Symbols In Beowulf

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_ is an epic poem that, above all, gives us a vision of a time long ago; a time when the most important traits to have were courage and integrity. The only thing that could give such fame to somebody was heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the example of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to accumulate fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is present throughout the whole poem seems to enrich the identities of its characters.

In the length of the poem, Beowulf goes from abandoned child to gallant warrior to King. This transformation, expressed in the tone and content of the poem, shows the importance of the relationship between lord and thane and expresses the ultimate value of that connection. From the difference in battle scenes to Beowulf’s speeches, it is clear that he has gone from a somewhat self-loving hero to a selfless king. Within this change he also goes from serving a lord to becoming a lord, and in that way the poem shows us the importance of both sides of the relationship.

The poem of Beowulf follows the Geat warrior Beowulf as he saves the Danish nation and eventually leads his own. Written after 597 AD, the story was told during a period when Catholics sent missionaries to the Vikings, offering a unique view of the warrior culture, where fame was the ultimate goal of one’s life. The growing Christian movement brought about Beowulf, a Christian view of a pagan past, and while it seems as though the poem glorified Beowulf’s achievements, the poet included some passages that conflict with the warrior culture at the time, indicating a cultural shift. The poet praised Beowulf’s ability as a thane but criticized Beowulf’s inability to give up his quest for glory, causing the reader to question whether fame and glory truly fulfils one’s life.

Anglo Saxon’s history is well known for their loyalty, courage and bravery. Beowulf our protagonist is symbolized as a hero, who represents the Anglo Saxons at the time. Beowulf earns his fame and respect through battling creatures nobody else would want to face. These creatures symbolize the evil that lurks beyond the dark. Beowulf’s intense battle with these creatures’ symbolizes the epic battle of good versus evil. In the end good triumphs over evil but one cannot avoid death. Beowulf’s death can be symbolized as the death of the Anglo Saxons. Beowulf’s battle through the poem reflects the kind of culture that the Anglo Saxons had. The youth of a warrior to his maturity then the last fight which results in death. Beowulf wanted to be

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.

The historical document of Beowulf, which also shows the importance of literature, reveals the important cultural values of the warrior society. The epic poem, set in Sweden during the 6th Century, tells the story of a warrior named Beowulf. Scops, or storytellers, keepers of an oral tradition, told stories of heroes and culture from their times. They performed and told the tale of a great thane, finally writing it down sometime around the 8th Century; the only surviving epic poem from this time. As a great piece of literature, this poem follows the life of Beowulf from that of a young and loyal thane who becomes a great respected king and dies proudly, as a warrior. The warrior culture at this time reflects the values of the society of

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or ideas. Symbolism is one of the most common practices of writing, and has been used for centuries. Symbols can often tell a story better than a human can because of there deeper meaning. When epic poems became popular during the Anglo-Saxon period they were filled with harrowing tales of bravery, and courage. Epic poems are long narrative poems that often have characters facing impossible tasks and still finding courage to defeat them. While many marvel at the original Anglo-Saxon dialect of Beowulf, Seamus Heany's modern English translation allows all readers to enjoy this tale.

He hopes to discover the answer to his philosophical question by observing humankind. The Shaper is the first significant figure who influences Grendel. The first song that Grendel hears is about Scyld Shefing, the first king of the Danes. Although the Shaper's songs were "magnificent" and "golden," Grendel knows that they are all incredible "lies.” He recounts the gruesome day when Scyld battles the kinsman-marauders. Grendel is "torn apart by poetry.” As the name implies, the Shaper shapes the world with his words into one that is more heroic and pleasant; his song promotes love, heroism, and beauty—all thoughts that instills meaning in the Danes' lives. The reader sees the extent of the Shaper's influence on men when Grendel says, "They would seize the oceans, the farthest stars, the deepest secret rivers in Hrothgar's name.” Moreover, the Shaper astonishes Grendel because "the man had changed the world, had torn up the past by its thick, gnarled roots and had transmuted it, and [Danes], who knew the truth, remembered it his way.” Although Grendel knows that the Shaper is lying, nevertheless, he chooses to believe him. Grendel is distraught; deceit consummates the Shaper's beautiful songs. However, the Shaper describes Grendel as a malicious beast, which makes Grendel furious. It is through the Shaper’s songs that Grendel begins to grasp men's real

