Hygelac

Feuds in Anglo-Saxon culture can be compared to the dragon in Beowulf, for “everywhere the havoc he wrought was in evidence / Far and near,…/ bore the brunt of his brutal assaults / and virulent hate…” (2316-2319) For such conflicts are vile, fierce, and easily triggered, consequently bringing fiery vengeance like a dragon. These grudges result in the inevitability of a feud to continue or reoccur. The elaborate epic of Beowulf focuses on the journey of nations who struggle with the ongoing…

This enables him to extend a sentence on and on indefinitely. Beowulf, upon his return home from Denmark, tells Hygelac: In his angry grief the king implored me by your life,Hygelac, to show my courage in the press of waters, put life in danger, work fame (2131-34) The absence of subordinating conjunctions…

What does it mean to be good? The answer to this question has changed very little over the last few centuries, yet it still differs from one society to another. Being kind to others, helping those who are less fortunate, and giving back to the community are shared throughout all societies. Although the Anglo-Saxons lived in a period of constant warfare between kingdoms and had a male dominated society, they still believed in these universal ideals, in addition to a few other beliefs that gained…

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. This leads to the…

The Importance of Women in Beowulf In the Beowulf epic women are portrayed as frail and, fragile while men play a more dominant and independent role. This is an assumption so prevalent that it was not only used in modern literature, nevertheless in a film made almost recently (Gunnarsson, 2005). Furthermore, the roles that females play in Beowulf are far from insignificant and should certainly be re evaluated from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. The most substantial source of literature from the…

Loyalty is a major and pervasive theme in Beowulf. This is because in the Anglo-Saxon culture loyalty was valued above many other qualities. Loyalty was such an important aspect in Anglo-Saxon life that it caused families to make difficult decisions between blood family and marriage family. The theme of loyalty is seen several different times in the Beowulf story. The theme of loyalty will be examined through the actions that Beowulf took in regards to defeating Grendel and Grendel’s mother,…

The categories of what makes up monster and human characteristics are not simply opposites, yet they help define each other. Cohen’s theses, both “The Monster Is the Harbinger of Category Crisis” and “The Monster Stands at the Threshold… of Becoming” helps support the theory that human characteristics show forth in monstrosity and monstrosity in heroism. The qualities found in monsters and humans help define each other, especially in Beowulf. Beowulf is a young warrior from Geatland…

Who is considered a hero? A question like this can be answered in many different viewpoints, but the hero of the classic Anglo-Saxon poem ‘Beowulf’ is defined by the cultural context in which it is written. From evidence found in the poem itself, a reader can establish what a hero was to the Anglo-Saxon people of the time. In “Beowulf”, a hero is construed by his courageous strength, extensive gift-giving, and god like qualities. The characteristic of courageous strength is universal to most…

The poem Beowulf tells the story of a great Thane, named Beowulf, to Hygelac, the king of the Geats in Sweden, and his battle with unknown beasts. To begin, Beowulf hears the reign of terror about this beast named Grendel that has been killing and eating people in the mead hall, Heorot, for 12 years. As a result, Beowulf decides to risk his life crossing the ocean from Sweden to Denmark to fight this monster he has never heard of for a king that he has never met. Some may ask why, but Beowulf‘s…

Beowulf Of all the people we meet in life, few are heroes. A Hero is defined as “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf could be considered a hero. He displays many heroic traits such as bravery when he defeated Grendel, fearlessness when he killed Grendel's mother, and loyalty when he became king of the Geats fifty years later. When Hrothgar’s hall was being attacked, Beowulf…