Unrestrained Love In Beowulf

Superior Essays
Unrestrained Love Leading to an Individual's Downfall
Unrestrained love and passion has been displayed throughout the world. In real life, TV dramas, and in our readings, this love and passion has caused unwanted outcomes and unhappiness. Unrestrained love and passion can drive people and society to unwanted fate. Although the reasoning behind acts of this type of love and passion can sometimes be understood, the end results can be unpleasing. In the story of Beowulf, the unrestrained love and passion displayed by certain characters brought about the feeling of revenge and lead to the destruction of lives. Love and loyalty, both characteristics of unrestrained love, lead to acts of destruction.
Revenge, simply put, is the act of causing hurt or harm to someone for the
…show more content…
One epic story, Beowulf, shows just how far unrestrained love and passion leads to the downfall of individuals. In the story of Beowulf, a warrior from the Geats comes to rescue a king of the Danes, Hrothgar, whose Heorot ( the mead hall) is being attacked by a monster named Grendel. Grendel, who was doomed by his ancestors, hates the lives of the people because he can’t share in their hope and prosperity. In his own decision-making, he sets out to destroy King Hrothgar's men who visits the mead hall to drink, listen to music and celebrate. He then kills one of the Kingsmen and when no one was physically able to defeat this monster, Beowulf comes to aid the King. Beowulf’s decision to help the King was based on “ unrestrained love” he had for the king since he was young. It was this King that took his family in when his father was trying to escape the enemy. Beowulf grew up watching how well the King took care of his family. He found this to be a chance to repay a family debt owed to King Hrothgar, gain favor with the King and popularity with the people. When Beowulf arrives, he is asked to defeat Grendel. Grendel is used to no one bothering him and people being

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf: A Hero's Journey

    • 1102 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Beowulf was a great warrior that faced many physical monsters in his life, but that doesn’t compare with the inner demons that people face in their everyday life, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. This story was composed when England was transitioning from a pagan to a Christian culture. Reading through this heroic poem it is evident where the monks imbedded their ideals into this pagan story. Being passed down verbally through generations there were slight changes along the way, but still kept its heroic impact on the audience. Through three glorious quarrels displaying his battling nature you see Beowulf’s character transition.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf displayed his heroic and sacrificial attitude throughout his life. Beowulf leaves everything behind to assist and support a neighboring king Hrothgar, whose kingdom was under attack from a demon named Grendel. As soon as Beowulf meets Hrothgar, he pledges to give his own life in the fight to help the people, if need be: If Grendel wins, it will be a gruesome day; he will glut himself on the Geats in the war-hall.…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What does it take to get a break from and to ultimately overcome the evil that surrounds us every day? Ever since the fall of man back in the dawn of time, there has always been evil in the world, it has haunted man and followed closely behind him everywhere he goes. This is made visible in “Beowulf” by (insert author here) through multiple scenes when Beowulf builds the courage to take on evil head on. Beowulf affirms that evil can endanger peaceful civilizations, there can be small respites from evil in this world, and when evil seems overwhelming, it takes virtues such as humility, loyalty, and courage to defeat it. First, “Beowulf” affirms that human evils such as presumption, despair, cowardice, and hatred endanger peaceful civilizations.…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Revenge is one of the greatest evils. It is an aspect of humankind that can control the human mind. I don’t agree with the concept an eye for an eye, because revenge can be considered a domino effect. It only creates a cycle of retaliation. All it takes is one incident to duplicate into many more.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf Theme Analysis

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Since the beginning of literature and storytelling, themes have been placed in stories to portray an overall lesson that the reader can relate to or take away from. There can be more than one theme in a story, but there is sometimes one main theme that the author wants the reader to understand and it is sometimes hard to choose what the bigger theme is. In Beowulf, like in many other stories, there is the obvious battle between good and evil. From the start of the epic the reader is introduced to Grendel, a descendant of Cain. Grendel represents the evil in this epic.…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Tragic Flaws Of Beowulf

