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The themes of Beowulf
The themes of Beowulf
Themes and symbols of beowulf
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The themes of Beowulf
The themes of Beowulf
Themes and symbols of beowulf
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Humans share many major similarities and differences even across country borders. In the novel, Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay, Jay Reguero travels to the Philippines to investigate the mysterious death of his cousin Jun. As Jay spends time in the Philippines, their similarities continue to stand out along with their major difference being the types of relationships with their family members. Throughout Jay’s trip and Jun’s letters, Ribay uses the first person, along with character conflicts to compare and contrast the lives of Jay and Jun. A glaring similarity between Jay and Jun is their inability to connect with others who share a common problem with the way the world functions. The first instance where the reader can sense
Grendel’s story is not only from his perspective, but it also starts far before Beowulf enters the picture. Grendel does not even know of man’s existence before he encountered Hrothgar whom he starts to fear when he says “I knew I was dealing with no dull mechanical bull but with thinking creatures, pattern makers. The most dangerous things I’d ever met” (pg 27). His first encounter with these men left him wanting more. He spent most nights watching them in the shadows, trying to make sense of their actions.
So the dragon told Grendel to start killing the knights and people at the meadhall because it would keep the society alive. If Grendel keeps killing people in meadhall every year, the knights and the king would keep planning a defense every year to keep the monster away from the valley. Grendel did what the Dragon told him, on the first night of Grendel attack. Grendel didn't know what he was doing because that was his first time. He made his appearance seeable quick, he try to kill other one knight to see how it really felt to kill someone but other knights saw him and that's when they all attacked Grendel.
He has no respect for Herot which stands specifically for the united gathering of warriors, “a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world. Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters”(Heaney 101-105). By attacking the hall at night time, when the fighters don’t stand a chance against him, is abhorred by the Anglo-Saxon because a fair fight was respected and accepted when coming to solving an issue. Grendel goes even further, eating his victims which is a dishonorable action in the eyes of basically any
Throughout the poem, Beowulf fights three different monsters and in each of these situations he chooses to begin the fight without their help. He enters into combat with his men by his side, but when the actual fighting begins he defeats the monsters with very little help from them. Beowulf’s strength and physical prowess was unlike any other man in comparison to his height and incredible grip. Furthermore, Beowulf can be categorized as an outcast based on his personality traits. The main character is set apart from the other warriors because of his courage and humility.
Revenge: Revenge is central to the warrior culture described in Beowulf. In particular, revenge was usually taken through what was called a "blood-feud," which involved warriors fighting against those who had killed their kinsman, lord, or king. We can see revenge at work in many ways in the poem. For example, Grendel's mother
For 12 years Grendel reeked havoc every night, slaughtering everyone sight at the mead hall. During those 12 year there was only one problem and soon the only solution would come along and be the infamous hero that they have been waiting on. “ That at last in her trouble a trusted hero. Had come for comfort”( Beowulf.424-425).
Once we landed at the docks, we departed to the Herot. The gaudy gold roofs rose above the flat land as my men and I approached this odd drinking hall. Inside was a magnificent throne room fit for none other than the mighty Hrothgar. I informed him of my plans to end Grendel’s life and he was gracious
The symbolic use of water differs between the two epics water through its representation styles. In The Odyssey, water can be personified as being “good” or “bad” whereas in Beowulf the water is usually simply present. In Beowulf, it is the medium for travel and communication and it suggests a fluidity of movement both for a literal sailor and for the narrative, which relies on the sea as both a means of travel and as an unknown by which to define the known. “In two other episodes that bracket a section of the tale’s narrative portion, Beowulf arrives at Hrothgar’s kingdom and return to his own land, by sea… the ocean travel required to connect these insular communities and to provide avenues for communication…” (Kosso, 409)
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.
This time however, he is swept away by a person name the Shaper, who Grendel is ultimately scared of, because of the fact that the shaper is very good at changing the view of people very easily. During this same period, Grendel started to become more violent as well, first by attacking the humans. Grendel didn’t like the way Hrothgar lived and made the Mead Hall and in response, Grendel started to attack it at night. He killed anyone and everything that came into his sight, and even ate the humans. Grendel now became a real threat to the humans, which inevitably changed his status from sinister to pure
First of all, despite the fact that men are highly emphasized in Beowulf, women are highly absent in the story. Even within the first couple of sentences, the style and wording create an atmosphere in which
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.
If someone were to read Beowulf straight through and not think into any of the deeper meanings or symbolism in the story, the whole tale would come off as fairly superficial and typical. It would seem like just another story of a powerful hero slaying monsters and receiving lavish rewards in return. Going through the story in that fashion would be doing it a great disservice because there is so much more to Beowulf underneath all of the grandeur of the basic story. There are many recurring themes that hint at much deeper messages and even some darker, more nihilistic themes. As if ripping the arm off of a creature and then hunting down and killing its mother wasn’t already dark enough.
The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.