Beowulf

A detailed Summary of Beowulf


There are two clearly different interpretations of the poem Beowulf, one being that of a fundamentally Christian nature and the other being a distorted superficial Christian nature. As one would think, these inverse ideas should be easily justifiable or dismissed. However, upon first read, this is not the case. Beowulf has a confusing balance of both pagan and Christian concepts. It is a sort of battle between pride and humility, sacrifice and selfishness.

"...The wondrous gifts God had showered on him: He relied for help on the Lord of All, on His care and favor." (pg. 89) The Christian aspects of Beowulf can be seen fairly clearly throughout the poem, but the directly Biblical portions are more evident in the first half. Page 9 is the first obvious Christian ideal, taken directly out of the Old Testament. The murder of Abel by Cain is the explained reason for the existence of the monster, Grendel. Also, on page 117, the Flood from the book of Genesis is described as the cause for the death of the giants, whom the sword that Beowulf used to kill Grendel's mother is from. Throughout the poem, Beowulf repeatedly acknowledges God as his protector and the provider of his great strength. "...if God had not hel


Some would argue the exact opposite, a pre-Christian nature. As was stated in the opening, there is a continuous battle between pride and humility, sacrifice and selfishness. Beowulf, although sometimes acting opposite, as seen previously, has the arrogance of a great warrior. He seems to be striving to be known among all men and this obviously reflects a prideful nature. Also, another idea accenting the hint of a non-Christian poem is the pagan war society and their values of revenge. When one of the men is killed by Grendel's mother, Beowulf says "It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning...Let whoever can win glory before death." (pg. 97) This is the very opposite of any Christian moral that can be thought of. Supporting the thesis, this example shows how, even though Beowulf shows some Christian characteristics; the general theme of the poem is a pre-Christian nature. We also see the reoccurrence of pagan ideas such as fate and courage. Beowulf constantly tests fate and believes that through courage he can live on in the memory of those who will live after him. Obviously courage is not inherently a negative thing, but it is when it is used to obtain prideful goals. Also, the burial of Beowulf at the end of the poem seems to be entirely pagan. Beowulf,

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Approximate Word count = 877
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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