Loyalty Through the noble deeds performed in Anglo-Saxon originated epic, the ideal of loyalty is portrayed through the main character, Beowulf. Since he is the ideal thane, the failure of other knights to be as extraordinary as Beowulf makes him seem even more faithful and noble. Beowulf was loyal to all of his kin, kingdom, king, country, and his subjects. With this and courage he was a model thane, as well as king, for he was portrayed through the epic as the perfect warrior, and the most idealistic knight of his time. As described in the story, Beowulf is fiercely loyal; he has allegiance with all that are not enemies.
Beowulf was strong, intelligent, humble, and kind and in the eyes of society this was their view of being good. He showed compassion and he was very understanding which is the characteristics of someone that is good. These are the values that Beowulf portrayed throughout this story. Beowulf understood his place in the world as he was dedicated to illustrating his heroic strength and loyalty to all people. He was considered a “larger than life” hero and the writer of the story did a great job portraying the good characteristics of Beowulf and how he was able to conquer all.
Beowulf possesses many of the traits of an archetypal epic hero; he is strong, humble, and willing to fight to death if necessary. One of the most obvious heroic traits of Beowulf’s is his strength, which is a vital feature in Anglo-Saxon heroes. Beowulf had the strength of thirty men and is blessed with strength beyond that of an ordinary man. Although strength is a key characteristic in defining an epic hero, it alone is not enough to define an epic hero (Greenfield 3). Along with strength, one must have other distinguishing traits to be considered an epic hero.
There are some that may blame those very witches that Macbeth encounters as he and Banquo make their way home from the battlefield. Before this meeting, I cant help but to think that Macbeth was fiercely loyal to me and to Scotland. I thought that he was a very valiant warrior against the Norwegian forces. But those mischievous, evil witches, through their ridicolous prophecies, planted the seed in Macbeth's mind of becoming Thane of Cawdor and king. Once I gave him the title of Cawdor, he so thoughtlessly believed in the witches' power and fell willingly under their spell.
In the critique Cinderella: Not So Morally Superior, Elisabeth Panttaja critiques a version of a Cinderella story, Ashputtle, by Jakob and Wilelm Grimm. Panttaja goes in depth about hidden details of Ashputtle and how Ashputtle is not actually motherless, and the real mother is behind all the magic. Even though Panttaja states that Ashputtle’s real mother is violent and evil, she is actually a sweet, godmother like person. Panttaja argues that even though Ashputtle does not have a real living mother, the hazel branch, given to her by her father that she planted at her mother’s grave, which grows into a tree, acts as her mother by taking care of Ashputtle (Panttaja 659). The tree grants Ashputtle’s every wish; from her clothes to helping out with chores.
The paradox of ‘’fair is foul and foul is fair’’ is evident within the theme of good and evil in relation to the witches. Their prophecies provide truthful outcomes, though they are twisted, and easily manipulate Macbeth into believing that he is invincible ‘’none of
Leadership as Defined by Beowulf What defines a great leader? What constitutes a great king? The obvious qualities would include confidence, dedication, and intelligence, but what else? The poem Beowulf, a classic Anglo Saxon poem brings its own opinions about what defines a great leader. According to the poem, a great leader is one who thinks rationally, keeps his country at peace, takes care of his people, believes in God, has Divine kingship, and has good morals.
Already there is an implication of supernatural powers and evilness from the witches’ behalf, since they have the power to create storms and other gloomy atmospheric disturbances. “When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” is the opening line. The enumeration indicates that this type of dark weather accompanies the witches wherever they go. It also immediately draws the audience and captures their imagination, as the supernatural world fascinated people in Elizabethan England.
Kubra Akyuz Dr. Roy Literature 104 Essay 1 Good Triumph over Evil Beowulf is one of the earliest surviving Anglo-Saxon epic poems. It illustrates the story of Beowulf, an epic hero fated to triumph demonic monster in order to save a kingdom from destruction. In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the main theme. The epic poem portrays Beowulf’s experiences coming from land of the Geats to save Danes. Throughout his adventures, Beowulf is fighting against evil, whether it is Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, or the dragon.
As a hero, the Anglo-Saxons made Beowulf have certain hero characteristics. Today we still have heroes that have the same characteristics because authors took the image of Beowulf and created other super-natural heroes. Beowulf was a warrior and a king that showed great courage and he was admired by his own people and King Hrothgar. Epic heroes are social icons and they are imposing in stature, physically and socially. Their style is grand, yet simple, and they have super-human strength and they also face super-natural forces.