Exiled. The word that Anglo-Saxons feared to hear. Back in the 500's it was a different time in the English colonies. The language seemed nothing like it does today, America hasn't been discovered and the worst thing that could happen to you was getting exiled from your colony. Around this time a very famous story was written with the intention of giving the Anglo-Saxons an epitome of 'how to be a hero'. This story was named Beowulf. However, it started out as an orally told story and the author is unknown. Throughout the years it's a possibility that the story was altered than that from the original version. It wasn't until the 1000's that the story was finally written. Along with that time the message of the story could have also been received in different ways, even today in 2015.
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It can be interpreted as Beowulf being aplomb or on the other end, being very self centered– conceited even. When Beowulf was with lord Higlac, Grendel had recently killed some of his men. Beowulf came to the lord’s presence and said to him that “he needs no weapon and fears none” when it came to hunting down Grendel (168). From this comment, it becomes clear that Beowulf is confident with himself to take down Grendel for lord Higlac. However a very similar phrase has been said after 50 years. Beowulf had become king of his village and a dragon had disturbed peace within his people and again, he volunteered to take him down. Beowulf said he will “use no sword, no weapon, if this beast/Could be killed without it, crushed to death/Like Grendel” to protect his people from the dragon (613-615). Notice how beowulf’s two speeches, fifty years apart, are very similar to each other. Beowulf hasn't changed his thoughts of himself, he believes he can still kill beasts without weapons despite his old age. This shows he hasn't changed as a person much since his golden years of being a young, courageous
It can be interpreted as Beowulf being aplomb or on the other end, being very self centered– conceited even. When Beowulf was with lord Higlac, Grendel had recently killed some of his men. Beowulf came to the lord’s presence and said to him that “he needs no weapon and fears none” when it came to hunting down Grendel (168). From this comment, it becomes clear that Beowulf is confident with himself to take down Grendel for lord Higlac. However a very similar phrase has been said after 50 years. Beowulf had become king of his village and a dragon had disturbed peace within his people and again, he volunteered to take him down. Beowulf said he will “use no sword, no weapon, if this beast/Could be killed without it, crushed to death/Like Grendel” to protect his people from the dragon (613-615). Notice how beowulf’s two speeches, fifty years apart, are very similar to each other. Beowulf hasn't changed his thoughts of himself, he believes he can still kill beasts without weapons despite his old age. This shows he hasn't changed as a person much since his golden years of being a young, courageous