Excessive Pride In Beowulf

Unfortunately, monsters like Grendel do not exist. If they did, they could easily be avoided, or destroyed. Instead monsters lurk inside of people in the form of evil. In actuality, greed and jealousy take the shape of the most terrifying monsters. A person possessed by either of these traits can do unspeakable things. Monsters lurk behind smiles, and words of endearment. They steal confidence, and rob the person of happiness. Kind, simple gestures often have an ulterior motive. A prime example is Adolf Hitler, and Bernie Madoff. Both had trustworthy qualities, but regarded as the some of the worst people in human history.

People deal with fighting evil in a more intelligent way as they mature and as the degree of evil increases. This progression is illustrated in the epic poem Beowulf as the epic hero, Beowulf, constantly duals the hands of evil in three major fights until his heroic death.

By demonstrating much intricacy, the author suggests that two separate forms of pride are present in the attitude of Beowulf although the reader can decipher the actual interpretation in assorted ways. Beowulf has a tendency to show off how essential and valuable he is to those around him by boasting in his past triumphs such as when he says, “They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea slaughtered sea-brutes” (Beowulf 419-422). Beowulf gives accounts of his heroic exploits to the

As the story progress, Beowulf became king of the Geats for 50 years when suddenly a dragon emerged from slumber began to burn down villages. However, Beowulf didn’t pay the slightest attention, but instead ignored what was happening. Finally, when the dragon burns down Beowulf’s throne room Beowulf decided that he needs to deal with the dragon. In Beowulf 's eyes, the lives of his citizens couldn’t even compare to his throne room. When Beowulf prepared to fight the dragon he said, “Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (lines 2512-2514). Beowulf is telling us that he doesn’t value the lives of his citizen, but instead values glory and is willing to fight for it. In the end, Beowulf slays the dragon but paid his life as the price.

Beowulf had done the unthinkable—he had killed a demon that no warrior of Denmark could have done. This opened several new doors for Beowulf, including one that promised of honor, glory, and riches. Beowulf had achieved his goal of fame, a goal which had created a poem of a hero that birthed and shaped a story to be told even years later. Furthermore, Beowulf’s fame was set in stone by Hrothgar, the king who owed Beowulf his everything, including his thanks. After giving Beowulf the speech to further glorify his prominence, Hrothgar declares, “Glory is now yours/ Forever and ever; your courage has earned it,/ And your strength” (953-956). Beowulf’s life had been remolded by his victory, building a story beyond his

Beowulf, the epic tale of a Danish society plagued by evil beasts, reveals many thought-provoking and admirable character traits of the main character and hero, Beowulf. Firstly, he shows chivalry through his interactions and actions towards the king of Heorot, showing him the respect and honor he deserved. Secondly, he demonstrates bravery in all battles above and beyond the standard of the times and the standard of his fellow fighters. He owes his bravery in part to his seemingly immeasurable strength, having more power in each fist than that of thirty men. Lastly, he demonstrates a trait that applies to people for his time and ours, pride. Pride plagued his times, due to warriors’ great deeds, but it haunts modern times as well. The liberator of Heorot and the champion of the tale, Beowulf, demonstrates three admirable and relevant character traits, chivalry, bravery and pride.

In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.

14) Beowulf attempted to comfort Hrothgar and the warriors by exclaiming, “Let your sorrow end! It is better for us all to avenge our friends, not mourn them forever”. He then aims to convince Hrothgar that “for the glory of his name, fame after death is the noblest of goals”. Beowulf believes it is worth dying for a good

Cass Howell English IV Sister Christa Marie 2-21-17 Pride in Beowulf and Hamlet In the Anglo Saxon and English Renaissance eras, the theme of pride or hubris had played an important role in the development of literary works like Beowulf, written by an anonymous author, and Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare. Pride was an important aspect in the Anglo Saxon culture. Some may say that the main character Beowulf had shown excessive pride, his hamartia, which lead to his unfavorable death. However, others may say that Beowulf did not show any hubris, and that pride shown by Beowulf was a necessary act for a warrior. It is believed that in order for a warrior to gain the trust of his people, the warrior must boast. During the English Renaissance

