Pride Of Beowulf

Improved Essays
Thieves cause more harm than they realize, and Beowulf shows the real traits possessed by him. Chances to prove yourself happen few and far between. The epic poem Beowulf written and produced by an unknown author, but gets many life lesson points across. Actions taken by the thief cause many people to die in the dragon's rage. Pride of Beowulf causes him to go after Grendel’s mother, but Beowulf shows great leadership when going to fight the dragon. Foolish decisions made by Beowulf just for pride,but also protecting his people. Beowulf, the epic poem, contains themes relevant today, such as greed, pride, and fearless leadership.

First, the thief steals the dragons goblet. Which like being very greedy and selfish. Stealing the goblet from right under the dragon’s nose when the thief found the dragon’s cave. The narrator tells us “ It was desperation on the part of the slave fleeing the heavy hand of some master” (Beowulf line 2223). Stealer of treasure cause much havoc. People today always try to make money, and a lot of them do illegal things to make it happen. Beowulf and the people of Geatland suffer much destruction at the hands of the dragon because the stolen goblet. Other people suffered for the mistakes made.
…show more content…
Beowulf goes to the land of the danes and he looks to kill the terrible monster Grendel. Beowulf announces to his people “ I can show the wise Hrothgar a way to defeat his enemy and find respite” (Beowulf line 279). Beowulf wants all the glory. People today want fame, and they want to be recognized across the world. The hero goes after the evil monsters in this story since he wants to be famous. Everyone wants to be famous. Men like Beowulf never reject a

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Heroism In Beowulf Essay

    • 2325 Words
    • 10 Pages

    In a world that is constantly evolving, the traits and actions of a hero adapt over time. What constitutes as heroism in one culture could be cowardice in another. In terms of literature, Beowulf has stood the test of time and has consistently been regarded as the epitome of heroes. While the character for whom the epic is named after performs a few daring deeds, what sets Beowulf apart from others is the exploration of his heroism in two distinct phases. The beginning of the tale starts with Beowulf in his youth; he is strong, brave, quick to volunteer to do what needs to be done.…

    • 2325 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The epic story of Beowulf portrays a young man determined to find his place in the Anglo-Saxon society as a hero, encouraged upon him from his youth, Beowulf was enthralled, one can even say he was obsessed, with the idea of fame and accomplishment. His desire for both inspired him at the moment ,and throughout the remainder of his life as a leader amongst leaders and a true hero in the complete sense of the term. Beowulf is different than most heroes in…

    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The epic poem Beowulf tells a story of a hero coming from a different land to lift the shroud of evil off Herot. Hero’s in an epic poem must exemplify traits of bravery, strength, courage, and the want to achieve immortality through heroic actions and deeds. In the poem Beowulf the main character Beowulf exemplifies all of these traits. Bravery, all epic heroes possess this trait especially Beowulf. The beginning of the story, Grendel travels into Herot and kills thirty people.…

    • 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

    Later on, in the poem when Beowulf is old and ruler of the Geats, he decides to take his best men and go battle a dragon that has been terrorizing his people. Once his best men see what they have gotten themselves into, all of them but one let Beowulf down and turn and run. The one man who stuck with Beowulf, Wiglaf, helps Beowulf defeat the dragon and proves that loyalty is also a key factor in defeating evil. Also,…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf is an epic poem that has captivated readers for centuries. It tells the story of Beowulf, the “heroes of all heroes” and savior of the Danes and Geats. Beowulf represents what a true hero should be, not just in his time, but throughout history. In contrast, Grendel, his mother and the dragon share characteristics that accurately portray them as villains. So it is only natural that conflict would arise between the virtuous hero and the dangerous villains that around him.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Evolution Of Beowulf Essay

