Literature : A Reflection Of Culture

The story of Beowulf is one of the oldest examples of what society views as a hero. Though the story was written in Anglo-Saxon times, the credentials one would need in order to be considered by society a hero remain the same. The Anglo-Saxons believed that a hero was strong and courageous, but humble and kind as well. They also believed that a hero was intelligent and dignified, in which he would fight until death in order to defend his people. In Beowulf and Grendel, directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, Beowulf is depicted as caring, compassionate, noble, and understanding, which makes him seem as if he had every trait of a true hero. He seems quite the opposite, however, in the story Grendel by John Gardner. The book Grendel portrays Beowulf

Beowulf is an ancient English poem that tells the tale of a young, brave warrior and the victories he obtains throughout his lifetime, up until his death. He is widely regarded as a hero throughout the lands and honorably puts his life on the line multiple times. Throughout the poem, Beowulf’s reasoning for being a hero changes. He begins his journey wanting to be a protector of people, a savior of humankind, but as the poem progresses, there is a distinct change in motivation for Beowulf, becoming more about craving glory and victory over his opponent as opposed to out of pure kindness. Beowulf conveys through this change that while it is worthwhile risking his life and being a hero in order to save his people and carry out his family

Beowulf ‘s confidence in his abilities and courage to carry out his mission exhibits how he could be considered an epic hero. When he first hears of the Danes’ plight with the monster Grendel, Beowulf wastes no time in “his plan to sail the swan’s road and seek out that king” who desperately needs assistance in his troubles (Heaney 201-202). He eagerly accepts his call to action, wasting no time in ensuring King Hrothgar of his “awesome strength” and exhibiting an unwavering self-assurance as he recalls how he “battled and bound five beasts” (Heaney 418-420). In these first encounters with the hero, it is evident that Beowulf’s defining characteristics include his courage and pride. There is no fear or reluctance in his attempt for glory,

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.”- Mary Anne Radmacher. Beowulf is a epic poem that shares the journey of an epic hero named Beowulf who shows us he has plenty of courage and selflessness throughout the story. Beowulf portrays his perseverance when we are introduced to a monster that goes by the name of Grendel. He defeats the monster and proves that he is capable of being a hero that the people need. Beowulf is a virtuous man and virtue was very important in Anglo-Saxon culture. He shows four traits through the course of the poem which can be seen as Loyalty, Strength, Bravery, and Friendship. Beowulf constantly portrays these four traits as we read more of the poem, and it shows why he is a hero that his people relied on.

Beowulf displayed the qualities of an immature warrior during his battle with his first enemy, Grendel. Qualities like impulsiveness and inexperience in battle represent the Anglo-Saxon warriors’s eagerness to fight for glory during this time. Beowulf came Hrothgar’s aid more out of a personal desire for fame and fortune rather than out of need to fulfill an inherited obligation to a neighboring king (Kelley 141). This exhibits the immature, selfish behavior warriors during this time possessed. Warriors would partake in perilous journeys to obtain glory or riches because that was more important than trying to help someone in need.

Much of Beowulf is showing heroism , this shows the values of strength, courage, and loyalty, hospitality, generosity,. Redcrosse, must defeat villains who impersonate the falsehood of the

“Beowulf” is a medieval heroic epic. The poem originated on the basis of ancient traditions related to pagan times. The poem represent an early example of precisely moral heroism, but not the one that is caused by the desire for fame and power. The main character of the poem, Beowulf, is capable of sacrificing himself and courage in the name of justice. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.” (ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.” (ll. 2525-2534) In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem. As king, Beowulf is the

“In my youth I engaged in many wars”, Beowulf boasts to his warriors, which is certainly true. Throughout his life, he faces many deadly foes, all of which he handily defeats, save one. His story focuses on the most challenging, as well as morally significant of foes, Grendel and the dragon. These creatures reveal much about society as well as Christian virtue at the time. Even after Grendel and the dragon are defeated physically, the two monsters pose a new threat to the hero on a higher plane. Beowulf is not only at risk of losing his life, but his humanity, virtue, and even spirituality.