He has true honor and respectfully distributes treasure and gifts to those whom he believes rightfully deserves them. Beowulf’s loyalty to the Danes helps shed light on his true character. He expresses that he believes he may die in battle between Grendel, but that does not dissuade him from fighting the beast. Another example is when Hygelac dies, Beowulf is asked to take the throne. In doing so, that would mean the the son of Hygelac would be stripped of his own inheritance, which is dishonorable in Beowulf’s eyes, and thus he declines the offer. The continued honor shown in Beowulf’s character shines through when Beowulf never mentions that Unferth’s trusted sword was no match for Grendel’s mother. Beowulf could have simply boasted how the sword was useless and ineffective against the female beast, yet he was silent out of respect for Unferth. Finally, during Beowulf’s time as ruler (fifty winters), another beast arrives: a dragon. This time, Beowulf is much older and is in a much weaker state than when he first defeated Grendel and his mother. However, that does not deter Beowulf from going out and defending his kingdom. This scene is relevant due to its differing plot from the other two slayings. During the killing of Grendel, Beowulf tears off his arm and ultimately destroys the wretched monster alone and without frivolous weapons. When the duel between Grendel’s mother arises, Beowulf

Beowulf reveals an act of arrogance throughout the epic poem Beowulf; therefore, it makes him an irrelevant hero. Beowulf claimed “that he needs no weapons and fears none” when fighting the monster. Stating that he can defeat a monster with his bare hands makes Beowulf very boastful. This quality of boastfulness expresses Beowulf’s thoughts on heroism. He only did heroic deeds for his desire. Beowulf declares that he “drove five great giants into chains, [and] chased all of that race from the Earth.” He is immensely overbearing at that point because he is too proud of his achievements. Being excessively prideful does not exactly label Beowulf as a hero. Beowulf assumes all of the courageous acts he fulfills will make him

“Beowulf” is an old English heroic poem written in the Anglo-Saxon Era. While the battles of Beowulf were mesmerizing, the concept of defending the civilians throughout the whole poem was self- evident. Even so, the poem contains many types of archetypes; situational, character and symbolic.

This particular quote not only describes the atmosphere of Beowulf’s story, but also of the time in which Beowulf crafted. Misery and sorrow frequently filled the days of Beowulf’s time, as monsters and demons of all kinds hunted the terrified people for feeding purposes, as unannounced rulers, subduing the people from the shadows, killing whenever they wanted. Their malice was unmatched, and bloodshed was inevitable when demons such as Grendel had almost no one to stop them. The people began to lack protection as the demons targeted weary or drunken soldiers, tired with a day's agenda, and while they were sleeping, the monsters made a mess of the militants bones and flesh, and dined on their meat, while saving some for later. Hell-spawn of that time often gorged themselves to the brim, gleefully walking away from their victims carcass with a full stomach. Turmoil such as this was constant in Beowulf’s

It is important to note that epic heroes are depicted in stories and poems as people who posses such qualities that are other people lacks. For instance, bravery beyond compare, strength, superhuman intelligence skills and desire for success are some of the traits of epic heroes. In order to understand the importance of Beowulf’s epic acts, it is important to understand the key figures in the poem. Beowulf is a hero of Geats. He displays a bravery trait when he aids to the Danes’ king after Grendel (powerful monster) attacks Hrothgar’s mead. Heroically, Beowulf slays the monster and become the target of his own mother. Further, he made great success in battle and return to their home.

Strength, honor, and resilience are all words that captures the essence of Beowulf. During the Anglo-Saxon era, Beowulf is a hero who strikes fear in his enemies and relief in his allies. Beowulf is widely-regarded as the most honorable and ruthless hero in all of the world; he defends villages of people from blood-hungry predators, defeats sea monsters, and defeats Grendel and Grendel’s mother in the epic poem Beowulf. However, Beowulf can be an egomaniac at times. For instance, before Beowulf’s epic fight and defeat of the monster Grendel, Beowulf strips nude and fights the monster nude to boast and show off. This can cause Beowulf to be a static character throughout the epic poem; he shows little change as his main goal throughout the whole