During this account, the narrator shows that Hrothgar puts trust in Beowulf based on past experiences with his father, and accepts his offer to defend Heorot. III. Beowulf defends his honor After the king accepts Beowulf’s offer to defend his kingdom, he invites him to a feast in his honor. At the feast, a Dane named Unferth, was jealous of the king’s admiration of Beowulf and begins to insult him.
Bravery and courage are interchangeable words used to describe the mind of a person who faces difficulty and pain without fear, according to Dictionary.com. Bravery is displayed all throughout the heroic tale of Beowulf, named after its protagonist Beowulf. Knowing that Grendel was a very dangerous character, Beowulf chose to offer up his services to halt the terror being caused by Grendel. No one had to seek him out; rather he came on his own accords simply for the good of these people living in King Hrothgar’s kingdom. He put himself in dangers way even though he no real tie to these people, and not asking about any sort of payment before going out on the hunt.
Beowulf’s fate causes some of his men to get killed in battle and he leaves his land ungoverned and susceptible to attack demonstrated by the quote, “Grendel snatched at the first Geat, ripped him apart, and cut his body to bits,”(421
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.
Beowulf is the main hero in the poem, and he travels to the land of the Danes to help King Hrothgar get rid of the monster Grendel. After having slain Grendel, there is still a huge crisis present. Grendel’s mother comes to the Hall of Heorot to avenge the death of her kinsmen by killing Aeschere. Aeschere is one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisors, and his loss bear’s heavy on Hrothgar’s heart. In the culture displayed in Beowulf, the bonds of friendship and kinsmanship are very important to the characters.
Beowulf is shown to be a threatening beast that will take down anyone. When Grendel wins the fight, he does something that is dishonoring to Beowulf. A quote explains what Beowulf did, “Hanging high from the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s arm, claw and shoulder and all” (Beowulf 356-358). This is a wonderful example of how nobody respects Beowulf so much that Grendel hung his arm up for everyone to look upon. On the other hand, many people respect the boundless warrior Achilles.
Beowulf shows immense courage and bravery which anglo-saxons believed to be his fate. Grendel has never found a harder opponent in battle than Beowulf “.... Had he met a man whose hands were harder.... ”(167) At this moment
As the story progress, Beowulf became king of the Geats for 50 years when suddenly a dragon emerged from slumber began to burn down villages. However, Beowulf didn’t pay the slightest attention, but instead ignored what was happening. Finally, when the dragon burns down Beowulf’s throne room Beowulf decided that he needs to deal with the dragon. In Beowulf 's eyes, the lives of his citizens couldn’t even compare to his throne room. When Beowulf prepared to fight the dragon he said, “Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (lines 2512-2514).
Loyalty, one of the main themes throughout Beowulf, is an important aspect of the Germanic culture. Loyalty in the Heroic Code is a bond between the king and his warriors; loyalty to the king is first above all, even family in this text. If the warriors lack the loyalty for their king, the urge to protect their king and tribe is diminished. Beowulf’s king, Hygelac, gave him permission to help the Danish king and his people. Beowulf exerts his loyalty to Hrothgar by protecting the king’s people, and killing Grendel.
The story of Beowulf took place in Denmark and was one of the earliest pieces of literature. Beowulf, himself, was “a hero who fights monsters, saves his people and finds himself” (4:34). “Beowulf is the name of a young warrior from the land of the Geats in southern Sweden,” he traveled to Denmark when he heard of the horrible things Grendel was able to accomplish (94). Beowulf and his men wanted to kill Grendel for good, he states on this fact that “I have known much peril, grim death dangers. Grendel’s ravages came to my ears in my own homeland” (94).
Beowulf manifests the features of a literary epic by reflecting the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture from which it came from, and containing great, descriptive language and plots that include great battles and conflicts. The warrior culture is evident from the explanation of the story in Journeys where Beowulf, along with his group of warriors, sails to Denmark, ready to defeat Grendel to the very end of the excerpt where defeating Grendel brings Beowulf honor, pride, and glory. “He was happy with his / nightwork / and the courage he had shown” (826-828). Great battle and conflict, as well as descriptive detail, can be seen in this line from Beowulf and Grendel’s battle, “Every bone in his body [Grendel’s] / quailed and recoiled, but he could not
Beowulf lives in a time of war, because it is mentioned throughout the myth. During the beginning part of the myth it talks about how king Hrothgar was known as a great warrior with battle skills and had many warrior who would follow him for their respect for him in battle. The warriors in each society are always held with important status, because they are allowed to stand with nobles and king’s advisors during funerals. Which shows that the warrior are need in their world because they need to fight battles with either other territories or occasionally some monstrous creatures. Also during Beowulf and Hrothgar funerals they were buried with armor and weapons, this shows that their people believed they would have to fight even in the afterlife.
Questions of Honor: Beowulf Beowulf’s honor and integrity can be questioned throughout the entirety of the epic poem, Beowulf. Whether or not his actions are inspired by his own pompous arrogance or confidence, one can argue that he is a hero nonetheless. Evidence and experience prove that Beowulf is more of a fearless hero than an excessively prideful man, and his hubris is more than justified due to the formidable duties he is able to execute. Throughout the poem, Beowulf expresses his intense strength and courage to the fearful people in the poem. His daring sense of self-assurance is backed by his victories against all three monsters, (even though he suffers a tragic death after facing the dragon, it is a defeat nonetheless).
Beowulf had done the unthinkable—he had killed a demon that no warrior of Denmark could have done. This opened several new doors for Beowulf, including one that promised of honor, glory, and riches. Beowulf had achieved his goal of fame, a goal which had created a poem of a hero that birthed and shaped a story to be told even years later. Furthermore, Beowulf’s fame was set in stone by Hrothgar, the king who owed Beowulf his everything, including his thanks. After giving Beowulf the speech to further glorify his prominence, Hrothgar declares, “Glory is now yours/
Beowulf cares greatly for his honor. When he is fighting Grendel, he decides to not use a weapon since Grendel has none. He doesn’t want anyone saying he won unfairly. When being spoken about his fighting it is said, “He, swiftly banished to mingle with monsters at mercy of foes…” (Part 2)
