Heroism seems contingent on vengeance in this story because of the obvious presence of an ongoing cycle. This is made evident when Beowulf attacked Grendel for terrorizing Heorot and the Grendel’s mom attacks Beowulf for killing Grendel. Beowulf is well aware of his status as a warrior and plans to maintain it when he exacts revenge on Grendel. This is shown when he says “It is always better / to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning / . . . / When a warrior is gone, [glory] will be his best and only bulwark” (1384–1389). In this specific example, he remarks on how a warrior can only be remembered for their accomplishments in life, and by that he is referring to their body count. One is only able to build their reputation and become well known by through retaliation. Once they become a part of the cycle, their status is solidified; everything is done so that once that pass away, they will go down as one of the greats. For this reason, it is important to Beowulf that he avenges all of the blood that is shed because it would symbolize the act of a true hero and he would receive abundant
Heroism seems contingent on vengeance in this story because of the obvious presence of an ongoing cycle. This is made evident when Beowulf attacked Grendel for terrorizing Heorot and the Grendel’s mom attacks Beowulf for killing Grendel. Beowulf is well aware of his status as a warrior and plans to maintain it when he exacts revenge on Grendel. This is shown when he says “It is always better / to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning / . . . / When a warrior is gone, [glory] will be his best and only bulwark” (1384–1389). In this specific example, he remarks on how a warrior can only be remembered for their accomplishments in life, and by that he is referring to their body count. One is only able to build their reputation and become well known by through retaliation. Once they become a part of the cycle, their status is solidified; everything is done so that once that pass away, they will go down as one of the greats. For this reason, it is important to Beowulf that he avenges all of the blood that is shed because it would symbolize the act of a true hero and he would receive abundant