Rhetorical Analysis Of Beowulf

These first 300 lines of Beowulf do a decent job setting the stage for the entire epic. They present the readers with historical background, introduce the first main conflict, and set the general mood of the entire story. In other words, the readers are lead into a seemingly hopeless situation where all anyone really needs is a hero, and Beowulf is just the warrior for the job.

The poem begins on a dead and unappealing tone. It just goes into detail about the Danes and the Geats and their problems. There is no real action that occurs throughout the begging other than Grendel attacking Herot Hall. Furthermore, when the poem reaches the middle the tone takes a massive change. Beowulf arrives and agrees to take down Grendel and make Herot Hall available again. Then it hits a high point when he battles Grendel and his mother and defeat them both creating a live and action packed tone that appeals to the reader. It goes to great extent to make sure the reader stays fully involved and keeps full interest. As the poem progresses through the stages of much intensity and action it then comes toward the end. In this part of the poem the tone takes a dramatic turn. It changes from live and upbeat to sad and solemn as Beowulf fights the last battle of his life. This is the point where he defeats the dragon but receives a fatal blow and all the land must now know that Beowulf is no longer with

Another literary element that offer meaning to the poem is imagery, by simply allowing the readers to envision the events of the story. In the first part of the story (129-134), Beowulf is described as coming over “seas beating at the sand” while “the ship foamed through the sea like a bird.” This scene truly guides the readers to admire the vivid description of how proud and tough the ship looks. This ship in this case, becomes a metonymy for Beowulf himself, who is certainly proud and strong, resulting in the readers’ admiration. Additional imagery is used describing the mere, or lake, discussed above, with “storms [an] waves splash[ing] towards the sky, as dark as the air as black as the rain that the heavens weep” (440-442). This clearly illustrates how dreadful Grendel and his mothers’ home is. It intensely aids us to picture how grotesquely unpleasant the lake actually is. Near the end of the tale (lines 651-653], Beowulf “[strides] with his shield at his side and a mail shirt of his breast….. Toward the tower, under the rocky cliffs.” While Beowulf awaits the battle, the description of his armor and the details of each entry help us to respect how ready he is for his concluding battle. Even as an elderly man, Beowulf is a hero beyond compare. In closing, the use of imagery greatly enriches the readers’ experience of this heroic epic.

In the epic poem Beowulf is about a powerful hero that takes a journey to Herot to help restore peace within the mead hall. Herot is suffering because Grendel keeps attacking its people due to the noise they create. It is chaotic until Beowulf makes his appearance in Hrothgar’s place of meal. Beowulf seizes to amaze me by the way he overcomes

Beowulf holds a key to understanding how the author can invoke a response from the reader through different narrative forms and the heroic/non heroic trope. The form of the epic poem is used to present the themes of power, war death and life itself in an enhanced way that allows the writer to arouse a particular response from the

Imagery is the visual perspective of the reader. In Beowulf the “ infamous killer” uses hell forged hands to cause destruction and crime regarding the Danes. This being said, describes how Grendel is seen as something constructed from eternal damnation. While fighting the sea monsters, Beowulf realizes God’s bright beacon is shining down on him. This gives him the spiritual strength to battle the monsters and finish the swimming contest. The dragon is the symbol for death and eternal damnation. In the poem, Beowulf’s chain mail melts and is burned by the dragon. This represents the fire in hell. As Wiglaf sprinkles the water over his dying lord’s forehead, it symbolizes a baptism. Beowulf’s images promote settings and actionable plots.

The first battle in the poem occurs between Beowulf and Grendel who best embody the Anglo-Saxon value of courage. Beowulf is the perfect representation of this value due to his insistence on fighting Grendel without weapons; “No weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me” (Heaney 683-84). Thus when Beowulf proclaims that he is not using weapons he displays both honor and courage since it takes guts to fight a monster without a pronounced advantage. Anglo-Saxons respected this quality and made their epic hero a perfect fit for this trait. Grendel however, is the complete opposite of Beowulf. He is an archetypal outcast; a, “grim demon/ haunting the marches, marauding round the heath… condemned as outcasts” (36-45). The purpose of using this archetype is to show the distinction between good and evil. The people in the mead hall are the supporters of good. They follow the Anglo-Saxon warrior codes and are on Beowulf’s side. Grendel is opposite of this ideal. He lives in solitude in a cave at the bottom of the lake and upon hearing of the partying in the mead hall feels enraged. To further emphasize the archetype, he raids Herot only during the nighttime. This shows the degree to which he is ostracised from society since appearing in daylight is off bounds to Grendel. When Beowulf rends his arm, Grendel runs away, showing his cowardice since he runs instead of finishing the fight on the spot. For the Anglo-Saxons, death in battle was the most glorious type of death, thus Grendel’s retreat reinforces the quality of courage and makes him a laughingstock in Anglo-Saxon society. When the battle itself begins, Beowulf’s comrades stay to help him fight. The author states that he is, “Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend/ their lord’s life” (794-95). This ties into the theme of loyalty to one’s kin because although the weapons do no damage, Beowulf’s brethren stay by his side to help. This emphasizes the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture as the battles serve to show the listener the deep cultural significance of the kinship of the warriors. They are one; not only because of their

