Imagery 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

In the book, Beowulf, by Anonymous, there is a beast called Grendel that is ravaging the countryside because he is in a war with humans. Beowulf, the son of the king Scyld, goes to Hrothgar’s hall and offers to defeat Grendel; Beowulf knows that it is his duty to kill Grendel because he had been training for a moment like this his entire life. During his earlier years, Beowulf had always been the best fighter; he was unbeaten. Hrothgar had known Beowulf since he was a child, so he gave him lots of gold and an army to protect him. Also, Hrothgar wanted to kill Grendel because he had killed his brother, Heatholaf. After Hrothgar’s wife walks in and recognizes Beowulf as a great warrior, he hand-picks Hrothgar’s greatest men for his battle with Grendel.

Imagery is a vital part of Beowulf in both the film and the poem. Specifically, the film and poem use imagery to portray the malevolent nature embedded within many scenes and characters. However, the way imagery is used within the poem in comparison to that of the film differs greatly. In the poem, descriptions and phrases use imagery to influence the emotions of the scene while the film does the same by using music, lighting and the looks of the scene.

Mankind for centuries has viewed good as better than evil and that the hero must always win in the end. There are three major battles throughout the poem: Beowulf against Grendel, Beowulf against Grendel’s mother, and Beowulf against the dragon. In the battle of Beowulf verses Grendel, the good side is Beowulf, and the evil, or aggressor, is Grendel. During the intense part of the fight, Grendel “discovered himself / in a handgrip harder than anything / he had encountered in any man / on the face of the earth” (Beowulf 749-752). Immediately after, Grendel “was desperate to flee to his den and hide” (Beowulf 754), but Beowulf does not permit Grendel to flee so easily, and rips off his arm as a punishment. This moment when Beowulf decides to rip off Grendel’s arm rather than let him flee can either be interpreted as Beowulf attempting to stop the monster from ever attacking the city again, and also it shows how Beowulf is collecting the blood price of the deaths of the many Danish citizens that Grendel had killed. After the battle, Grendel returns home to die a slow painful death and his mother seeks revenge for her son’s pain and

Beowulf proclaims “In the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together” (liens 156-160). Beowulf claims that he must go to defeat Grendel, as it was his errand, or his duty, and his fate. This speech he makes to King Hrothgar reinforces his true reason to come to the King, not for any pride. Another vow Beowulf makes is when he says “That this is one favor you should not refuse me—That I, alone and with the help of my men, many purge all evil form this hall” (lines 163-166). In this line, Beowulf is pleading for the King to do one thing, which is to give him the permission for him and his men to go and fight Grendel, what Beowulf had arrived for. The fact that Beowulf asks the king for only one thing, which is to fight Grendel, shows Beowulf’s selflessness and concern for the safety of others. At no part does he ask for a reward, but even says that if fate is in favor of Grendel to give his armor back to his family. These words help paint the image of Beowulf being concerned for others, not for his

Since humans first emerged into the intellectual sphere of literature, extravagant tales of mystical lands, bloody wars, and gallant heroes spread far and wide. All treasured tales transpire time, From trespassing viking warlords, to poetic french vineyards, and indian tribes across the sea, each culture remains coated in these tales. In the twenty first century there is no need for memorizing stories, however in times gone by stories were circulated by tune or voice until christianity began to spread worldwide. Beowulf, written by an anonymous christian monk, possesses a timeless approach of a classic fight for love and glory; a case of do or die to audiences across the span of a lifetime with intricate tones,

First, Beowulf shows his loyalty to human kind when he defeats Grendel, a monster who terrorizes King Hrothgar's men. Beowulf formulated an intricate plan to defeat the monster who continuously attacks Hrothgar's men, while they were sleeping at the mead-hall. When Beowulf encounters Grendel, when he attacks the mead hall, he is described as,“flooded with fear-but nothing could take his talons and himself from that tight hard grip”(Beowulf,435) This shows the negative emotions and pains that Grendel experiences as he confronts Beowulf, his most powerful adversary. The strong grip that Beowulf squeezes Grendel by can be interpreted as Beowulf’s loyalty to the people who have been constantly terrorized by Grendel, and also the amount of anger

    Some popular elements of imagery in Beowulf are the mead-hall, the sea, swords, armor including shields. Let us discuss these items and, where applicable, the archaeological support for them.