The shaper expresses his philosophy through the stories he tells in Hrothgar’s hall. The shaper achieves throughout his stories that there can still be art, creativity, and imagination in a meaningless world. He gives the Danes of Hrothgar’s hall some purpose and hope through images, which come from the stories he tells. A really big factor about his stories is that they are all lies. The shaper simply takes the truth of the story and changes it. He can change it to what the people actually want to hear, rather than what they don’t want to hear. Although his stories aren’t true, they still believe it because of the incredible skill the shaper has developed. The shaper has developed a skill that allows his words to be very persuasive. Grendel knows that the shaper is telling lies, but with the tremendous skill

As a result of Grendel’s perception of the Shaper as harmful, sophism is depicted as a destructive and valueless ideology. Walking through the forest, Grendel remarks that “[The Shaper] stares strange-eyed at the mindless world and turns dry sticks to gold” (49). The phrase “stares-strange eyed at the mindless world” highlights the Shaper’s ability to alter reality. In essence, the Shaper practices relativism, the belief that there is no objective truth. Since relativism is a key component of sophism, the Shaper is a sophist. By turning “dry sticks to gold,” it is clear that the Shaper’s intends to use his role as a sophist in order to benefit his audience; however, his impact is anything but positive. While pondering the significance of the Shaper, Grendel states “[The Shaper] built this hall by the power of his songs: created with casual words its grave mor(t)ality” (46-47).The Shaper uses his position as a sophist to influence Hrothgar to create a grand hall- a seemingly positive effect. Grendel, however, foreshadows the negative repercussion of the Shapers actions through his subtle phrasing of “grave mor(t)ality”. The foreshadowing turns out to be true, as the hall eventually becomes the epicenter for almost all killings conducted by Grendel. The Shaper is directly responsible for this suffering as he caused the construction of the hall. Although the Shaper might have had positive intentions as a sophist, Grendel depicts him

In the poem, Beowulf’s position as a leader reveals a great deal about the values and beliefs of the

Beowulf, a man of God who goes through trials that make him braver than any other. The epic of Beowulf, author unknown and translated by Burton Raffel, tells of the hardships throughout battles that a Geat prince goes through. With battles between a monster, the monster's mother, and a dragon, Beowulf is put to the ultimate test involving God’s helping hand in winning the battles. Within this time frame, most people live by the pagan religion. This changes when people begin to adapt to the newest religion of all mankind, Christianity. The religious symbolism throughout Beowulf is portrayed through Beowulf’s legacy.

This poem also uses a lot of religion throughout the story and so Beowulf is pretty much depicted as a god in the story. All he does is fight monsters and help people. The story is a combination of Christianity and warrior values. Beowulf is the amazing and well-known hero because of the battles that he’s been involved in and has won because he puts all of his own trust into the hands of god and that’s why he is such a good warrior. There are also some pagan values that Beowulf possesses which is things such as, loyalty, courage, strength, and just a good reputation among all the people that know him. Which makes him into such a great example of what a hero should exactly be like. Beowulf only survives through the protection he receives from god and throughout the entire story Beowulf countlessly acknowledges god as his one and only protector.

In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel who is the first monster Beowulf battles snatched up 30 men and it is to be said that beowulf has the strength of 30 men. Beowulf is an epic poem translated by Burton Raffel. In Beowulf there is three battles with three different monsters, Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. The three battles have a symbolic meaning throughout the whole book. The three battles in the epic poem represent more than just two enemies fighting for victory, they are battles between the internal good and monster who embody evil.