Beowulf stays true to his word and takes on the monster, bravely (and almost recklessly) casting aside man made objects to give Grendel a ‘fair’ fight. Beowulf also acts with honor and virtue. This characteristic is seen many times but is most notable when he fights Grendel in hand-to-hand combat; he argues that is would give him an unfair advantage against the beast and make the victory cheap and unworthy. The warrior’s code that he abides to is what makes him extend the same respect he would to any other foe to Grendel.…
Beowulf was supposed to be a wise and knowledgeable warrior who could successfully lead his people to safety and victory. Instead he chose to…
Beowulf is loyal to the weak and defenseless in the battle with Grendel. The hall had been terrorized for 12 years and he told King Hrothgar that he would rid the mead hall of Grendel. Beowulf knows he needs to be loyal to his leader and kill Grendel. In the next battle we see Beowulf look for Grendel's body to avenge for all the deaths Grendel had caused. He is loyal to his men and feels for their loss.…
He instructs Hrothgar on what to do with his followers, should he not return saying “And if your enemy should end my life/ Then be, O generous prince, forever/ The father and protector of all whom I leave/ Behind me” (Beowulf 452-455). This shows that Beowulf really wanted his followers to be in good hands and safe. This also shows us that Beowulf has a lot of trust in Hrothgar in giving him the power to rule over his own followers. Beowulf also showed compassion in the sense that he cared so much about his people that he risked his life and knew that he would somehow get dragged by Grendel’s mother.…
The Anglo- Saxon culture in Beowulf envied the culture of honor, strength and boastfulness parsing a hero for their courage. He is concerned about the glory and the aspect of always winning. Beowulf is pointing out in each battle that he will win before even making an appearance with the monster. He demonstrates arrogance as a a part of his character. Before Beowulf defeated Grendel, he explained his accomplishments in a way, which would show defeating Grendel would be an essay task for him.…
The concept of loyalty in Beowulf is not only shown through his battles. However, his first act of loyalty antecedes all of the battles he faces. He would not have had any battles to fight if it was not for his loyalty towards Hrothgar. Beowulf left his home country to protect Hrothgar. Not only did he place loyalty towards Hrothgar, but to those who will protect his homeland when he dies.…
Beowulf like Gawain is bound by his code of honor and will follow it to the end of the Earth is he must, for if he were to ever forsake his code the essence of who he is would be just as lost as if Sir Gawain abandoned his. Beowulf’s code of honor is more viscerally direct and tied in with a kinship system was at work here, which was very similar to the relationship between a king and a knight. The thane, much like a knight, would swear loyalty to his lord, fighting for him and protecting him, while the lord would take care of his thanes, as is seen in for example with the great mead halls, or reminiscent of the great parties and feasts of the Knights. Kinship here is not a form of indentured servitude, but an intense bond of loyalty that tied clans together creating alliances that kept each other safe. For example when Beowulf first reaches the shores of Hrothgar’s land we hear him greeted by his ancestry “ ‘My lord, the conquering king of the Danes, / bids me to announce that he knows your ancestry; / also that he welcomes you to Herot / and salutes your arrival from across the sea.”…
There seemingly virtuous nature also came with a sense of strength, as the poem describes Beowulf, “[as a man] with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand,” (49) through all these accomplishments Beowulf’s fame continued to grow. On the other hand there’s Grendel who represents pure evil and animosity. The poem illustrates this when describing Grendel’s origin, “he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts.” (43) Now Grendel was very cunning and powerful, but he was also of weak character, choosing to kill his enemies when they were sleeping, “He grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair, flushed up and inflamed from the raid, blundering back with the butchered corpses. ”(44)…
Can evil exist without good? Evil cannot exist without good because they are the structure of humanity and existence. Good and evil coexist together, and if you simply get rid of one you also take away the other. If there was only good, and no evil, it would not necessarily be considered good. Society would just view it as normal because there would be nothing to compare our actions to.…
Beowulf never turned his back on his people nor had any doubt, when it came to his followers, that he would protect them. For instance, when Beowulf went and helped Hrothgar he could?ve easily abandoned him to fend for himself because of Grendel?s abilities. As loyal as Beowulf was, he knew that Hrothgar helped his father so Beowulf defeated Grendel. Beowulf always knew to do the right things for his people and himself. He also cared for his warriors by giving them a place to stay and armor for the battles they fought in.…
Beowulf and Grendel: A Study in Cultural Paradigms As Religion and social attitudes towards what defines a hero and a villain, changes throughout history. The criteria for what they can and cannot do also changes. As well as what they are and how they are portrayed by their peers, and whether the audience should or shouldn't have sympathy for them. Modern day heroes and villains have more character and the background to them, that shows how complex their life really is. Normally, heroes in the epic Beowulf (Gunnarsson) era have that simplistic duality that allows them to discard an evil mass (villain) without any reason.…
Grendel’s mother is described as “a monstrous ogress” who attacks the mead hall to avenge her son. Because Grendel’s mother is as strong as Beowulf, he has to wear full armour and use a sword in this fight. This preparation indicates that Beowulf is not confident when he has to fight with anger and vengeance. As a pagan hero, Beowulf believes in vengeance: “It is better for a man/ to avenge his friend than to refresh his sorrow” (1383-4). He sets up to kill Grendel’s mother to avenge Ashhere, Hthrogar’s counsellor.…
To be a part of a community is to have a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, or goals. The definition of community can change based on the people involved, but it always has a common factor. In Norse culture, the concept of community is essential to their way of life. People were separated into clans, and everyone of each clan was treated as importantly as the king. Those adopted into the clan were treated as family members, and seen as a serious and rare occasion.…
The battle of good and evil can be interpreted in many ways throughout the entire story. The good represents Beowulf and Wiglaf, the evil represents the three monsters Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Each character can relate to the good and evil of modern day, which can be hatred or corruption in everyday life. Each Battle is between good and evil, there are three battles in the book the represents this.…
A monster in a story is the one who seems to be bad, the one who wrecks everything and brings death onto a certain town, city, country, or people group. Monsters or monstrous characters have superhuman abilities and can be extremely powerful. The monster is usually perceived as the “bad guy” and the hero as the “good guy”. For forever people have picture the monster as this horrible scary creature; in Beowulf that is not the case though. Yes, Grendel and his mother are monsters in the story but Beowulf can also be considered a monster.…