After the battle with Grendel, King Hrothgar elaborates on the mightiness of the Lord, and the salvation that He gives to the Danes in the form of Beowulf. Upon the defeat of Grendel and his mother, Hrothgar presents Beowulf with several splendid gifts, but reminds him “keep yourself against the wickedness, beloved Beowulf, best of men, and choose better-eternal gains. Have no care for pride…” (31). Foreshadowing the necessary qualities that Beowulf uses in his reign, Hrothgar reminds Beowulf to take precautions on the spoils of warfare, and avoid the deadly sin of pride. After the death of Hygleac, Beowulf rises to the throne due to his respectful and altruistic nature, not because of some divine right. Despite the religious allegories of Hrothgar’s speeches and Beowulf’s gratitude to the Lord, most of the poem retains the underlying pagan

In both the movie and poem, men are seen as fearless and strong people. Beowulf is considered a hero who’s fearless and protected his people from evil monsters. While, in the poem he killed her and didn’t think twice about it because he had so much love for himself, his thanes and his people. Also, Beowulf was seen as someone that was strong and only cared about protecting his people. For instance, on lines ___ and ___ it states “ “.

“So Hrothgar's men lived happily in this hall till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell (line 101).” During the winter season, everyone slept in Mead Hall because of the warmth. Everyone was happy, until Grendel came. Beowulf finally has his chance to repay his father's debt. Vengeance against Grendel. For the many months it took for Beowulf to travel to the Danes, Grendel has been wreaking havoc, killing many men in Mead Hall. Vengeance is what binds tribes together. Helping Edgetho escape the Wulfings became a very great deed. Without Beowulf repaying his father's debt, Grendel may have never been defeated. “The victory ,for the proof, hanging high from the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster's arm, claw, and shoulder and all (line 835).” The bloody battle ended with Beowulf tearing the arm from Grendel. This was the victory trophy that ended Grendel terrorizing the Danes. The tribe was bound together once again. Beowulf’s victory against Grendel was great for the Danes, but not everyone was happy about his

After defeating Grendel Beowulf enjoys the celebration and rewards that Hrothgar has treated him to. Beowulf earns the respect of the whole kingdom of Heorot. A few nights later Grendel’s mother learns that her son was killed by a human. She comes angrily back to the mead hall where she will take vengeance for her son. “But now his mother had sallied forth on a savage journey, grief-racked and ravenous, desperate for revenge” (pg. 89). Grendel’s mother is another stage in Beowulf’s step toward an older warrior. Before the great battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf was a little bit more mature and was not as confident. “Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear, indifferent to death; his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail would soon meet with the menace underwater.” (pg. 101) He needed armor because he feels that it wasn’t the kind of battle he would face without his necessity to survive. After a long fight Beowulf finds the strength in him to grab the weapon that would kill Grendel’s mother. Once again good has defeated evil. Beowulf comes through as a hero one more time before his departure from Heorot.

Beowulf is a poem that tells the story of a hero’s victories and defeat, first killing a demon and his mother and after being defeated by a dragon. This poem shows how spectacular epics were at this time and as the Anglo-Saxon literature took a long a long time ago. Furthermore it shows how important and recognized the heroic deeds were, so much to the point to write about the hero with qualities and characteristics that were a little overdone such as the strength of Beowulf that with one fist he tore Grendel's arm off. In the epic, the reader can witness that willpower and loyalty are more important than physical strength in battle as these allow him to be willing to face a very strong and terrifying enemies and defend his principles and friends.

    Beowulf’s greatness is unfathomable throughout the poem.  His defeat of Grendel is his first huge accomplishment.  “Our hero kills him that very night, killing the beast by ripping him apart.”(Post)  Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands, ripping his arm out and letting Grendel bleed to death.  Everything is all well in the village after the defeat of Grendel, but Beowulf stays up and finds that Grendel’s mother seeks revenge for her son’s death.  “Grendel’s mother, monstrous hell-bride, brooded on her wrongs… sallied forth on a savage journey, grief racked and ravenous, desperate for revenge.”(Post)  Grendel’s mother is out to get Beowulf.  Beowulf commits his second act of greatness by defeating her.  “The blade in an arc, a resolute blow,

“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.