ipl-logo

Grendel's Motivation In Beowulf

653 Words3 Pages

Many time we are asked why we do the things we do. What is our motivation for the things we do? Does someone tell us it do it or do we do it because it’s fun? You can find motivation in many strange and different things. Motivation can be derived from family or friends, personal interest, and even conflict. In Beowulf, there are fights with three different monsters. Beowulf, the hero, has different motivations for fighting each monster. Beowulf didn’t have to fight any of these monsters, but he choose to. During the epic poem, Beowulf, Beowulf’s motivations for fighting the monsters are duty, glory, and sacrifice. To begin, in the epic, Beowulf, Beowulf fights Grendel because of duty. Beowulf comes from the land of the Geats, and travels …show more content…

After Beowulf defeated Grendel he leaves and Grendel’s Mom comes and seeks revenge for her fallen son. When Beowulf returns the King of the Danes, Hrothgar, is in mourning because Grendel’s Mom killed one of his best warriors. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that is it not a time for mourning and that it is a time for action. “All men must die; let him who may Win glory ere death. That guerdon is best For the noble man when his name survives him.” (Lines 898-900) Beowulf wants to be remember for something heroic, so he fights Grendel’s Mom. He fights for fame and …show more content…

Fifty years after the going to the land of the Danes, Beowulf is back home and King of the Geats. A dragon that has been asleep for a very long time has woken up and threatens the kingdom. Old man Beowulf takes warriors to go and fight the dragon. All of the warriors flee but Wiglaf. Beowulf is mortally injured fighting the dragon but manages to kill it with the help of Wiglaf. After killing the dragon Beowulf wants all of the dragon’s treasure to go to his people. “For all of this, that His grace has given me, allowed me to bring to my people while breath Still came to my lips. I sold my life For this treasure, and I sold it well.” (Lines 818-821) Beowulf didn’t have to go and fight the dragon but he choose to sacrifice himself for the good of the people. If he didn’t give his life many others would have lost theirs.
In conclusion, Beowulf has different motivations on why he fights the three different monsters. He fights Grendel because it is his duty, he fights Grendel’s Mom for glory, and finally he fight the dragon to sacrifice himself for his people. Motivation is an unusual thing take can lead us to do unusual things. We Can find motivation almost anywhere. Sometimes we have a lot to motivate us and sometimes we have very little motivation. All in all, motivation the the driving force behind everything that we

Show More
Related
1903 Words | 8 Pages

Then he goes to Beowulf’s side and helped fight the dragon. This causes the dragon to strike again, which leads to another setback for the heroes. On the dragon’s third onslaught, he draws blood. Wiglaf get past the flames in strikes the dragon. Leading to Beowulf to deliver the fatal wound, after all of this Beowulf senses that he is near death.

Read More
1092 Words | 5 Pages

The beginning of the story occurs in the land of the Danes, where Beowulf fights Grendel and his mother. The last part of the story takes place in the land of the Geats, where Beowulf had being ruling as king for nearly 50 years and face his last enemy, the Dragon. Characterization: Who are the main characters of the story?

Read More
1044 Words | 5 Pages

Beowulf is an archetypal story known by generations around the world. Beowulf took place during Anglo-Saxon English time period. In this work, Beowulf, a young Geat man, journeys to Denmark to save the Danes from the wrath of the demonic Grendel. During Anglo-Saxon time, Beowulf was a folk song only passed around by word of mouth. Monks eventually transferred it to paper since they were the only ones capable of writing.

Read More
778 Words | 4 Pages

Beowulf: The Benevolent Hero “Let me live in greatness and courage, or here in this hall, welcome my death!” That is the battle cry of the archetype of all heroes, Beowulf. Beowulf was a young man, a Geat, who was given the gift of superhuman strength to battle ferocious, evil monsters both on land and in the ocean. He hears of the horrible monster known as Grendel, who terrified the Danes through his trips to Herot, the mead-hall of the Danish king, Hrothgar, to kill more and more of Hrothgar’s men. Beowulf travels to the land of the Danes to kill Grendel, but did he do it out of the motive to help Hrothgar and his people, or did he do it to gain more fame and popularity?

