English literature, and is well deserved of the distinction. The epic

tells the story of a hero, a Scandinavian prince named Beowulf, who

rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain, and of

his exploits fighting Grendel's mother and a Dragon. Throughout the

epic, the Anglo-Saxon story teller uses many elements to build a

certain depth to the characters. Just a few of the important character

elements in Beowulf are Wealth & Honor, Biblical & Paganistic, and Man

Many of the characters in Beowulf are, like in most epics,

defined by their status. But, in addition to status, the Anglo-Saxon

culture also adds an element of honor. To the Anglo-Saxons, a

character's importance, as well as their wealth and status, where

measured not only in monetary terms, but it was also measured in terms

of honor, fame, and accomplishments. Hrothgar, king of the Danes, is

one example of the Anglo-Saxon measurement of importance in Beowulf.

In Canto 1 the story teller describes his wealth and importance, not

as mounds of gold or jewels, but instead as his ability to "[lead] the

of his foe Grendel. This deed serves throughout the epic serves as a

Conceived by a pair of those monsters born

accomplishment. Like Babel, though, Herot only serves as a symbol of

motif, and serves to give the listener an idea of the extent of

These themes don't only serve to define a character, but they also

and motifs, character is also shown through a certain Man vs. Wild

monks, caused the characters to have slight Christian characteristics.

Of Cain, murderous creatures banished

wealth and status. Beowulf, the hero-prince, also proves his true

first battle with Grendel. First off, Beowulf is pure and shows

the lost of the Anglo-Saxon culture and beliefs. An example of the

characters are the wealth, honor, religious, man, and wildness themes.

from evil. But, more than that, since Beowulf is in fact not a

[ Grendel] was spawned in that slime,

Beowulf is tame and civilized, the epitomy of goodness and purity.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Biblical Paganistic, Grendel Grendel, Beowulf Canto, Honor Paganistic, Holy Father, Earns Fame, Goodness Beowulf, Beowulf English, Banishment God, Defeating Grendel, wealth honor, wealth status, beowulf wealth honor, anglo-saxon culture, doesn't fight, themes motifs, biblical paganistic, depth characters, paganistic vs, vs wild, biblical reference,
Approximate Word count = 1046
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)