    • 1084 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Evolution of Beowulf Throughout the story of Beowulf the great hero accomplishes three great feats against three terrible monsters. On the surface of each battle readers can see that Beowulf portrays wlenco, however, if we look a little deeper into each conflict we can see positive character development within Beowulf himself. In this poem Beowulf clashes with Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon that ravages his community; within each battle Beowulf has a subtle change in character that eventually leads him to become a great king. Before the author reaches Beowulf’s first conflict he writes Beowulf off as arrogant and bold.…

    • 1084 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pagan Criticism Of Beowulf

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited

    His enemy is a dragon which attacks Beowulf’s kingdom because a thief has stolen its treasure (2217-20). Thus the dragon represents greed and pride. By this time, Beowulf is old and weaker than he was before. Nevertheless, he decided to face the dragon on his own, which shows his great pride. Beowulf’s pride is a deadly character flaw, as it makes him reckless and arrogant.…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf's Loyalty Quotes

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nicholas Reynolds Professor Dow ENG 215-001 7 October 2014 Beowulf’s Loyalty The chivalric code in the Middle Ages stressed the importance of humility, integrity, loyalty, piety, and honesty. In the epic poem Beowulf, our hero does not fall short of these virtues. Throughout the poem, Beowulf demonstrates qualities that embody the ideals of his culture. Beowulf sails to the Danes to help them slay a monster and its terrifying mother.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf is an epic poem revolved around the theme good versus evil and how Beowulf is considered a hero. To begin with an epic poem is a narrative about heroic deeds. Beowulf demonstrates this by Going on the hero's journey. He is brave and skilled warrior that once hearing of Grendel's destruction goes to slay him. In the narrative Beowulf, warriors follow the heroic code: having strength, courage, generosity, and honor.…

    • 1757 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In Beowulf, Beowulf, the main character, is regarded as a hero. He is known throughout the Land of the Danes and the Land of the Geats as fearless and courageous when he comes to their aid to help slay Grendel, Grendel’s mom, and a Dragon. Beowulf’s heroism is exemplified in two phases: the first is youthful heroism and the second is mature heroism, once he is crowned King. Throughout his life, Beowulf helped not only his own people, but also those in other lands. People look up to him for his great strength and the ability to never back down from a challenge, even when he knows fate might bring him to his death.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf, an epic poem composed around 750 AD (Greenblatt 26), is a story of a Dane named Beowulf and his astonishing feats of bravery and sacrifice. Beowulf’s actions showcase his strength, sacrifice, honor, faultlessness, courage, compassion, and seemingly inborn, infallible behavior. Even onlookers termed him “stout of heart” (Beowulf 338), “noble” (314), and “formidable” (370). Beowulf is a quintessential hero who lived a for the good of others and died for the good of others. The moral throughout the story of Beowulf is that self-sacrifice is an overt trait of the classic hero figure.…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf- one of the major character in the movie and poem which is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf is the prince of the Geats and hears about Hrothgar’s trouble. He gathered fourteen of the bravest Geat warriors and sets sail from his home in southern Sweden. The geats are greeted by the members of Hrothgar’s court, and Beowulf boasts to the king of his previous successes as a warrior, particularly his success in fighting sea monster and this is where Beowulf end and the movie Beowulf 2007 and poem has its similarities and differences. The Beowulf movie and poem both shares resemblance but also have distinctions such as Beowulf’s behavior, Grendel’s mom role, and how a hero…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    However, heroism in Beowulf is not spontaneous actions, but instead, it is a product of seeking revenge for a wrongdoing. This pattern of vengeance gives warriors an opportunity to prove themselves as heroes and keeps the tribe together. The importance of vengeance is made immediately clear by Beowulf’s introduction. The introduction is laden with the importance of honoring the Germanic code.…

    • 1513 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He is leaving his people with wealth and treasures. Not only in gift giving an important symbol in Beowulf, but it is just as important in Anglo-Saxon history. Kjahdfkjhasf states that gift during the middle ages existed as something akin to sale, rent, tribute and other forms of payment. In a way the exchange of gifts in Beowulf are a form of payment. For some of the not as privileged villager’s coins were the simplest forms of gifts.…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays