In this essay, I will apply formalist theory towards the epic poem, Beowulf; written by an anonymous person. A formalist theory examines the form of the work as a whole, the form of each individual part of the text (the individual scenes and chapters), the settings, the tone, the point of view, and all other elements of the text which join to make it a single text. After analyzing each part, the formalist then describes how they work together to make give meaning (theme) to the text (Silano). In the epic poem Beowulf, is shown as the traditional hero that possesses supernatural strength, is honorable, courageous, leads, and sacrifices for their people.
The poem is written in third person view, and is commonly divided into three sections that …show more content…
When he travels to the land of Danes to help fight Grendel; he’s not only showing heroism but also he shows his ability to lead. His strength is gigantic as compared to his fellow comrades, and king. Beowulf loyalty to the king is also a characteristic of the traditional hero. He fights for the people, and challenges his neighbor’s enemies. The first climax of the poem is when Beowulf goes to fight Grendel, a creature that descended from Cain (sin). After he defeats Grendel, he goes on to defeat Grendel’s mother. It’s an assumption that Grendel’s motive for killing Danes men in the mead hall, is due to him be outcastes. When Beowulf defeats Grendel is awarded with treasures, a sword, and lyric songs written about him. The second climax of the poem is Beowulf’s fight with Grendel’s mother. Beowulf still maintains his heroism when Grendel’s mother decides to attack Beowulf for revenge. After he defeats Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is awarded with more treasures, and heroic songs. He still gives his loyalty to the king, and gained a hero status. After Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother, he is able to get his “spoil”; Grendel’s head. He also receives a sword named Hrunting in honor of his second battle won. Now, Beowulf’s status of a hero has reached his homeland, the Land of …show more content…
After Beowulf defeat Grendel and Grendel’s mother, he leaves the Land of Danes and returns home to the Land of Ganes. His accomplishments in the Land of Danes are well received in Geats. Beowulf serves under two kings, before he rules Geats for fifty years. When a dragon reckts havoc in the land of Geats, Beowulf once again embraces a challenge to defeat the monster. The fight with the dragon is different from the previous ones. Beowulf’s motive in this fight is not to build his legacy, but to protect his kingdom as the king. There’s more symbolism in this fight than in the others. The dragon’s appearance, and in the foreshadowing of the future. When Beowulf fight the dragon, he tell his men that he want to battle the dragon alone. His pride, motive, and legacy is the motive for fighting in this last battle. Beowulf achieves the goal of defeating all of the monsters in this epic, but his death fated. Beowulf’s death is a sign of history repeating itself; when he dies there will still be a continuous cycle of the creation of a hero, in times of
The poem is written in third person view, and is commonly divided into three sections that …show more content…
When he travels to the land of Danes to help fight Grendel; he’s not only showing heroism but also he shows his ability to lead. His strength is gigantic as compared to his fellow comrades, and king. Beowulf loyalty to the king is also a characteristic of the traditional hero. He fights for the people, and challenges his neighbor’s enemies. The first climax of the poem is when Beowulf goes to fight Grendel, a creature that descended from Cain (sin). After he defeats Grendel, he goes on to defeat Grendel’s mother. It’s an assumption that Grendel’s motive for killing Danes men in the mead hall, is due to him be outcastes. When Beowulf defeats Grendel is awarded with treasures, a sword, and lyric songs written about him. The second climax of the poem is Beowulf’s fight with Grendel’s mother. Beowulf still maintains his heroism when Grendel’s mother decides to attack Beowulf for revenge. After he defeats Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is awarded with more treasures, and heroic songs. He still gives his loyalty to the king, and gained a hero status. After Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother, he is able to get his “spoil”; Grendel’s head. He also receives a sword named Hrunting in honor of his second battle won. Now, Beowulf’s status of a hero has reached his homeland, the Land of …show more content…
After Beowulf defeat Grendel and Grendel’s mother, he leaves the Land of Danes and returns home to the Land of Ganes. His accomplishments in the Land of Danes are well received in Geats. Beowulf serves under two kings, before he rules Geats for fifty years. When a dragon reckts havoc in the land of Geats, Beowulf once again embraces a challenge to defeat the monster. The fight with the dragon is different from the previous ones. Beowulf’s motive in this fight is not to build his legacy, but to protect his kingdom as the king. There’s more symbolism in this fight than in the others. The dragon’s appearance, and in the foreshadowing of the future. When Beowulf fight the dragon, he tell his men that he want to battle the dragon alone. His pride, motive, and legacy is the motive for fighting in this last battle. Beowulf achieves the goal of defeating all of the monsters in this epic, but his death fated. Beowulf’s death is a sign of history repeating itself; when he dies there will still be a continuous cycle of the creation of a hero, in times of