The Anglo-Saxon society was constructed upon fixed values and morals on which the behavior of individuals was based and judged. This society had a strong sense of community and treasured fame and success as a passageway to immortality. By fighting with Grendel, his mother, and the Dragon not only assured the survival of the Danes, but by doing so Beowulf legitimized his god-like qualities through his heroic deeds. Each of the monsters Beowful faced beared a level of symbolism, in which Grendel represents evil, The reader sees the values of the Anglo-Saxon society embodied by the brave, fearless and exemplary soldier called Beowulf. This character is brought upon conflicts and challenged by inhuman creatures that threaten his existence and the perseverance of his culture.
Many people recognize Beowulf as the hero of Anglo-Saxon time due to amazing strength and courage. Thou he had hero like qualities, Beowulf could also be considered a selfish hero because his speech, thoughts, and actions showed that he would do anything to succeed. Throughout a few defeated battles Beowulf justified his loses to make him look more successful. Beowulf relied on his own destinies so much that is let him to Denmark to fulfill his "Destiny" and kill a known unbeatable monster named "Grendel". Thou he doesnt know the true outcome of his beliefs he wasnt conscious of his own or other peoples lives but instead focused on his natural wanted defeat.
Abbey Hagen Mrs. Delong Honors British Literature and Composition 20 October 2011 Are the Supernatural Characters Really Monsters? *In the epic, Beowulf, Grendel is perceived as a vital killing machine, as well as his mother and the dragon: however, their actions are not necessarily based off of wicked thoughts or pure evilness. Grendel is a disgusting, evil, and cunning monster that resides in the lands of Denmark. In the epic, Grendel is described as, “ A powerful monster, living down / In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient ” (Raffel 40). This part of the epic is starting to describe the torment and badgering that Grendel receives from the Danes in Herot.
It displays cultural ties between these early Anglo-Saxon periods; when glory in battle was of the up-most respect. From my interpretation, Beowulf is a poem on how one achieves ultimate glory through battle and reputation that appeals to most young warriors during the time known as geoguo. Beowulf comes to the aid of Hrothgar despite the infamous reputation of Grendel. Hrothgar knows Beowulf from his father and the rumour that he has great strength. However, these rumours gave him no real reputation and he would have to prove his accolades in his battle with Grendel.
In a tale of epic proportions, where gruesome monsters meet valiant heroes, it is a surprise that human nature is a topic that is expressed so excellently in Beowulf. The reader is introduced to multi-dimensional characters that possess god-like strengths, but also typical human-like mistakes. These mistakes are what make Beowulf so relevant and relatable to the common man and are what acknowledge the age old saying that nobody’s perfect. Even Beowulf, the superhuman man who could kill a monster with his bare hands is susceptible to these weaknesses. Human flaws are portrayed numerous times through characters in the poem, by both monster and by man.
Hrothgar, decides to build a type of sanctuary for his warriors that he names "Heorot". This is in the first main passage of the story of Beowulf and this is the first place we find the theme of internal versus external evil. The passage implies that internal evil will ultimately destroy the hall, rather than being attacked by monsters: "Not reckless of promise, the rings he dealt, treasure at banquet: there towered the hall, high, gabled wide, the hot surge waiting of furious flame. "(28) This foreshadows the internal evil that will destroy the Danes. Another theme in this story is the theme of men versus monsters.
Beowulf Activity 1 The Monster Grendel 1) Grendal, a powerful evil creature lives in the darkness in the wild marshes. In the great hall poets and scholars drink mead and celebrate. They sing and rejoice and the atmosphere is filled with bliss. Hrothgars men live joyfully as Grendal haunts the wilderness. Many forms of evil are split and are exiled and now in the form of various creatures.
The 3 Main Battles of Beowulf In the famous epic poem, “Beowulf”, there were 3 main battles that took place. Each fight was able to test Beowulf in his strength and his loyalty. Throughout the poem, Beowulf starts to see that he is changing. These changes also affected his fights. 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.
In eighth century culture, a legendary reputation made a man immortal. We see from his exploits in the poem that it was far more important to Beowulf to build a reputation than to build wealth. Beowulf’s bravery and skill in combat made him an Anglo-Saxon hero of his day. His valiant death as a warrior solidified his legendary status in the minds of his people. Beowulf’s embodiment of Anglo-Saxon heroic ideals has insured that tales of his great deeds will continue to endure for
Odysseus is a hero because he came up with the idea to make the Trojan horse when he was at war against the Trojans. The Trojan Horse tricked the Trojans and enabled Odysseus to win the war against them. Odysseus is also a hero because he fought through the many trials that Poseidon put him through in order to get home to Ithaca so he could see his loved ones. (Odysseus, in his tale:) ‘“Dear friends, surely we are not unlearned in evils. This is no greater evil now than it was when the Cyclops had us cooped in his hollow cave by force and violence, but even there, by my courage and counsel and my intelligence, we escaped away.