Heroism In Beowulf By Richard Wilbur

“Beowulf,” written by Richard Wilbur, was published in 1950 yet utilizes the general plot and background of the fifth-century epic work of the same name. This significant difference in time periods greatly influences the overarching theme of the poem: the author implores his audience to question the accepted definition of heroism by translating the ideas present in the original to his own post-modern work. Wilbur explores the themes of isolation, monotony, and heroism based on transactions (rather than good will) to achieve this goal.

The depiction of a hero as misunderstood and withdrawn is at great odds with what historians know about Anglo-Saxon culture, and the similar ideas explored in Beowulf, the epic. The first stanza of Wilbur’s work begins the poem by

Additionally, the alliteration in this line and the next, “lake” and “lark” further reveal the suspicious perfection of the culture. This technique is also adopted in the phrases “grass too garrulous green” (line 2) and “Roman road” (line 5). Wilbur implores his audience to look beyond the outer facade of the scene and discover the hidden imperfections covered up by Danish society. Why, for instance, is the impeccable infrastructure so rarely used? Ambiguity is also prevalent: without referencing the title of the piece, it is unclear what the poem is referencing by this stanza alone. All of these techniques combine to instill a sense of uneasiness in the reader and emphasize the strangely isolated-yet-perfect scene. Later in the plot, the Danes “wander...to their sleep/and [leave] him standing in the echoed hall” (lines 19-20), quite literally abandoning the hero, Beowulf, to fight the monster that has been ravaging Heorot. The irony is that the room he stands in is “echoed” yet he is alone, emphasizing the silence of the situation. In this way, the situation is also paradoxical. Either way, the hero has no one to