Many people believe that initially, Beowulf was a Pagan artifact. In fact, such belief has developed further to support that an anonymous Christian rewrote the piece with the intention to apply Christian characters in the first script. Academics, however, differ on whether the central thematic argument was Christian or Pagan. The author remarkably puts actions into the context of the Bible owing to the impulse at the era of converting everyone to Christianity. By, interlocking the old Pagan elements of folklore and Christian belief, Beowulf grows into a standard of fiction, which is difficult to outshine. The epic of Beowulf has no recognized author ever since its original tradition. However, it does represent the culture of the Anglo-Saxon from which it originated. Besides, it serves its goal of moral teaching as a work of art and the meaning hero-life (Disraeli). The poem’s hero, known as Beowulf, seems to display great bravery in all the things he takes part in during his time. Indeed, Beowulf represents one of the greatest epic heroes in history; he symbolizes bravery and honor, loyalty to his people, and the reputation he holds, as he represents the Anglo-Saxon culture.

The epic poem Beowulf was written in Old English by in unknown author in England during the eighth or ninth century. This poem takes place in Scandinavia during the beginning of the sixth century and illustrates the idea of a traditional Anglo-Saxton hero. Beowulf is a god like hero who courageously sets out to defeat the monster Grendel as a way to repay his father’s debt. He also increases his heroic status by defeating Grendel’s mother and the dragon. Reputation and a person lineage is a theme used throughout the poem to describe kings, thanes, and monsters, and is the only thing Beowulf values the most. Because his father had already tainted the family name, and with the loss of the swimming match against Breca, Beowulf feels the need to push the limits of a hero in the fights against Grendel and Grendel’s mother to ensure that his reputation lives on.

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.

First of all, the monsters. The epic poems usually are created heroes who must fight various monsters so that they can achieve the ultimate honor and glory. The character Beowulf is no different from other heroes. Beowulf must fight three monsters: Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. These monsters represent those who do not make their social roles, some people who live apart from civilization and which also have no value.

In the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is said, "Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people" (Beowulf 5). That being stated, it is very apparent throughout the entirety of the story. The main character, Beowulf, quickly comes to a position of power once defeating multiple atrocities and executing numerous heroic deeds. The people in the city admire Beowulf and abide to his ways; but once offered kingship, he declines. Throughout the epic poem, it is obvious that Beowulf would rather be a hero than a king because of the individual representation that comes with it, the rewards, and the self-reliant aspect.

Literary devises use utilized by authors to help show common themes as well as tone and symbolism. The epic poem Beowulf (translated by Seamus Heany) is a three-part epic of the Anglo-Saxon warrior Beowulf. First, he brought his warriors to Heorot and to the king Hrothgar to help him get rid of the monster Grendel. Grendel is a monster, and is very isolated. Beowulf is successful and ends up killing Grendel, and kills Grendel’s mother after she returns an attack. The final part is Beowulf’s final fight with a dragon, in which he dies. Various literary terms are used in Beowulf to help provide themes of fear of outcasts, the struggle of good and evil, and the difference between isolation and being part of a tribe.

Literary devices is utilized by authors to help show common themes as well as tone and symbolism. The epic poem Beowulf (translated by Seamus Heany) is a three-part epic of the Anglo-Saxon warrior Beowulf. First, he brought his warriors to Heorot and to the King Hrothgar to help him get rid of the monster Grendel. Grendel is a monster, and is very isolated. Beowulf is successful and ends up killing Grendel, and kills Grendel’s mother after she returns an attack. The final part is Beowulf’s final fight with a dragon, in which he dies. Various literary terms are used in Beowulf to help provide the themes of fear of outcasts, the struggle of good and evil, and the difference between isolation and being part of a tribe.

The Anglo-Saxon poem “Beowulf” takes the reader back into a time long past; one of family, fate, and fealty. Beowulf offers a glimpse of a society struggling between two different paths, one path being the assimilation into the new Christian traditions and the other is the fast fading past of glorified warriors and family ties. In the poem, the reader can see the attempts of the poet to convey the values and stories of Judeo-Christianity in a society of Anglo-Saxon paganism. The poet illustrates the infiltration of the Christian teachings and how they might have appeared within the lives of the people through the literary devices of symbolism, allegory, and allusion.