The Natural Violence of Human Nature as Shown Through the Epic Beowulf

"What we say is important…for in most cases the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."—Jim Beggs. Literature, as far back as it can be dated, has been progressing towards this very notion of articulacy. Through the civilizing process, literary texts have mirrored how societies—and individuals within a society—have moved from battling conflict using external, physical forces to fighting, increasingly, with internally conceived methods, such as knowledge, social mannerisms, and communication. From the epic of Beowulf to even the most contemporary piece of literature, conflict is an unavoidable facet of human life. A significant difference to note, however, is that the battles fought in Beowulf's time are a different kind of battle than

Although cultural heroes ultimately serve the purpose of solidifying the values of a particular culture , the ever-changing, dynamic nature of heroism identifies itself as religious or a natural trait. Heroism is considered putting yourself at risk when in danger, helping those in need, and being the first one to step up and help, In the read Beowulf, he does just that. “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles” This quote is perfect in relation to Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon beliefs. Heroism is displayed in many ways, It is showed all throughout the articles as well. Beowulf displays and greatly achieves one of the Anglo-Saxon values heroism through strength and greatness. As the story continues he resembles the traits of a protagonist more and more, for example, they place their careers in a high positions as if they are more important than their lives. Beowulf is seen in my eyes as almost fearless, how he goes about his quest and actions, slays Grendel and Grendel 's mother. Beowulf seems to put his life of adventure and intensity in front of his personal life. He focuses more on the Military part then he does his family or close friends. For him to put that in front of his morals and beliefs makes him an even greater hero.

Our beloved Beowulf passed away on the 19th day of October on the 789th year. At the young age of 79 he passed in his lovely castle just outside of Scandinavia. His death was the product of a fatal neck wound given to him by the malevolent dragon that terrorized our town. Luckily before his death he and his cousin Wiglaf brought the dragon to its own death saving our town once again. This was one of many and sadly his last great achievement. Throughout Beowulf’s life he achieved a multitude of glorious things. Whenever he was just a youngling barely out of his teens he joined the tribe of Geats and quickly rose through the ranks as one of the strongest. Around his twenties Beowulf was called on by the the king of the Danes, Sir. Hrothgar of

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The Importance of Beowulf in Modern America By Jennifer Carley Modern culture and literature include many stories of great heroes and fictional adventures. Many people grow up reading about these great adventures and looking up to the heroes of the stories. Heroes are great roll models because they are portrayed as courageous and trustworthy individuals, two very admirable qualities. Despite numerous cultural and technological advancements, life in modern America continues to bear resemblance to the Anglo-Saxon world of the hero Beowulf. The poem Beowulf, though written many centuries ago, still contains the same universal themes of any great action-adventure story in today's society. The poem is about a great hero who overcomes seemingly

Beowulf begins and ends with a scene depicting the traditional and grand burial found in Anglo-Saxon culture. Shield Sheafson is placed into a boat, surrounded by his belongings and other objects, set on fire and then let go to float on the river. At the end of the poem, Beowulf is also buried: “The Geat people built a pyre for Beowulf, Stacked and

In today’s society, we see violence as a way to cope with all types problems. Humans have used violence as a way to resolve issues since ancient times. The poem “Beowulf” was written between the eighth and eleventh century by an anonymous author. The poem recounts the story of a brave warrior, named Beowulf, who battles three great monsters. Two of the monsters, Grendel and Grendel’s Mother, terrorize the people of Daneland and the third monster, the Dragon, lives in Beowulf's homeland. The epic poem “Beowulf” illustrates and normalizes the idea of violence within the Pagan Warrior Culture.

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.

War is an inescapable pattern in history. The world is constantly in a state of war. In America, we see a war amongst ourselves with racism, discrimination, and hate crime. These wars seem meaningless, and reveal that humans have an ingrained yearning for violence. While reading the novels Beowulf, told from the perspective of a hero, and Grendel, told from the perspective of the monster, the innately violent nature of humans becomes apparent.

Beowulf’s portrayal of death and violence may be a reflection of the violence in war, more thoroughly derived from, “And he fell as fate ordained the first to perish, rigged out for combat. A comrade from our ranks had come to grief in Grendel’s maw: He ate up the entire body. There was blood on his teeth, he was bloated and furious…” (2077-2081). Given that, the poem is littered with multiple other examples of brothers in arms fighting for the same noble cause; they faced tragedies and utterly gruesome violence as soldiers would. The audience of the time frame can relate to action scenes of war making them that more prideful of their own victories in battle. Consequently, Beowulf’s action would quickly engulf the Anglo-Saxon troops with excitement, and then war would be the demise of an enemy courageous enough to challenge such rallied

In the story of Beowulf there are some distinct characteristics that shows evidence to it being a variation of a fairy tale. However, it is an early portrayment and it has more violence than a typical fairy tale. Examples of Beowulf being a fairy tale are: Good versus Evil, a lesson learned, and the hero overcoming a difficult quest. The first example of how Beowulf is a fairy tale is the portrayment of Good versus Evil. Throughout the story Beowulf is determined to defeat Grendel for the Danish people.

Throughout this notorious epic poem, the infamous warrior, Beowulf, encountered many life threatening creatures on his journey. Being the descendant of a legendary Danish king named Scyld, nothing was able to stop him from attaining excellence. The three main battles he faced were monsters who had a penchant for violent acts toward humans. He battled with two semi-human ogres, Grendel and his mother, and a dragon. These creatures differ from one another based on their capabilities, methods of attack and their motives.

Literature).” An epic tends to have a lesson that is taught somewhere in the writing. Beowulf is a

An epic is a long, narrative poem that encompasses a hero or a heroine who is usually involved in an amazing battle between two forces. It includes forces that are not of the human world such as demons, angels, gods, and spirits. The epic of Beowulf is about a hero with superhuman strength that defeats the demon who torments the soldiers of the kingdom. In The Rape of the Lock, the heroine Belinda has a piece of her hair cut and stolen from her and the major battle is trying to get her lock of hair

. . .The treatment in the three great fights of the motives of weapons, treasure and society implies a moral idea in which the poet believed: that a man should not trust in the things of this world, for they will fail him. Another aspect of this idea comes out clearly in the account of the first fight: that a man should trust rather in God and in the natural powers God gives him, for these will not fail him(234-37).