Beowulf was a hero. He was one who has battled what most of us will fear. He won when most of us will fail. But still, like any other person, Beowulf has a weakness; and that weakness is the lack of self control. Lack of self control against greed.
The opposition between fate and free will has become a reoccurring theme in literary works, motion pictures, and everyday life. In these moments, the audience questions whether characters are living out their destiny or if they are doing things on their own accord. In fact, in the Old-English epic poem Beowulf, many characters show copious amounts of evidence for both living out their fate versus acting at their own discretion. Although many will argue that Grendel acts upon his own thoughts, many textual excerpts from Beowulf point to the idea that Grendel is living his destiny.
The success of Risk Risks are the something people will take to achieve a goal, in which, that is what set those people apart from the rest. Those people are then labelled as the greats. Now, those who exceed the label of great, accomplish this by continuing taking risks, even after they do not reach their goals. Taking risks is what pushes people to do the unthinkable, and that is how we accomplish progress. Taking a risk is a necessary part of achieving success.
To accompany his physical abilities, Beowulf is courageous in his battles, believing that his fate is already determined by
On the other hand, Beowulf, has little emotion in his decisions to fight. He looks at the greater need of his people, not what he wants or what might happen to him. He shows this when he volunteers to battle Grendel. Grendel had not done anything to Beowulf personally, but to his people. He slaughtered his men, mutilating and devouring their bodies.
Beowulf cares greatly for his honor. When he is fighting Grendel, he decides to not use a weapon since Grendel has none. He doesn’t want anyone saying he won unfairly. When being spoken about his fighting it is said, “He, swiftly banished to mingle with monsters at mercy of foes…” (Part 2)
Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.
How fate and free will differ is shown throughout Beowulf, yet fate ends up being the winner in most cases. Despite there being little to no free will, fate often plays a huge role in the story. Beowulf is able to encounter heroic deeds knowing fate is on his side. For example, Beowulf decided to fight Grendel, and "...will meet him with my hands empty [of weapons]--unless his heart fails him (170). The battle amongst Beowulf and Grendel was already pre-determined by fate.
Beowulf's final and most difficult battle involves a deadly, fire-breathing dragon. When first analyzed, Beowulf is made out to be a hero and dies the most heroic death. When investigated further, however Beowulf's negligence is portrayed. His disregard for advice given by his fellow Thanes, and leaving the Geats without their brave king shows extreme selfishness. His actions within this battle bring up questions about his motivations and charterer.
This proves that he is strong and brave because no one else could kill Grendel let alone face him. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and without armor on. Other warriors could not even kill him with a sword and armor. “Beowulf’s intention to fight Grendel with only his strength proves that he carries the characteristics of a true hero”(Hailey).
Beowulf’s bravery makes him refuse when people suggest for someone else to fight the dragon because of his old age. He says with great pride he will face the dragon and not run away “I feel no shame, with shield and sword/ and armor against the monster: when he comes to me/I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames.” Beowulf feels no shame in using his armor to defeat the dragon. He says he will not run away from the dragon which shows an honorable amount of
Beowulf went through so much to prove he was worthy enough to protect their kingdom and defeat Grendel. The story Beowulf was a great story to read and a great movie to watch; however, the battles were very eye catching and had a lot of extravagant and heroic doings of Beowulf. The first scenario that I’m going to discuss in the movie and story of Beowulf is The Battle with Grendel. In the movie Grendel attacked Beowulf in the Heriot while everyone was dancing and singing.
Before each battle, Beowulf makes it clear that he is not afraid of the outcome of his fight. Whether he comes out as the victor or perishes, Beowulf knows that he is not the one in control, nor is his enemy. Instead, before his battle with Grendel, Beowulf announces that “it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend. Whichever one death fells must deem it a judgment by God” (31) and asks that “the Divine Lord in His wisdom grant the glory of victory to whichever side He sees fit” (47). Beowulf then braves the battle, knowing that God will be the one to either protect him and lead him to victory, or let him die by the hand of the other.
Also, when fighting the dragon, he exclaims “I will stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins,” which demonstrates Beowulf’s courage, but like stated before, even with courage, if someone is doomed, then there’s nothing that can be done. These examples show that the Anglo-Saxon understanding of fate is not all too different from our modern understanding, but most importantly, it displays the
Fate happens to everyone and it is out of their control. Beowulf’s fate is determined by the choices and battles he is put through. God has a perfect plan for every single person’s life. He puts us through battles in our lives to make us stronger. He pushes us to rely on him more.
