Themes In Beowulf
The epic of Beowulf is considered by many to be the most important work of "Old English" literature, and it 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, (supposedly a descendent of Cain, although it is unclear as to the authenticity of this.) It also tells of his exploits fighting Grendel's mother as well as a Dragon. The story of Beowulf is just brewing with examples of the different levels of status and success in society. It shows an, if not comprehensive, at least general view of the society at the time it was written. So for this paper I will dive into the story a little and try to pull out some of the themes and character elements that I think relate to the topic of social status and success.Throughout the epic, the storyteller uses many elements to build a certain depth to the characters. Just a few of the important character elements in Beowulf are wealth and honor, Christianity vs. paganism, and man vs. wild themes. 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 charact
Beowulf, the hero-prince, also proves his true wealth and status through his deeds as defender of the Danes. As he fights and defeats Grendel, Beowulf Earns Fame and wealth from his companions, and from the Danes, but more importantly, he earns honor raising him to the level of an archetypal hero. Grendel, on the other hand, is the total opposite of Beowulf. He has no wealth, no honor, and he in feared as an evil killer. This lack of wealth and honor defines Grendel as a symbol of evil and corruption. Beowulf also has a religious motif to his character. One example of this is where Hrothgar states, "Our Holy Father had sent [Beowulf] as a sign of His grace, a mark of His favor, to help us defeat Grendel and end that terror." This religious description portrays Beowulf as a sort of messiah sent by God to save man from evil. However, it is more than that, (since Beowulf is in fact not a messiah), this description shows the good in Beowulf's heart and the purpose of his mission. Another biblical reference in Beowulf is shown in the tower of Herot, which is very similar to the tower of Babel in the fact that it's built as a sign of superiority and accomplishment. Like Babel, though, Herot only serves as a symbol of downfall more than one of glory because it causes death and the coming of Grendel. In addition to using Honor and wealth to define a character's character, the story-teller(s) have incorporated alternating Christian and paganistic motifs in the epic-poem. The original Epic was obviously paganistic due to the time period of its creation. But, as time wore on, the writing, rewriting and touching up of the manuscripts by various sources including reli
Some common words found in the essay are:
, Earns Fame, Grendel Grendel, Goodness Beowulf, Grendel Apart, Holy Father, Defeating Grendel, Beowulf's Beowulf, Grendel Beowulf, Babel Herot, wealth honor, wealth status, beowulf wealth honor, depth characters, vs wild, doesn't fight, character elements, status success, evil wild, anglo-saxon culture, defeat grendel,
Approximate Word count = 1126
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
