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Beowulf Essay Research Paper Beowulf 2

Beowulf Essay, Research Paper


Beowulf – Analysis of the Epic


The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is the most important work of Old


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


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


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


Danes to such glory.” and as his tendency to “In battle, [leave] the


common pasture untouched, and taking no lives.” Through this display


of compassion for the commoner who doesn’t fight in battles, Hrothgar


proves the full extent of his honor and therefore the extent of his


wealth and status. 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 infamous as an evil killer. This lack of wealth and honor


defines Grendel as a symbol of evil and corruption. In addition to


using Honor and wealth to define a character’s character, the


story-teller(s) have incorporated alternating Biblical and Paganistic


motifs in the epic-poem.


The original Epic was obviously Paganistic due to the time


period of it’s creation. But, as time wore on, the rewriting and


touching up of the manuscripts by various sources including religious


monks, caused the characters to have slight Christian characteristics.


These Christian themes have become very important to the epic to add


am element of depth that wouldn’t be possible in modern times due to


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


Biblical motif in Beowulf is Grendel. Grendel it biblically described


as evil in this excerpt:


[ Grendel] was spawned in that slime,


Conceived by a pair of those monsters born


Of Cain, murderous creatures banished


By God, punished forever

for the crime


Of Abel’s death. The Almighty drove


Those demons out, and their exile was bitter,


Shut away from men; they split


Into a thousand forms of evil–spirits


And feinds, goblins, monsters, giants,


A brood forever opposing the Lord’s


Will, and again and again defeated.


The Biblical reference in the epic has become a modern day archetypal


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


Grendel’s pure evil and gives a logical explanation for Grendel’s


murderous behavior. This example, not only shows the evil in


Grendel’s nature, but also the torture in his heart caused by his


Banishment from God. It serves to give the reader an idea of why


Grendel would kill the Danes for no reason other than their


happiness. Beowulf also has a religious motif to his character. One


example of this is in Canto 6 line 381 in which 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 shows Beowulf as a sort of messiah sent by god to save man


from evil. But, 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 many deaths and the


coming of Grendel.


Apart from Wealth, Honor, and Paganistic vs. Biblical themes


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


motif. This motif shows the difference between mankind’s ways (good),


and evil’s wild nature (evil). Grendel for one, is totally wild and


is therefore shown as evil. His wild home, “Grendel, who haunted the


moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but


earth.” shows his wild, untamed, and therefor evil nature. Grendel’s


wilderness is countered in mankind’s ways, especially Beowulf’s.


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


Beowulf doesn’t fight evil in a wild manner, rather, as shown in his


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


this before his battle when he removes his armor and vows not to use a


weapon to defeat Grendel. Defeating Grendel, he shows that man,


without armor and weapons, can defeat evil in any form including that


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


symbol of Beowulf’s Goodness.


Beowulf has many other such archetypal, symbolic themes and


motifs, but the most important themes that serve to add depth to the


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


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


factor in as a motive for their actions.

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