The story Beowulf is a tale of a young hero who saves a town and their people from two evil monsters, and even returns in his old age to fight another dragon monster. The use of these creatures in this story has been and is still heavily criticized. Critics often argue if humans should have been used in place of the monsters instead. Beowulf is involved in a fight against Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. Each battle with every monster is different in their own way, and each show new meaning and tell us more about Beowulf as a hero. The monsters are essential to the story because they help emphasize Beowulf’s heroism, leave room for imagination and simplify the story, and symbolize christian ideas and christ figures. The monsters were
…show more content…
Christ figures and things and events related the bible and christian tales are very prominent in the story. Beowulf, the hero is hinted as being the christ figure in the story many times. Beowulf comes to save the people, just as christ did. One source mentions, “Beowulf went with no incentive of personal gain, merely out of a compassion for the sufferings of the Danes”, “his action boils down to a small-scale sacrifice mimicking that of Christ’s sacrifice for the salvation of mankind ("Christian Perspectives").” Beowulf, is fighting these demons and monsters. The monsters are demons which have relation to the devil. The monsters also could represent the people’s sins. Beowulf is saving them from their sins, just as Christ once did. Beowulf’s last battle is against a serpent, which is a symbol of the devil. Beowulf in his last battle had eleven followers helping him, and all but one betrayed him. Christ has twelve disciples and all but one betrayed him. When Beowulf chases after the she-wolf, she escapes into the fiery lake. The fiery lake represents hell and and the monsters in it are the demons in hell. Beowulf goes down and defeats all the monsters, just as christ went down to hell and defeated the devil. The story Beowulf, because it included the use of monsters made it easier to realize the christian figure symbolism being
Christ figures and things and events related the bible and christian tales are very prominent in the story. Beowulf, the hero is hinted as being the christ figure in the story many times. Beowulf comes to save the people, just as christ did. One source mentions, “Beowulf went with no incentive of personal gain, merely out of a compassion for the sufferings of the Danes”, “his action boils down to a small-scale sacrifice mimicking that of Christ’s sacrifice for the salvation of mankind ("Christian Perspectives").” Beowulf, is fighting these demons and monsters. The monsters are demons which have relation to the devil. The monsters also could represent the people’s sins. Beowulf is saving them from their sins, just as Christ once did. Beowulf’s last battle is against a serpent, which is a symbol of the devil. Beowulf in his last battle had eleven followers helping him, and all but one betrayed him. Christ has twelve disciples and all but one betrayed him. When Beowulf chases after the she-wolf, she escapes into the fiery lake. The fiery lake represents hell and and the monsters in it are the demons in hell. Beowulf goes down and defeats all the monsters, just as christ went down to hell and defeated the devil. The story Beowulf, because it included the use of monsters made it easier to realize the christian figure symbolism being