Beowulf displays strength, courage, and honor throughout the epic. Beowulf’s actions reflect these epic qualities by the characterizations in his battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the fire dragon. The magnitude of Beowulf’s funeral directly reflects all of his accomplishments in his life. Beowulf did more than what

Beowulf showed his honor as he traveled from his homeland to battle the vicious monster Grendel, who was terrorizing the Danes. Grendel “Raided and ravaged” the mead hall, showing no honor by killing intoxicated men in their sleep. Beowulf knows that there is a chance that he may die in his great battle against Grendel when he says, “If death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac…”, yet he is still willing to attempt to defeat Grendel. A hero in the Anglo-Saxon time is always very confident, as well he should be. It would serve no purpose to face battle with doubt of ones ability to do so, and with fear of all that awaits him. Beowulf’s morality came also in the form of loyalty to people and his word. Promises by Beowulf were kept . Acceptance of death, and care for the welfare of his people were Beowulf’s greatest virtues. His

The defining characteristics of Beowulf is his bravery, and his strong desire to demonstrate it to others. He travels to the land of the Danes to prove his courage by destroying Grendel, and he then fearlessly pursues Grendel's mother into her underwater lair. Even late in his life, he dies fighting against a dragon that is terrorizing his homeland. Beowulf is also concerned about loyalty and honor, all of which are related to the self-sacrificial nature of his courage. Virtues celebrated by Anglo-Saxons and revealed in Beowulf include loyalty, generosity, brotherly love, and heroism. Beowulf is loyal to Hrothgar and seeks to help his kingdom despite the fact that he is not a Dane. He displays generosity by bringing gifts bestowed upon him from the Danes back to his own uncle and king of Geatland. Brotherly love is seen most in Beowulf's relationship with his men. Rather than assuming a position of honor after the defeat of Grendel, he chooses to

The epic Beowulf has many parallels to fairy tales. Examples of this include the promotion good deeds, Beowulf being an archetype for a hero and the contrast of Grendel being an archetype of a villain.Even in the vary beginning of the story Beowulf is described as “the strongest of men” and as a “warrior”, both are ways the Anglo-Saxons would describe heroes in their time. Beowulf has all the likeable and charming qualities of a hero, in the epic everyone he meets finds him courageous and likeable. Just as heroes in fairy tales represent what a society holds high, Beowulf represents the quality’s that the Anglo-Saxons held high; such as strength and courage. In contrast to Beowulf being a great hero, Grendel is described as a terrible villain.

In an epic poem Beowulf, there are two characters presented, Beowulf who is considered a hero and Grendel who others see as a monster. Throughout the epic poem, Beowulf does many heroic actions which put him in a position of a hero. On the other hand, Grendel does everything he can to destroy the happiness of others. Beowulf was portrayed as a courageous person right from the beginning of the poem.

In Beowulf the classic epic, Beowulf, the hero of the epic, and other major characters reflect heroic ideals and beliefs of courage, generosity, unquestioning loyalty and devotion. Courage is most evident throughout Beowulf Beowulf does not back down from any challenge that stands in his way whether it be Grendel, Grendel’s mother, or the dragon. His bravery is most evident in his preparation for his fight with Grendel, Beowulf, “took off his shirt of armour, the helmet from his head, handed his embellished sword, best of irons to an attendant,…” He chose to bravely fight his foe, man to beast without weaponery for he knew it would be “cowardly” to defeat Grendel with a sword and armor when Grendel himself had none. Even in his

Interrelations between literatures and society are duly assimilated and endorsed in different epochs of time. Society is well exposed through literatures and literatures do strongly uphold the social realities. Reading any piece of literatures is always supposed to reflect this or that type of social account: be that of present or past or future time or with blending of all. For the reason, Tyson writes, “A better understanding of the world in which we live, it seems to me, automatically comes along the ride when we study literature… (xii), and then cements the feeling that studying literature is a most enjoyable way of accessing the world. Winch argues that the interrelation between history, philosophy, literature and social theory is vital to a better understanding of our social worlds (Winch 1990); and he well supports the feeling as Tyson regards over literature as to be the mirror to reflect society in part or whole. So feel the literary figures and expose society from various angles through literatures.