To begin, Beowulf the poem has a unknown author, Beowulf is an epic poem. In Beowulf he is challenged by the murderous monster Grendel, Grendel is eating and slaughtering Hrothgar the King of the Danes men and people, the king needs Beowulf 's help in defeating Grendel, Beowulf ends up killing the monster and is now tormented by the monster 's mother that is much larger, she is no match for Beowulf and he kills her as well, lastly it is Beowulf’s last battle after he has been king of Geatland for fifty years, he has to defeat the dragon and he does but dies shortly after. In this essay I will be explaining how lof, comitatus, and wyrd is very important to Beowulf’s culture. First and foremost, lof meaning fame is important to Beowulf’s …show more content…
For example, in lines 761-765 it states “ Sad at heart, addressing his companions, Wiglaf spoke wise and fluent words: I remember that time when mead was flowing, how we pledged loyalty to our lord in the hall, promising our ring-giver we would be worth our price.” (Raffel, the final battle). In this quote it explains the importance of being loyal to your king or leader, they pledge and put their life on the line to make sure that their leader is taken care of, in Beowulf’s culture comitatus is extremely important and one of the main ways of their lives. Another example of comitatus in Beowulf is in lines 148-151 it states “ My people have said, the wisest, most knowing and the best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves.” ( Raffel, part 1). In this quote it explains how Beowulf himself showed loyalty to King Hrothgar by offering to help kill Grendel once and for all, Beowulf wanted to help him because their fathers were friends and Hrothgar’s father helped Beowulf’s and it was now Beowulf’s duty to help the king and repay him for what his father had done. As seen in this paragraph comitatus is a very important part of Beowulf culture, being loyal to your leader is simply out of respect and is done at all times. Finally, wyrd also known as fate is important to Beowulf’s culture because their way of life is that everything is predetermined, everything is supposed to happen
Imagine a slimy swamp like place where only the most horrid monsters with the most disgusting features live, this is the fen. Now imagine A wonderful bright beautiful hall that’s almost castle like, these are the two elements of the story Beowulf a New Telling.
What do Achilles, King Arthur, Harry Potter, and Beowulf all have in common? They all demonstrate the qualities of epic heroes. Beowulf represents several characteristics of an epic hero and demonstrates the values of the Anglo-Saxons. He is the main character of his story, he has a main goal, he travels and fights with a group of people, and he accomplishes many valorous deeds; the values of the Anglo-Saxons are also shown through the actions of Beowulf, such as courage, loyalty, and fame. For example, when Beowulf heard a cry for help in a far off land, he answered. He fought larger than life monsters, and won. His exceptional strength proves his epic courage and heroism.
The character of Beowulf demonstrates several characteristics that make a great epic hero. Throughout his lifetime he displayed several characteristics such as honor, bravery, physical superiority, leadership, and glory. These characteristics all formed how the Anglo-Saxons believed one should live their life. Along with the valorous deeds that Beowulf accomplished he is considered to be a prime example of an epic hero. Beowulf would have even been considered a model human to the Anglo-Saxons due to how he consistently demonstrated these qualities.
Another thing that is important to Beowulf's culture is wyrd which means fate, fate is important and Beowulf's culture because according to Beowulf's beliefs fate controls the events in the world. A quote supporting this is, “ I won't shift a foot when I meet the cave-guard: what occurs on the wall between the two of us will turn out as fate, overseer of men, decides. (674-677).” This shows that no matter what Beowulf is about to go through he believes in his fate and whatever happens will happen because it's supposed to. Another quote to show how word has an importance to Beowulf's culture is, “ Unyielding, the Lord of his people loomed by his tall shield, sure of his ground, while the serpent looped and unleashed itself. Swaddled in flames, it came gliding and flexing and racing towards its fate. (716-720).” This quote shows that everyone has a fate no matter their role in the life, no
First, loyalty is very important to the Anglo-Saxon people. Loyalty is swearing allegiance to a person, place, or thing. There are many examples of loyalty in Beowulf. Beowulf is exceedingly loyal throughout the entire Anglo-Saxon epic. Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king. To elaborate, Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king, Hygelac, by notifying them of his plans to travel to the land of the Danes and help the Danish King, Hrothgar, defeat Cain’s descendant, Grendel, who has been terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead-hall. Beowulf is loyal and seeks the approval of the Geats and Hygelac before anything else(first and foremost), and Beowulf most likely would not have left the land of the Geats to help the Danes if his people and king did not approve. Also, Beowulf demonstrates loyalty to Hrothgar because of an allegiance between Beowulf’s father and Hrothgar. Beowulf helped the Danes for glory and because of a sense of devotion to Hrothgar who once helped Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow, after he killed a man. Hrothgar paid the death price for
The story “Beowulf” is an epic poem written by an unknown author. In the story Beowulf, our protagonist, is the strongest man in the world who has to take down three monsters and faces challenges when facing two of them. In the story lof, comitatus, and wyrd is shown in the story and plays an important part of the Beowulf’s culture.
Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.
Beowulf is a story of great courage and triumph over adversity. But over the whole story there is a hanging sense of dread and impending death. This is shown by the sense of impending death, the strong sense of doom, and the nature of luck throughout the story. These play a mojo role in shaping how the story
Beowulf is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.
Evidently, the setting of Beowulf helps the readers to better understand the cultures and events that occur in the
The story of Beowulf is one of a great hero. Beowulf is a very generous person who is always willing to help out when people are in need. Over the course of the story, Beowulf ends up in three major battles: the battle with Grendel, with Grendel’s mother, and with the dragon. All of these battles were different in their style and the way Beowulf approached them was different. Beowulf also had different reasons to participate in each of the battles.
“The whole earth is the tomb of heroic men and their story is not given only on stone over their clay but abides everywhere without visible symbol woven into the stuff of other men’s lives,” said Perculus (PR). You’re born, you live a little, and then you die. There is no simpler way to sum up life. Often times this is done through oral tales, paintings, and various other ways. For those whose lives were truly something great, something memorable, their stories are transcripted into writings. Whether these are simple biographies or symbolic fictional works, stories are often based on someone greater than the writer. These “epic heros” are protagonists that fulfill their potential of greatness through using their bravery, strength and
The final aspect of Anglo-Saxon culture that was present throughout the novel was the belief of wyrd. In Anglo-Saxon culture, warriors fought with the belief not that they could control the outcome of everything, but that fate was in the end responsible for how things turned out. In the poem, Beowulf has gained
An epic is a long, narrative poem that encompasses a hero or a heroine who is usually involved in an amazing battle between two forces. It includes forces that are not of the human world such as demons, angels, gods, and spirits. The epic of Beowulf is about a hero with superhuman strength that defeats the demon who torments the soldiers of the kingdom. In The Rape of the Lock, the heroine Belinda has a piece of her hair cut and stolen from her and the major battle is trying to get her lock of hair
Given, the current high profile debate with regard to dating the epic poem Beowulf, it is quite surprising that some scholars go as far as placing it during the Vendel era around 550 - 793 CE. Eventhough it is considered as a kind of folk tale, many are those who believe it happened towards the early Vendel era. As a rebuttal to this point, it might be?convincingly argued?that this period is also referred to as the Germanic Iron Age. Moreover, this era saw the rise of Norse mythology, which is very fatalistic in nature; it focuses on a world coming to an end in a great cataclysm. Along with this fatalism comes the willingness to die. That?s why warriors would go to fight in battles and combats. Surprisingly enough, not only the heroes