Fifty years into the future Beowulf is faced with a horrendous dragon and gets into an epic battle with it. Beowulf slays the dragon but pays for his victory with his own life from a life threatening injury caused by the battle. He is then buried gracefully. Beowulf displays a hero that has to fight for his right of reputation and glory. It displays cultural ties between these early Anglo-Saxon periods; when glory in battle was of the up-most respect.
From the very beginning of the play there are allusions to what he ideal man is supposed to be like. In the first scene, Macbeth is characterized as the quintessential man. He is strong and courageous and battle, a characteristic that is seen by many to be ideal. He fights for his country and the love of his king. “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—/ Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel/ Which smoked with bloody execution/ Like valor’s minion carved out his passage” (I, i, 16-19).
The first example is Beowulf a story told/written by anonymous scot men and deals with action and adventure. The other story the Iliad written by Homer is an action epic story. Beowulf story is about a monster that kills people which Beowulf must defeat. The Iliad deals with Achilles hunting down hector for killing his friend. Both stories share one common character role, there is a hero, different in their journeys and actions but similar in one heroic trait.
In Beowulf, Beowulf sails over and kills Grendel. When he attempts to kill Grendel’s mom, they think he has died because the water turns red. The only men who have unwavering faith in Beowulf are his soldiers. Beowulf swims up with the head of Grendel and the sword of the giants, proving all the doubters wrong. “Wordplay” has some of the same similarities when it comes to belief.
As well as imagery there is a ton of figurative devices being used. The author uses a metaphor in one of the lines to paint a picture of how Beowulf was thought of after the fight with Grendel. “And the peerless hero, the honored prince.” (Ln 89). Beowulf is being honored for defeating Grendel and his actions toward the matter. In line 89 he is to be thought of as a prince because he had defeated Beowulf when no other man in the kingdom could.
Fifty years ahead and now King Beowulf faced a task of killing a dragon. He would “[fight] with fate against him” (724) seeing as his “the ancient blade broke” (727) while striking the dragon’s side. The beloved king would eventually die with “None of his comrades\Came to help him” (745-746) and his “Followers… ran for their lives…” (745-748). King Arthur’s story is also an epic poem which speaks about an honorable leader who will do anything to defend his people. Arthur went off to battle, with his comrades at his side the whole time and is able to defeat his foe, but doing so left him fatally injured, until he is eventually killed.
Then, Beowulf shows his strength by killing Grendel with simply his bare hands. In the past stories we heard of Beowulf, he had fought and killed many sea monsters while swimming in the ocean for days. He had also slain a dragon no one else could. Beowulf and Grendel are also both loyal. Beowulf shows his loyalty by being loyal to his Geat cousin and uncle even though he is stronger than they and by carrying out his promise to Hrothgar to rid him, and the Danes, of Grendel.
His first battle took place with Grendel, an evil swamp-like demon who is terrorizing the town’s people inside King Hrothgar’s Mead Hall. The second battle involves Grendal’s mother who is seeking revenge at Beowulf for executing her son in the first battle. The last fight includes The Dragon, who is seeking revenge at the town’s people for a theft that took place inside the treasure hideout that The Dragon guards. There are obvious differences throughout the epic poem, for example, the fact that each battle is with a different beast. However, there are also similarities between these 3 fights.
This character is brought upon conflicts and challenged by inhuman creatures that threaten his existence and the perseverance of his culture. Throughout the epic poem, Beowulf battles three monsters. The adversaries and their conflictsare an allusion to the war against the fall of the Anglo-Saxon society, their values and morals The first beast he encounters is one described sinisterly as a dark, lurking devilish creature that hates humans and their qualities; and feasts on human flesh, terrorizing the Mead Hall of the Danes. This creature of the night is confronted by Beowulf in a graphic battle on which the herofights with courage as his only weapon. With little struggle, the protagonist rises as a victor in a symbolic fight against the disintegration of his society.
Beowulf Essay In the epic Beowulf, the use of the archetypes aids in bringing the story to life. During the story, Beowulf faces multiple obstacles that challenge his heroism. The inputting of the archetypes illustrated in the story develop themselves as the story progresses through the actions of Beowulf, his battles and the overall theme of sacrifice. One of Beowulf tasks is to defeat the evil monster named Grendel. When the banquet is over, Hrothgar and his followers are stationed in Herot, while Beowulf and his followers wait for Grendel.