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Analysis of beowulf
Beowulfs strengths and weaknesses
The central stylistic and structure of beowulf
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Analysis of beowulf
Beowulfs strengths and weaknesses
The central stylistic and structure of beowulf
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
A hero and a monster show the constant battle between good vs. evil through Biblical allusions. Beowulf is a mighty warrior who fights a disruptive monster, Grendel. Beowulf is represented as God, the good, and Grendel is represented as Cain, the evil. Through the analysis of Beowulf`s ability to do well and Grendel`s vengeance, the reader understand that the battle of Christianity and staying loyal is shown by a dispute. In the translation Beowulf, by Burton Raffel, allusions to the Bible reveal a conflict between good vs. evil.
(Beowulf 566-567) The Kenning “the shepherd of sins” is Biblical irony as it represents the Antichrist. Once again, this reiterates the idea that Grendel is from the lineage of Cane. In “Beowulf, the Old Testament, and The Regula Fidei,” Christopher M. Cain illuminates the inherent contradictions and similarities in Beowulf and Bible scripture. Cain notices that “Wyrd is used to translate both fate and fortune.
Throughout the poem Beowulf, the author, whom to this day is still unknown, uses light and darkness to explain good and evil characters and events. This unknown author describes Beowulf, the hero of the story, and other people and events as bright, as well as making many references to the sun and sunlight. The monster that Beowulf defeats named Grendel, is often described as a shadow or only emerging in the dark of night. The imagery is used with light and dark is used to represent the good and evil that the author saw as he was Anglo-Saxon and likely pagan as well. Imagery is used often throughout the poem, but especially when Grendel and Beowulf are first introduced and when they fight.
The hilt of the sword that Beowulf slays Grendel’s mother with symbolizes Christian influence in different ways. The appearance of the sword hilt, how Beowulf feels about the sword, and Hrothgar’s response to it all serve as symbols of Christian influence within the text. The appearance of the sword hilt exemplifies Christian influence. According to Richard Bodek, the hilt had “engraved a scene from the Hebrew Bible showing God’s destruction of the race of giants” (130).
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
In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.
Of all the great heroes in epics and movies alike, each one of them has his or her great traits as well as fatal flaws. Unfortunately, our hero’s fatal flaw is losing faith in God and he loses his life because of that. In the epic Beowulf, many references to Paganism and Christianity are found throughout the tale due to the author’s belief that faith in God assures victory whereas faith in paganism assures defeat. Paganism and Christianity parallel the struggle of holiness and evil throughout the epic, and in many cases, faith in God is the key to Beowulf´s success as he defeats monsters and protects the village of Herot. Beowulf faces foes such as Grendel and Grendel’s mother who utilize magic spells to fight as read, “that sin-stained demon/
By the time this monastic scribe began his work, the stories of Beowulf were already legendary tales of this era; legends that were passed down orally. The poet cautiously uses this information to compose an epic poem while also combining the notions of the pagan wyrd (fate) and dom (worth), along with the Christian ideals of refinement and final judgement. A pagan poem in its own right, steeped in ancient Germanic culture, yet it is baptized in lax Christian comments and passages. However, while the passages are referred to as Christian, there is never any reference within the poem, to Christ Himself. When we are first introduced to Grendel, we see the first signs of Christian passages appearing: God had condemned them as kin of Cain.
In the poem Beowulf, there is a contrast between good and evil. This distinction is presented through the monsters Grendel and his mother, in parallel to the hero Beowulf. The themes of evil and monstrosity are therefore used in the story, as a way to create the notion of Grendel and his mother as monsters. Beowulf therefore appears as a character representing good. Although Beowulf shows traits of abnormal power, like Grendel and his mother, his motifs are interpreted differently.
Being an epic hero, Beowulf was very brave and battled many immortal creatures. One monster he came across was Grendel. “Conceived by a pair of the monster born of Cain, murderous creatures banned by God..,”(44), Hrothgar’s men would say. This is a reference from the Bible, showing the evil portrayed in the monster Grendel. This monster went to Herot and killed thirty men just because he was hungry.
Christopher Cain, professor and expert in Old English and Medieval Scandinavian literature and culture, published an essay analyzing the relationship between Beowulf and the Old Testament, as well as the presence of paganism in this poem. In the essay, it is noted that “the general tone of the poem and its ethical viewpoint are decidedly Christian;” the poet relied heavily upon the Bible, as can be evidenced by “allusions to Cain, the Creation, and the Deluge,” which are all Old Testament allusions (Cain). The characters themselves also serve to represent Christian ideologies, though references to Germanic culture appear frequently. For instance, this is embodied in the scene where Beowulf is fighting to rid Heorot of Grendel, and “Beowulf recognizes it to be God's will that determines the outcome of the fight—” not his own strength (Cain).
Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.
He knew what they had tholed, the long times and troubles they'd come through without a leader; so the Lord of Life, the glorious Almighty, made this man renowned." This quote describes how God played a large role in the success of Beowulf. Assuming that all acts of heroism proven successful are really acts of God. Thus, leaving you thinking success must be a form of divine assistance, in the hands of God. The poem takes on both beliefs of Paganism and Christianity.
Although some believe that video games do not compare to traditional art, video games should be considered art because they include various types of art. Gabriel Garza, an artist who works for 343 Industries as a concept artist who helped create halo 4, talks about creating the game. "It’s tough to do something new but at the same time familier." Gabriel Garza Gabriel Garza is talking about hard it is to create the video game. The reason because, like movies you need a rise, climax, and resolution for the story.
The Anglo-Saxons mixed both Pagan and Christian traditions. Beowulf contains traces of both beliefs. In Beowulf, God is mentioned by two of the main characters, Beowulf and Hrothgar. In the poem, Grendel represents Lucifer and is described as a son, or descendant of Cain, a clear Biblical reference.