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Christian Values In Beowulf

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Beowulf might have served as a good moral story to the Anglo-Saxons, but when adapted to christian values, it contradicts itself. As an illustration, Beowulf was originally written to represent the perfect hero according to the Anglo-Saxons. This is evidenced since throughout the whole poem, Beowulf not once demonstrates a fault, and even at the moment of his death, he has not failed in his purpose, as he has defeated the dragon, has died a heroic death: (lines 2702-2711) “Once again the king gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife he carried on his belt, sharpened for battle. He stuck it deep into the dragon 's flank. Beowulf dealt it a deadly wound. They had killed the enemy, courage quelled his life; that pair of kinsmen, partners in nobility, …show more content…

So every man should act, be at hand when needed; but now, for the king, this would be the last of his many labours and triumphs in the world.” He however, does not represent perfect christian values. For the sake of comparison, a character who would represent perfect christian values would be Jesus Christ. And by comparing Beowulf to Jesus, we can see that from a christian perspective Beowulf is a very flawed character. For example, he is very proud, takes a lot of value in earthly treasure, and doesn’t act in a humble way: (lines 1024-1026) So Beowulf drank his drink, at ease; it was hardly a shame to be showered with such gifts in front of the

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Beowulf then goes in and begins fighting the dragon. As Beowulf sensed and how the story of the archetypal hero goes, Beowulf is fatally wounded by the dragon. Beowulf is helped by his trusted soldier Wiglaf and the dragon is defeated. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to get the treasures and show them to him before he dies. Wiglaf gets the treasures and shows them to Beowulf.

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Heroes. They are here for us when we need them. Without fail, they come to our rescue and save us from our sinful desires and offer an escape from the sin filled world we live in. At least that is the hero we think of when it comes to modern-day thoughts on a hero. One thing is true about a hero, that they have distinct qualities that set them above normal people.

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In Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, religion and hell are referenced to many times throughout the story. “Because the poet 's obvious references to religious matters are infrequent and elementary, he would-appear to have had a slight grasp of Christianity as we understand it, unless he disguised his erudition with characteristic Anglo-Saxon understatement (Whallon).” Chapter two of Beowulf “is most interesting when it collects the familiar evidence for Christian education in the early Anglo-Saxon (Parker)” era. When he speaks of the arrows of the devil in lines 1743 through 1744, “Grown too distracted. A killer stalks him, An archer who draws a deadly bow,” “one may therefore look to a passage in Ephesians, observe that the image was common

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Culture makes an impact on Religion Culture defines a person’s belief, characteristics, certain practices, values, the way of thinking, and acting about a certain position. Each individual is represented by their own culture, and how supposed to be done in a certain way. In the epic, Beowulf, and the movie Beowulf and Grendel, Beowulf shows two different perspectives and feelings towards religion. Not only this, but extra characters are added to the movie that were not a part of the poem and causes a character conflict. During the epic and in the movie, religion is treated very seriously during the time of Beowulf considering of the different cultures in the scenes and how each character changes from their different beliefs.

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(Beowulf 126). Another example of his chivalrous tendencies is willingness to give his life for another. Beowulf has

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In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.

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Beowulf is an archetypal character within a legendary piece of text. He embodies the conglomerate of many Anglo Saxon values expressed throughout his heroic journey. Contrived by the mighty Northern Anglo Saxons, Beowulf is the manifestation of the Anglo Saxon ideals. This work of art helps us identify and analyze Beowulf’s ideals in a way that lets us deduce the values of the Anglo Saxon society. Examination of this poem lets us familiarize ourselves about a society obsessed with religion, vengeance and war-lust beings.

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In Beowulf, an English epic poem that tells of the tell of the incredible warrior Beowulf, Anglo-Saxons values of the time period are displayed. Loyalty, bravery, and honesty are three of the most important values

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Beowulf is only thinking about himself. Performing these acts alone just to get the fame forms the quality of selfishness in Beowulf. Beowulf is putting all of his strength to be credited as a hero, but he displays acts of selfishness which marks him as an insignificant

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Christopher Reeves once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Although Beowulf was human, he was not an ordinary individual, hero, or king, for he was a man who displayed superhuman qualities in his efforts to protect the Danish and Geatish people. Beowulf, who was established Geatish warrior that spent his life in battle, showed these extraordinary characteristics that made him an epic hero, one who possesses superhuman, almost god-like qualities. Being constantly on a quest, risking his life for glory and the greater good of society, and being superiorly intelligent, courageous and strong are the three most important reasons why Beowulf deserves such a notable

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The names of Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. are known worldwide. They have lead many fighting what they believe in. One man many people think of when being a leader to fight for his beliefs of the people is Jesus Christ. Jesus is loved by many and hated by the powerful, just like these three other men, but their is one comparison that has been made to a certain protagonist of ancient times. In the epic poem ,Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, is a leader who fights for the betterment of society while being the one that many look up to.

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Beowulf possessed the poised demeanor necessary to defeat all evils by the arrogant swing of his sword. The commitment shown by lending his life to the welfare of his people was imperative in order to be called a flawless warrior. Beowulf embodied the determination that Anglo-Saxons saw as unmeasurably valuable. If nothing more than just fiction, Beowulf is the ideal hero of the people from who he originated. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.”

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In lines 725-729, “he raised his sword and struck at the dragon’s scaly hide. The ancient blade broke, bit into the monster’s skin, drew blood, but cracked and failed him before it went deep enough”. Beowulf’s strength was very weak that he couldn’t cut the dragon with his sword. Beowulf tried to defeat the dragon. In lines 682-685, “No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.

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He has true honor and respectfully distributes treasure and gifts to those whom he believes rightfully deserves them. Beowulf’s loyalty to the Danes helps shed light on his true character. He expresses that he believes he may die in battle between Grendel, but that does not dissuade him from fighting the beast. Another example is when Hygelac dies, Beowulf is asked to take the throne. In doing so, that would mean the the son of Hygelac would be stripped of his own inheritance, which is dishonorable in Beowulf’s eyes, and thus he declines the offer.

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Christopher Reeve (AKA the 1978 superman) said that, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Both Beowulf and Modern day heroes are similar in that way in that they fight for the common good of people. That quote from Christopher Reeves on what a modern day hero is, also applies to the epic hero qualities that Beowulf has. Similarly Beowulf and a modern day hero defeat an evil so that good can prevail. Some examples are, Beowulf Slaying Grendel and Grendel's mother to save the land of the Danes, and soldiers fighting enemies that threaten the lives of a country, and police officers putting criminals behind bars.

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