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

In the poem Beowulf, Beowulf has three fights with Grendel, Grendel's mother, and The Dragon. Beowulf was called to fight Grendel because Grendel had been attacking for twelve years. The other battles were his choice and some readers think that both of them or one of them was unnecessary. Beowulf did what he was called to do and that was to kill Grendel. Beowulf looked like a hero because the other men had been trying to kill Grendel over and over again but they never succeeded and Beowulf killed Grendel the first time they fought.

Read More
666 Words | 3 Pages

The written story creates no deeper connection between Beowulf and the monsters that he fights besides his triumph or defeat as results to their struggle. In old age, Beowulf challenges the dragon and approaches claiming, “[he] feels no shame with shield and sword and armor against this monster” (618-619). Beowulf dies against the dragon with an easy heart knowing he did no wrong in his life. This could not be more different than Beowulf’s dying words in the film. Instead, Beowulf is filled with grief and shame knowing that the dragon that terrorizes his people came from his own sins.

Read More
974 Words | 4 Pages

To avenge his friend death, the men traveled to the murky swamp, where Beowulf dives into the water and fights Grendel’s mother in her underwater home. He kills her with a sword forged for a giant, then, finding Grendel’s body he cuts off the head and brings the head as a prize to Hrothgar. The Danish countryside is now rid of its dangerous

Read More
901 Words | 4 Pages

After doing so successfully, Beowulf becomes a hero in the land of the Danes, and now his story is told throughout the centuries. Being told verbally for many years, the great heroic story is

Read More
625 Words | 3 Pages

The story of Beowulf has to do with a Hero who is the leader of the Geats. Beowulf had three major battles: Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon. As it is in most stories the hero always wins. Beowulf did whatever he had to do to win. He did not win easily, but he made it happen.

Read More
1409 Words | 6 Pages

From Grendel’s mother’s point of view, Beowulf's attack on her son is a violent deed that requires revenge and retribution in the form of the payment of wergild. In return for the attack on her son, Grendel’s mother steals one of Hrothgar's earls and kills him, which pays the price of wergild. According to her thought processes, the earl’s death is proper justice, but the Danes and Geats disagree (Niles). “... [Grendel’s mother] meant revenge.

Read More
948 Words | 4 Pages

With the battle to protect the city against the dragon, even though Beowulf was king he fought the dragon. He fought the dragon because no one else could. No one was as selfless as he was to risk his life to protect the city. Without Beowulf these monsters would over power good and there would be no balance between good and evil.

Read More
2075 Words | 9 Pages

I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me." (52) To Beowulf, even as an older and supposedly wiser man, his main reason for fighting monsters continues to be to gain more fame. Other heroes, like Gilgamesh and Odysseus, usually do heroic deeds to help their kingdoms and men. For example, Gilgamesh kills the heavenly bull to avoid a famine from wrecking his kingdom, while Odysseus works to save his men throughout the story multiple times. Loyalty towards himself before anyone or anything else, is one of the qualities that separates Beowulf from other traditional heroes.

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

Beowulf risked his life multiple times by battling Grendel and Grendel’s mother to save the people of Denmark. He also embarks on a battle with a dragon as an old man ascending on the Geats Throne. Each battle Beowulf fought has all been for the safety of his people. Although the Knight did not battle as a deed for his people, he also is viewed as a humble person his battles were for a purpose greater than himself. The knight never talks about his brave and valorous deeds.

Read More
558 Words | 3 Pages

Motivations The three cardinal motivations for Beowulf to fight the monsters.     People often have very different reasons to do something than others. Sometimes, people wonder why others do the things they do.

Read More
789 Words | 4 Pages

Beowulf’s Motivations (An Understanding of the motivations of Beowulf to Fight the Three Monsters) Every human being has a certain code with which they follow, most are outlined by the Anglo-Saxon, better known as Viking, code. This code itself was depicted through the epic poem known as, “Beowulf,” and more importantly, Beowulf’s motivations. His first motivation for fighting Grendel, is because he believes it is his duty to fight the monster. Secondly, Beowulf believes that fighting Grendel’s mother would help him in receive glory.

Read More

More about Grendel's Motivation In Beowulf

Related Topics

Open Document