Examples Of Misfortunes In Beowulf

change my life I would either be dead or in jail. I was always getting into fights and just being

In England in the 18th century, the government was ran by men that were considered wealthy. During these times a wealthy man was hard to come by so if

Fate and free will are often shown as contrasting subjects. While free will allows for a person to make their own conscious decisions, its devil’s advocate suggests that even individual choices made are the work of fate. This suggests that every path one takes down a fork road is already predetermined. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf, faces many decisions that could have unimaginable consequences in which he always refers to a greater power like fate. Because of these actions, the plot is completely reliant on the driving force known as fate and although our hero of the story battles with decisions, it is ultimately fate that makes the final call.

Most people believe that villains are people who only do bad things, or are “a deliberate scoundrel or criminal” (Merriam-Webster). What gives people this definition? Simple things such as Jafar from Disney’s “Aladdin”, Ursula from “Little Mermaid”, and Voldemort from Harry Potter. Yet, no one stopped to think of the other definitions. Villains are not just criminals who do bad things. They are “[People] who [are] blamed for a particular problem” or “particular evil” (Merriam-Webster). In Beowulf, the three “villains” or monsters are Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon. Each of the monsters symbolize at least one sin. Grendel symbolizes jealousy (He pined for Hrothgar’s prosperity), Grendel's Mother symbolized anger and vengeance, and the Dragon represents greed. When an antagonist such as Grendel from Beowulf projects these attributes, they are quickly

The human condition is defined by Dictionary.com as being the positive and negative aspects of existence as a human being, especially the inevitable events such as birth, childhood, adolescence, love, sex, reproduction, aging, and death (Dictionary.com 1). Although humans place confidence in being remarkably different from their ancestors, humans share countless amounts of similarities over time that do not modify. Mortals cannot adjust these aspects, and will always experience them. These elements to consider range from loneliness to death. The poem, Beowulf, written by an unknown author demonstrates countless facets of the human condition, including loneliness, vengeance, greed, violence, gifting, mortality, and envy.

The word revenge is heard all over the news today. The news shows how people are trying to get revenge such as terrorist groups or individuals harming each other. However, even though the use of the word is frequent, not everyone has a clear understanding of what revenge clearly means. Revenge is defined as someone taking action to harm someone who has done something wrong to that certain person. Bryce Nelson the author of Revenge: Sweet, Universal and Self-Destructive: [Home Edition] stated: “As the victim contemplates revenge, he hopes desperately to overcome his feelings of impotence and to regain his former sense of self-worth” (Nelson 1). This article demonstrated how revenge was human nature by showing an example of someone getting revenge. The examples are demonstrated in definitions, characteristics, stories, and real-life events.

In an epic poem, Beowulf, is written by unknown author, focuses on the “otherness” of the characters. Otherness is divided into different parts of groups. It is recognized as a diverse and complex entity. Because Grendel lives in the wilderness, is monstrous and dishonors the honor code, he does not conform to the anglo-saxon values and therefore is “othered” by their society.

Destruction is present throughout Beowulf especially in relation to society. The Monsters themselves often portray this with Grendel bringing a mighty people to their knees, yet mankind is also seen bringing around its own destruction through imagery, structure of the poem and the desolate diction used. In the poem, society and civilization rest upon kinship ties and the mead-hall. When close kinship ties are broken, it signals a fraying of the threads of civilization.

A monster shows up to terrorize a town and the people are frightened and do not know what to do. The king finds out and calls for a courageous and daring hero to venture across the sea the help fight the disastrous monster. The hero swoops in to fight the monster; after a long battle he defeats the monster. He saves the day and the whole town celebrates the hero and the great challenge that he has completed. Most storylines that include the topic of heroes versus monsters go something like that. As long as heroes and monsters remain a common topic among authors stories like these will always be written.These stories are told from the heroes point of view because people want to see the

Today finding your ancestors is a struggle. In Beowulf your Lineage can either make or break you. Having a good linage could cause people to like you. A bad lineage would make it so difficult to live and you would most likely get deemed as an outsider. Beowulf doesn't have a author because it was written so long ago that no one knows who created it. But it does have someone that translated it by the name of Seamus Heaney, and a editor gone by Daniel Donoghue. Lineage is desider of people in the Anglo Saxon period because it can be hurtful, Helpful and demonstrate how it can make a outsider.

In medieval times, the first-born son of a landowner is entitled to his father's estate, while other sons and

During the Anglo-Saxon period, the status of a ceorl gradually declined. In the 9th and 10th Centuries, most of them began to work on their lords' lands.

Finally my social ties would be completely different. The people that is in my small group would become extremely important. Considering that these people are the ones keeping me alive. Today my

This principle shows how the different amounts of wealth and inheritances given to family members exemplify different hierarchies of economic and social status among families. While some families leave materialistic inheritance to their children, others do not enjoy the same benefits of doing so. “Some men leave their sons money, some large investments, some business connections and some a profession. I have none of these to bequeath to my sons. I have only one worthwhile thing to give: my trade...” (Collins, 65). Socio economic status then, is the deciding factor on the amount of inheritances younger family members receive. In the working class, children

The distinction between aristocracy of birth and non hereditary aristocracy is relative, because even in caste societies some low-born persons climb into the higher castes and some high-born persons slide into the lower castes. On the other hand, even in open aristocracies there is a tendency for the upper stratum to become a hereditary group filled mainly by the offspring of aristocratic parents.