Haney And Wilber's Metaphors In Beowulf

Loyalty and bravery are themes that are often found in literature, and Beowulf is no exception. It is one of the reasons I find this poem so interesting. Beowulf is the hero of the poem who decides to sail to Denmark with hope of protecting the Danish people from a creature known as Grendel, who has attacked and devoured many of King Hrothgar’s warriors while they were asleep. Like all heroes, Beowulf exhibits true bravery, courage, and puts the people before himself, which makes him a very likely candidate for king. Even before he faces the terrifying monster, Grendel, Beowulf renounces the uses of weapons when he says “Soon I shall sink him into death-sleep, not with my sword but solely by strength. He is unschooled in skills to strike against

Beowulf is an Old English poem written somewhere between the eighth century and the tenth century; the culture of Germanic times is depicted through varying concepts of masculinity that not only describes their capability as a warrior, but also their aptitude as a leader. Beowulf shows of a demon named Grendel attacking Heorot, and the king, Hrothgar, calls Beowulf, a warrior, for help with the slaying of Grendel. Characteristics and qualities of leadership are directly linked to the masculinity of the characters within Beowulf. The leaders in the prologue are demonstrated with the aspects of masculinity through their strength and brutality. In Beowulf, a man demonstrates his essential worth through evidence of masculinity as seen in Unferth’s cowardice, Beowulf’s heroism, and Wiglaf’s bravery.

The poet admired Beowulf’s ability as a warrior stating “There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth,”(15). The poet described the great warrior as wielding “the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand”, treating his comrades with great respect, and only using his immense strength for noble deeds, to the point where the Geats considered him weak (149). Like most warriors at the time, Beowulf believed in a fatalistic view, made clear in line 1386 saying, “For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for an end. Let whoever win glory before death.” (97). The poet emphasized this philosophy, including many passages where Beowulf’s thirst for glory is

In this thrilling poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf shows characteristics of a noble warrior who takes on different journeys against monsters to be crowned as the undisputed warrior and bring home prestige for his fellow clan members.

Beowulf comes and killed the monster named Grendel. After Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother comes and Beowulf follows her into the Fen, a place full of evil things that hate the light. Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother and then returns to his homeland. At his homeland, Beowulf gives the gifts he received from killing Grendel’s mother and Grendel to his uncle, king Hygelac. In return for the gifts, Beowulf is granted all the land that he can cover in a day’s worth on his horse. For a while there is peace and Beowulf lives on his large area of land and tends to bees, but then the Friesians, an invading group of people come and kill king Hygelac. Then Hygelac’s son, Hardred becomes king, but he is also killed later. After Hygelac is killed and Hardred is killed later, Beowulf becomes king. but then a slave runs away because he was threatened to be beaten, and he steals a jeweled cup from a cave. The cave that he stole from was where the Firedrake lived. The Firedrake couldn’t catch the slave, but later that night, it burned a valley including the fields of grain, houses, and churches. By now Beowulf is old, but he still has a plan to kill the Firedrake. After Beowulf kills the Firedrake by having his bees sting it to death, Beowulf dies. I think that the thesis is that everybody has good and evil in them, but how you deal with the evil is what will decide if you are a good person. I also think that the thesis is that it isn’t as simple as good and evil because a good person can do an evil thing and an evil person can do a good thing.

Beowulf is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.

“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.

Although the author of Beowulf is unknown, his ability to reveal an eternal truth is undeniable. The author uses literary elements such as theme, points-of-view, and symbolism to portray his purpose. Countries and world leaders still struggle with the concepts in Beowulf. Analyzing the deeper meaning of Beowulf will reveal the truth behind the reason for war and conflict.

Beowulf transitions from warrior to king in the second part of the poem. Instead of relying on his own beliefs and practices, he emulates the heroic king Hrothgar. Beowulf becomes more concerned with the lives of his subjects and takes a more conservative ruling stance. Hrothgar prepares Beowulf well to take over the thrown and teaches him to honor his warriors, protecting his people and maintain a stable Kingdom. Hrothgar reminds Beowulf of the Greek tragedians and teaches that pride without humility will result in a tragic fall (Chickering 1383). He also teaches Beowulf about Christian beliefs like wealth is accumulated through the grace of God and should be shared unselfishly (Chickering 1384).

Beowulf is the epic hero of this poem. He has all the characteristics that a hero should, such as strength, loyalty and bravery. Not only does he fight for good, but he represents it as well. In the poem, there is contrasting evil present to highlight Beowulf’s heroic

The poem uses large amounts of imagery to bring the poem to life. The way in which situations and locations are described add intensity and emotion to the story. The instant Grendel is introduced to us, before his name becomes known, he is described as “a powerful demon, a prowler through

This third comparison will focus on the most famous passage of the poem, which is the culmination of a Hrothgar’s long speech to Beowulf. The main themes are the importance of strength and pride in life, the fragility of life and for the first time, Beowulf is seen here as a human warrior and not for his heroic and divine deeds (lines 1758-1768 in Heaney’s, 1476-1484 in Tolkien’s).

During the medieval times Vikings were known as warriors or heroes. These heroes were known mostly for their superhuman strength. Most stories tell the journey of these warriors and how they are honored after defeating an evil creature. A prime example of this would be the poem of “Beowulf”. Beowulf is known for his superhuman strength as the Vikings or warriors once were. However, Vikings were not only known for their physical qualities, they were also known for their leadership in battle and their interaction with those they serve as well as the courage they displayed. In this poem, Beowulf displays many characteristics as that of a medieval warrior through his acts of bravery, loyalty, generosity, courage, and an accomplishment of a great task.

Throughout the entire passage of Beowulf there has been an overarching theme of Beowulf’s fate of life which in this passage is shown through the strong imagery of gain and loss and with the diction of sadness.

So, Beowulf the strong and brave warrior with the strength of thirty men in each arm who does not fear death but death itself. “Epics often involve interactions between heroes and gods. In Beowulf, the Christian God is not immediately present in the poem but is often mentioned and discussed.” The hero often leaves for a quest to rid the land of evil often to return home to bask in the glories of his triumphs. Beowulf is no exception, but at times his strength, courage and dedication is tested. Not once but three glorious battles between “Good and Evil” over the course of this poem who would one day return the land of “Geastland” to become