An Analysis of Beowulf - 1608 Words

The Old English epic Beowulf is built around the archetype of the journeying hero. Beowulf exemplifies a classical hero, one who is not immune from hubris, but who channels his strong will into judicious endeavors. Thus, Beowulf dies with the honor and glory befitting a king. His story is one of distinct binaries between good and evil. On the side opposite to Beowulfs goodness is the gruesome Grendel. Grendel is a monster, and the original epic poem does nothing to introduce moral ambiguity that would engender any sympathy for the creature. The creature represents brute force and misanthropic evil, which Beowulf successfully vanquishes. Therefore, Beowulf is established as an existential warrior-hero whose acts of courage and bravery are not just beneficial for his ego but to all of humanity. Grendel is a one-dimensional monster; whereas Beowulf is slightly more complex due to his status and role in society. In 1971, John Gardner retells the medieval tale of Beowulf, from Grendels po int of view. In so doing, Gardner creates a new postmodern hero. Grendel is not the demon that Beowulf and the Danes thought he was; a literary technique that raises all sorts of issues related to stereotyping, discrimination, racism, imperialism, and cultural hegemony. Grendel also reworks the theme of heroism by injecting moral ambiguity into the original story. With Grendel, Gardner replaces a more realistic version of moral right and wrong for the simple dualistic worldview of Beowulf.Show MoreRelatedBeowulf Analysis1683 Words   |  7 PagesBeowulf Beowulf is another incredible epic poem that was first written in the Anglo-Saxon era. It is believed that the story is not an original piece by the author. Rather, it was part of oral tradition that the author later committed to inscribe it. The author of Beowulf is still a mystery since the work was not sign the work, although scholars refer to the author as just Beowulf poet. Since much about Beowulf is still unknown to the present generation, various debates have risen especially asRead MoreBeowulf Character Analysis885 Words   |  4 Pagesanalyzing and reading the text in Beowulf, I realized that Beowulf himself is a leader and a hero in the text also he plays a big role as the protagonist being a hero for saving his kingdom against monsters and mortal enemies but exactly how does it make him a greater hero than the average hero? In the text Beowulf’s uncle which is Hygelac was said to be a great ruler and it is evident that this is Beowulf’s role model and hero and as the story goes on. As a character Beowulf encounters with great monstersRead MoreBeowulf Character Analysis942 Words   |  4 PagesThe Great Motivator (An analysis of Beowulf’s Motivations) Are everyones motivations to become a hero pure? This question can be hard to answer depending on the hero. Spidermans motivations for saving an innocent child were pure, but what about people suffering from hero syndrome? A syndrome, that has become a recent phenomenon. This syndrome makes people seek heroism or recognition by creating desperate situations that they resolve in order to become a hero. As common as this syndrome is todayRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Beowulf 851 Words   |  4 PagesThis essay offers literary analysis of Beowulf, the oldest epic poem that has survived in English literature. It is also widely known as the earliest surviving piece of literatures in vernacular European Literature. The language of this poem is Old English, spoken by Saxon people. This poem depicts a traditional story that is a part of oral Germanic tradition. As per experts, this is work of a single poet and was composed in then England. It has been determined by the scholars that thi s poem wasRead MorePoem Analysis : Beowulf 1619 Words   |  7 PagesBen Sparrow Ms. Finkelstein Honors English IV September 5, 2015 Beowulf is renowned as the oldest poem written in the English language, thought to be written over 1500 years ago this epic poem is still being heavily studied and compared to modern literature regularly. The protagonist, named Beowulf is a great warrior whose called to defend the Danes from the vicious attack of many monsters. Many would label this call to action as the start of his hero’s journey, although it isn’t an ancient conceptRead MoreBeowulf Analysis997 Words   |  4 PagesIn the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, the stupendous hero’s many great deeds often appear to be for other’s benefit, yet Beowulf’s final conquest exposes his lust for glory and fame, thereby showing his lack of concern for anything else. This lust for immense glory and fame feeds his ego and causes his death and the imminent downfall of his great people the Geats. Throughout the poem, Beowulf’s deeds seem marvelous and good, yet in the end we can see the real motive behind his actions was his lustRead MoreBeowulf Analysis712 Words   |  3 PagesWhile reading the epic tale of the almighty, brave Beowulf, readers are forced to ask themselves questions regarding the reliability of the story. In these types of stories literature, â€Å"readers are required to do more ‘detective’ work to determine whether a narrator is trustworthy or not† (Olsen 104). The tale of the almighty warrior Beowulf can be hard to believe due to because of its use of an unreliable narrator. In the epic poem Beowulf, the third person omniscient narrator can be seen as unreliableRead MoreAnalysis Of Beowulf s Beowulf 968 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish IV 21 September 2017 Battle Comparison Beowulf is a story about the quests and battles that the main character, Beowulf, endures. Though he faces many challenges, he is able to overcome them because of his superhuman strength and braveness. During the story, Beowulf fights three beasts: Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and a Dragon. With the strength of 30 men in each hand grip, magical weapons, and the support of Wiglaf, his right hand man, Beowulf is able to defeat all three beasts, but suffersRead MoreBeowulf Analysis1236 Words   |  5 PagesKnowing Your Place In the poem Beowulf, the author shifts from Beowulf being an orphan to being a king, by incorporating underlying themes such as strength and skill, identity, and shift in power to demonstrate the importance of social structure and the adherence to the comitatus code between noblemen and thanes. The most important literary element that the poet utilizes is strength and skill for the reason that the better you are in combat the more respected you are and the greater your rewardsRead MoreBeowulf Analysis921 Words   |  4 PagesBeowulf, an old english epic poem, written a long time ago roughly around the eight and ten century. Beowulf is introduced as â€Å"Nor have I seen A mightier man-at-arms on this earth Than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken, He is truly noble. This is no mere Hanger-on in a hero’s armour.† (247-51) a character of humility, honesty and bravery, which is the perfect definition of a dane.English novelist and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien and aut hor of (Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, Proceedings