unbeatable creature and as a sign of respect fights the monster with his bare hands due to the face Grendel carries no weapons and has not used one in battle. Beowulf displaying his true honor battles the creature with his bare hands and even in some depictions of the story battles Grendel naked, this shows how far the Anglo-Saxons vision of honor would go for.

Ever since a young age, children have been told stories with a clear moral lesson. These

Beowulf is a piece of Anglo-Saxon literature that is expressed in Old English and provides an image of early medieval times. It is known as one of the greatest epic poems ever written. The main character, Beowulf, displays personality traits that set him apart from the other warriors. The bond between family and clans shapes the powerful warrior’s action that would either form an alliance to help protect against enemies or gain enemies. There are many elements that are significant to a person’s life. In Beowulf, establishing reputation is one of the most important aspects in life. In the Anglo-Saxon culture, when a man has a higher reputation, he will most likely have a stronger respect and trust amongst other warriors. Each character has a reputation that plays a role in society. Having a superior reputation can make someone have a recognition in a part of the history. In every epic poem, a character becoming too concerned with his image is the main flaw that causes problems. The character only thinks about their image and not what is best for them in order to overcome challenges. However, in Beowulf, this pride of reputation helps enhance him as a great warrior. Beowulf is establishing his reputation through his “building blocks” of challenges he will have encountered. Reputation is the defining concept because Beowulf is constantly concerned of how people view him.

I believe that to accomplish something great in life is what most people strive to reach in their lives. Having the courage to be an honorable and honest person is an amazing quality to have. You may ask why is it so hard to be honest, well I feel it takes courage and honorability to stand alone and fight for what is right. Believing and fighting for what is right for me is very courageous and for many people that is very frightening and they sometimes prefer to stay quiet and not do anything.