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages

    It is this greed that ultimately leads to his death at the end of the epic. These values differ markedly from those displayed by the modern twenty-first century hero – one who is courageous, yet humble; passionate, yet noble; and driven, yet charitable. Though the Anglo-Saxons hold Beowulf in the highest esteem, the protagonist’s conceit, competitiveness, and ultimate greed limit his heroic symbolism for the modern reader. Beowulf’s conceit does not belittle his legitimate strength and epic deeds. Nevertheless, it is this flaw that defines Beowulf as soon as he enters the story.…

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What Is Beowulf A Hero

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Initially we see that Beowulf goes to fight Grendel because he had already defeated giants and monsters before, so he figured he should go and fight Grendel for nothing more than the fame for doing so. In his youth Beowulf had already proven his higher level of combat and skills. “The truth is this: when the going was heavy in those high waves, I was the strongest swimmer of all” (534-536). In his swimming match against Breca, there is a clear sense of just how confident Beowulf is. With the victory against Grendel, Beowulf establishes the full title of being a hero.…

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With every battle and decision prove his greatness to the masses, Beowulf’s self-centered quest for glory serves to undermine the Geats, bringing them closer to calamity and collapse. By furthering his own agenda, Beowulf’s death tragically leaves his followers without a worthy leader or the wealth required to endure over time. Crafted over one thousand years ago, Beowulf’s message regarding the perils of egotism transcends time, serving as a cautionary tale of the detrimental effects of valuing self over…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf has many qualities that portray him as an epic hero. He has a strong desire to protect the Dane and Geat Kingdoms. Beowulf has a sense of duty when he chooses to fight Grendel due to the friendship that his father and King Hrothgar share. He has a strong sense of confidence that allows him to go into battle with determination. “Alone now with Grendel.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Revenge is the act of getting back at someone who has previously caused an inconvenience to one. Whether the revenge taken is abstract or concrete, it can cause huge problems for both the one receiving and the one bestowing. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, the idea of revenge is seen in an abstract form due to the main character Jay Gatsby getting back at the world. Along with abstract there is also concrete revenge which is seen in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, because of the wife’s desire to prove her husband wrong and the girl on the wallpaper eventually succeeding in driving the wife crazy. One of William Shakespeare’s greatest works, Hamlet, utilizes the idea of concrete revenge by applying great concrete consequences to its main characters.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf, describes a man with formidable strength and exceptional quality as a leader. As we see Beowulf become the epitome of an idealistic leader, he provided values and morals that most yearned to have in civilization. However, when constructing the idealistic leader in the story of Beowulf, the contrasting relationship between humans and nature plays a pivotal role in the development of Beowulf. Throughout the entirety of this story, we’re presented this binary labeled as good and evil. In order to become an epic hero of Beowulf’s caliber, humans must be the conqueror, not the conquered as it relates to nature.…

    • 1588 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    What Makes an Epic Hero? The story Beowulf is England’s earliest masterpiece originated from the Anglo-Saxon poem. Beowulf is considered as the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. Through Beowulf we can understand what the Anglo-Saxons valued.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These two great literary pieces, “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” revolve around the idea of heroes being brave, courageous and honorable. Both are very similar with slight differences, such as the way the hero is depicted throughout the story, the various elements of the stories, magic, and more. These stories influence readers at the time like what it means to be a hero and also there are Christian influences. In “Beowulf”, the main character Beowulf is legendary and venerable.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Capital Punishment: an Act of Justice or Revenge? To many, executing the offender of a heinous and violent murder is seen as an act of justice and retribution, and is an essential aspect of maintaining moral balance, however, perhaps the stronger and more substantial position is that the death penalty is a barbarous act of revenge, motivated by emotion rather than logic. According to the “Retributive Justice Theory” those who break the law deserve to suffer punishment, and likewise, deserve to be punished in proportion to the crime committed.…

    • 1554 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays