Heaney: Undaunted Courage And Fate In Beowulf

Improved Essays
Register to read the introduction… He was marked by honesty, courage, and trust. “Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked” (Heaney 39). This quote from the poem definitely refers directly to Beowulf. Beowulf continues to surprise the readers with this “undaunted courage” described in the poem. His courage caused fate to spare him. There were so many circumstances in which it would have been easy for Beowulf to die. He was put in situations where the reader’s teeth start gritting because of the brutality of the scene, but there was just something about Beowulf that wouldn’t let him die. For example, when Beowulf had his encounter with Grendel, due to previous descriptions of Grendel’s nature, it seemed almost certain that Beowulf had no chance of survival. Maybe, just like in the previous quote, it was fate that didn’t let him die. Whatever it was, it allowed Beowulf to come out of duels and battles victorious, and kept him marching

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Inner heroism, that’s the trick! Glorious carbuncle of the soul! Except in the life of the hero the world’s meaningless” (164). By saying this, he shows how important he thinks hero’s are, but Beowulf is not truly a hero, he is greedy. He wants the pride of saying that he killed Grendel, and the riches that come along with it.…

    • 1112 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What are the makings of a hero? Are they the physical qualities or the outstanding achievements? Or is it the mental battles of the hero that count? Three heroes from ancient english literature will be assessed for the noble qualities of a hero. Brave Beowulf was an honorable hero of the Geats.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People throughout life all grow up looking up to a hero. Who was yours? In the Hero’s Journey it explains the life of a hero. It starts with they find their calling then they go through many challenges and in the end meet there match that leaves them remembered as a great hero. In Beowulf the story he hears about a place called Herot which has been under attack for twelve years by a great monster (Grendel) and so he decides that he is going to take on the mighty beast.…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This quote extremely depicts how much strength Beowulf possesses. In this epic poem, Beowulf exemplifies many heroic traits and Courage is among those heroic traits. In the poem Beowulf tells stories of slaying monsters by himself in the night while at sea. During the final battle with the dragon all of Beowulf’s followers flee, besides Wiglaf.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf: A True Hero

    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In Beowulf, I found myself idolizing over the strong and fearless hero. He was what I would call “the perfect hero”, because not only did he get the job done, but he did it so with honor and modesty. In some cases it reminded me of the movie Hercules, where Hercules tried to show off as much as possible and show that he was better than everyone else to gain fame. While Beowulf used his famous strength to help those in need not to just gain fame, but because he knew he was undoubtedly the only one who could help.…

    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Everyone face a difficult or dangerous situation in which you need to show courage in order to be able to deal with it. In the exert, there is a kingdom celebrating all their triumphs with the king, Hrothgar, in his hall, Heorot. There is this monster, Grendel, that never had the chance to be a nice person or experience happiness because he descended from Cain. Grendel killed 30 men in the hall while they were sleeping after celebrating.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf A Hero's Journey

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Beowulf is the tale of a man with godlike strength and the will of a mighty dragon, he is a well known warrior that has accomplished an incredible amount of feats. Beowulf is an exact representation of joseph campbell’s call to adventure. Where a hero hears about the danger and then must gather himself to cross the threshold and defeat the guardian of the threshold either by reason or by killing him. The guardian must be killed in order for the hero to make it fully across the threshold and make his way to his final goal.…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Of the many heroes in the Anglo-Saxon and medieval literature, Beowulf is a prime example of a hero. In the Beowulf poem written by the Beowulf poet, and in Robert Zemeckis’ film, Beowulf. Beowulf selflessly sacrifices his own life in the hopes of saving the lives of the Danes, who belonged to a whole different clan than his own. Beowulf is willing to give his own life for the betterment of another society, and with this he chivalrously saves many people. Even though Beowulf is portrayed as an ideal hero in the poem, and in the movie the audience is introduced to his flaws, they are both similar in their theme of heroism.…

    • 1478 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf displays actions of selflessness through out the poem. His first action was by coming over to Heorot and defeating Grendel. After peace is achieved he walks into certain death to stop the terror of the Dragon that has been destroying his kingdom. Instead of having his men join him in battle he sends them off so that he may fight the Dragon alone and not risk other’s lives. After the Dragon is defeated he asks that all the spoils go to all those in the kingdom so that could prosper.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf’s bravery can be attributed to the fact that he always stayed loyal to God and kept his word to others in the toughest of situations. Beowulf epitomizes bravery as he never backs down from a fight no matter the challenges…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The man whose name was known for courage” (340). This line in Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, fully elucidated what Beowulf had to possess to succeed. After making the decision to help the Danes in their troubles, Beowulf is faced with the responsibility of defeating Grendel, his mother, and a dragon. These adventures proved not only Beowulf’s heroicness, but also his courage. He faces threats, but through a series of events, he learns to apprehend the benefits of having fearlessness.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Today our world is filled with everyday heroes displaying all kinds of extraordinary needs for others. Through her heroic acts, Malala represents the epitome of an idealistic everyday hero by taking a stand against extreme violence in order for women to receive the equality of education rights for women. Her heroic actions, especially getting shot in the head while fighting for what she believes in, shows her loyalty and bravery to the people, furthermore displaying her as a hero. Just like Malala demonstrates her heroic actions, throughout the poem, Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, the Anglo-Saxton protagonist, Beowulf, exhibits the ideal characteristics that apply to the definition of a hero. Similar to all heroes, Beowulf proposes the quality of…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Beowulf’s distinguished bravery sets him apart from most leading characters because of his acceptance of death and fate. He would lay his life down on the line to save his people from a threatening creature and he would not have to think twice about it. For example, when asked by Hrothgar to save his citizens from Grendel’s mother, Beowulf replies with “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, here in your hands, my beloved Comrades left with no leader, their leader Dead” (Beowulf 452-457). In this quotation, Beowulf is advising Hrothgar that if he is to pass away while attempting to defeat Grendel’s mother and save the day, that Hrothgar must watch over Beowulf’s men and protect them since their leader will be gone. Beowulf is stating that he does not mind if he dies however, he only cares about the well-being of his men and wants them to be accounted for if he were to perish.…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Human Traits In Beowulf

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages

    His willingness to sacrifice his life for his people is yet another characteristic of an epic hero. The first major example of Beowulf’s bravery is presented to the reader when he decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands saying, “I have heard, / too, that the monster’s scorn of men/ is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. / Nor will I” (166-169). In this instance, Beowulf presents his bravery by stating that he refuses to fight Grendel with a weapon, simply because Grendel would not be using one. Beowulf knows that there is a possibility that he could get hurt, or even worse die, but his bravery and willingness to protect others overpowers those thoughts.…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Heroic Code In Beowulf

    • 2007 Words
    • 9 Pages

    This dedication showed the importance it had within each tribe. Robert Schmuhl expressed, “Heaney makes the Anglo-Saxon classic of heroism and moral nobility an accessible, contemporary page turner.” Courage was both physically and mentally portrayed in Beowulf all the…

    • 2007 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays