Beowulf
We all know that Beowulf illustrates the perfect hero. The poem explores his heroism in two separate stages- as a young man and then as a king through three separate and increasingly difficult conflicts, with Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. In his youth, Beowulf is a great warrior, characterized predominately by his feats of outstanding strength and courage, an example would be his "swimming" match against Breca. He also perfectly represents the manners and values dictated by the Germanic hero code, such as loyalty, courtesy, and proud self- presentation. Much of Beowulf is devoted to articulating and illustrating this Germanic code which values strength, courage , and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, and political skill in kings, ceremoniousness in women and good reputation of all people. Traditional and long- respected , this code is very important to Beowulf because it is the means of understanding the relationship to the world and its menaces lurking outside its boundaries .
While, throughout the poem, the values of the heroic code of the warrior become clear to us through Beowulf's example. The heroic code stipulates that a king should reward the loyal service of his warriors with gifts and praise and also provide them with protection and the sanctuary of a lavish mead-hall. The second part of the story , skips over middle part of Beowulf's career and focuses at the end of his life. In the final episode - the encounter with the dragon- the poet reflects further on how the responsibilities of a king, who now must act for the good of the people and not just for his glory , differ from those of a heroic warrior. In light of all this Beowulf becomes somewhat ambiguous at the end of the poem. Though he is deservedly celebrated as a great hero and leader, his last battle ,courageous as it is also somewhat fast. The poem suggests that sacrificing himself , Beowulf unnecessarily leaves his people without a king. His conquering of Grendel and Grendel's mother validates for his
Some common words found in the essay are:
King Hrothgar, Grendel Grendel's, , grendel's mother, grendel grendel's mother, christianity code, heroic code, code stipulates, grendel grendel's, strength courage, sets values, throughout poem,
Approximate Word count = 682
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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