Power In Beowulf

Every epic hero acquires certain heroic characteristics. The poem, “Beowulf, is about the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon period. Beowulf is a warrior from Geatland that comes to help Hrothgar, the king of Danes, defeat the monster Grendel who has been killing men in their kingdom. Beowulf defeats the unstoppable beast, Grendel. Then Grendel’s mother comes to try to avenge Grendel’s death, and Beowulf slaughters her in her underwater lair. After 50 peaceful years of ruling the Geats, Beowulf in his old age fights his last battle with a dragon. He defeats the dragon, with help from Wiglaf, but dies as a result. The main character, Beowulf exemplifies many characteristics that an epic hero possesses. Beowulf’s characteristics include

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

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,

Beowulf son of the famous soldier Edegtho, comes to the rescue of Hrothgar. Hrothgar king of the Danes, which his land is being attacked by a treacherous monster named Grendel. Beowulf is described as a vigorous, fearless man of the Anglo Saxon times. Beowulf comes from a past generation of tenacious warriors. Like Beowulf’s dad, a famous soldier known far, and leader of many men. The Danes now see why Beowulf is such a fearless warrior. In Beowulf, the hero decides to fight without a weapon for three reasons he wants to be glorious, he is fearless, wanted to help the people of noble place and he wants to honor his people. Beowulf faces many conflicts fighting these dangerous monsters, but manages to defeat Grendel and his mother.

Beowulf, the defender of Hrothgar and Heorot, exhibits far more complicated (and less sincere) shades of revenge than the Grendel’s mother. At the end of the day, Beowulf’s goal is to become the preeminent warrior in all the land. In his society, the only way to gain such widespread celebrity is through courageous and self-endangering acts. Beowulf masks these deeds with a façade of seeking revenge; he supposedly comes to Heorot to save the Danes from Grendel’s terror, but his true motives lie in becoming a hero. His reward is not the pride of doing a good deed; Beowulf is rewarded with lavish and expensive gifts.

Beowulf displays another trait which considers him a hero and that trait is loyalty. In ancient poems loyalty was one of the most important traits a hero could have. Beowulf was the key model of a hero so he

After Beowulf defeats Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar warns him of such a fate though a tale of the warrior Heremod. When a mighty warrior kills, he loses a fraction of his humanity. The more he kills, the more he develops a killer instinct. Unless he keeps this instinct in check and reminds himself that he fights and kills for a cause, he becomes a monster. In the case of Heremod, “he grew great not for their joy, but for their slaughter, for the destruction of Danish people”. Hrothgar knows a mighty warrior such as Beowulf will take the lives of many in his time, and urges him to be mindful of his tale. This knowledge, not the defeat of Grendel and his mother, is Beowulf’s true victory.

Beowulf shows loyalty by telling the king that he’s not hiding anything and that he has come with his men for business with the king. He expects to do only that. This can compare to a soldier because the soldier stays loyal to their country and would risk their lives for the safety of others. The Office of the Press Secretary states that “‘Dakota and the others who had joined him knelt down, picked up their comrades and -- through all those bullets, all the smoke, all the chaos -- carried them out, one by one’” (paragraph 18). Both Beowulf and soldiers are passionate about serving and protecting their people. “Then the Geats built the tower, as Beowulf / Had asked, strong and tall, so sailors / Could find it from far and wide” (“Beowulf” 843-845). Beowulf wanted everyone to know that he was an extraordinary hero. “‘Because of your Honor, 36 men are alive today. Because of your Courage, four fallen American heroes came home, and -- in the words of James Layton’s mom -- they could lay their sons to rest with dignity’” stated the Office of the Press Secretary (paragraph

In the epic poem, Beowulf by an Anglo-Saxon Scop, the main character, Beowulf, is an epic hero and is trying to achieve many of the Anglo-Saxon beliefs which include qualities such as loyalty and generosity. When someone shows generosity and loyalty they are demonstrating kindness and trust to that person and in return they will most likely receive the same. Beowulf and his warriors promise each other life-long generosity and loyalty demonstrated when his warriors sacrifice themselves so Beowulf could beat Grendel, Beowulf leaving behind his men so they would not be killed or hurt in the fight with Grendel's mother, and finally when Wiglaf reflects on how generous Beowulf was.

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 the epic poem Beowulf, characters with vast differences and similarities appear and blend together to foil each other to make for a very interesting read. Many examples of dichotomies exist in the multitude of characters introduced throughout the poem. One of the most prevalent examples is demonstrated by the relationship between Beowulf and Grendel. There are varying dichotomies that continuously show up throughout the poem, and Beowulf and Grendel embody several themes that overlap with one another. The most evident dichotomy is good versus evil, but other dichotomies displayed align with the overarching theme of good versus evil, such as bravery versus cowardice, and dark versus light. This essay focuses on bravery versus cowardice as a theme for the main characters Beowulf and Grendel, but this dichotomy is also demonstrated by other characters such as Wiglaf and the other soldiers because of their fear of the dragon, and when Beowulf’s soldiers stay with him to help fight Grendel despite not really having a chance to beat him.

With Beowulf and Grendel's reputation , backstory, and their famous and infamous moments back to back,  we can determine who truly was the knight in shining armour, and the great sin that inhabited the nordic world.     Thanks to Seamus Heaney’s translations of the original Beowulf poem, we can now fully understand the famous norse  hero, Beowulf. Beowulf is a illustrious viking  warrior who is quite famous among his fellow thanes for his achievements ,boasts , superhuman strength against fallen foes, and his selflessness. Hsi most familiar  achievements are “ saving  the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and later, from Grendel’s mother.” “ He then returns to his county and dies in old age a vivid fight against dragon.”

The poem of Beowulf is supposedly about stories of dreams and legends, of monsters and of god-fashioned weapons. This poem gives a great example of good versus evil, basically between Christianity versus paganism comparisons. Beowulf gives much heroism by being brave, confident, and being bold to anybody who he meets; besides to his enemies. Beowulf knows that it pays to be loyal to good people, especially to the people who he saves. However, the man-eating monster named Grendel is described as a demon, a fiend, and just pure evil.

In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the story’s most universal theme. The storyteller is very clear who is good and who is evil, Beowulf represents the good and the ability to act selflessly when help is needed from others. Good is also shown throughout the epic as having the ability to abolish villainy. Evil is presented by Grendel, his mother, and a dragon, whose purpose in life is to make the lives of humanity a little more miserable.

The epic poem Beowulf, is an Angelo Saxon tale that represents heroism and strength. This poem was written be an unknown poet between around 1000 A.D and showcases the heroic character named Beowulf who comes to save the land of Danes from the beast Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel and then faces his mother the evil monster who is killed as well and is viewed by all the people of Dane as a hero who can never be beaten. An evil Dragon comes and Beowulf is able to kill the Dragon but sacrifices his own life as he is killed by the Dragon’s poison. Beowulf is about more than heroism this epic poem shows true English narration, represents Angelo-Saxon religion, and depicts women’s roles in Anglo-Saxon society