Reputation In Beowulf

Beowulf meets literature Beowulf is an early poem set during the time of England changing from pagan to a Christian culture. Beowulf was told over the years by the Pagan Anglo-Saxons. The poem is about a hero who defeats monsters for the fame. The poem depicts both the pagan and Christian. Beowulf was a hero who dies during battle but still gets his fame that he so longed for.

Much like Beowulf, Arthur gains great respect and praise from his people by fighting alone, even though it is not necessarily the smartest thing to do. The characteristic of being fearless when faced with death is often a trait of heroes because it is associated with courage and strength. King Arthur and Beowulf are not afraid to die, thus showing their courage to their adversaries and followers.

In Beowulf, Beowulf must undergo three main trials in order to fulfill his destiny. Before Beowulf begins his quest, the unknown author drafts Beowulf as a hero whom the people of Geatland acknowledge and look up to. For example, as Beowulf recruited able warriors and prepared to set out to Denmark to save Hrothgar’s people from Grendel, no elder denied his plan. The elders’ respect for Beowulf, demonstrates his influence in society.

Ironically in his efforts to gain fame and riches, Beowulf 's traits overlap with those of an epic hero. More important than Beowulf 's lack of morality though, is the warrior 's lack of growth throughout the story. Usually, in epic poems, the protagonists change

Their valor is one of the first heroic characteristics that all three characters share. Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and Macbeth at some point in their story want the best for their culture and put their lives to risk in order to secure the lives of others. For example, in Beowulf, King Hrothgar of Denmark and the Danes suffer for many years hardships due to the number of deaths caused by Grendel, a horrible demon. Until moved by the needs of his people, young Beowulf decides to sail to Denmark along with a limited amount of men hoping to defeat Grendel and save his people from future horrors. In, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Knight challenges the entire court and taunts them by asking ,“Where is

When Beowulf begins, the life of Shield Sheafson is summarized with his arrival as an orphan and his eventual dominion over the Danes as a great Danish king. Several generations pass until King Hrothgar is in control of the Danes, a mighty king with the fortunes of war favoring him. Eventually, Hrothgar decided to build a vast mead-hall known as Heorot, which was used to house King Hrothgar’s warriors where he would treat them to a large feast. He also used Heorot to house his throne room.

In fact, it is mentioned that the minstrel tells tales of Beowulf’s glory before the tale of Sigmund. In the fight with Grendel, Beowulf is so confident in his marvelous abilities and superior strength that he foregoes any armor or weapons at all. He rips off the arm of the monster, leaving it to run to its marsh and die. All of this he manages with no weapon at all, as compared to Sigmund’s reliance on a magical sword. In the fight with Grendel’s mother, as well, it is not Beowulf’s strength that fails him, but rather the sword that he took with him that did not hold true.

This affects Beowulf because his reputation is vital to him. Beowulf fires back with a reminder that Unferth killed his own kin. “[...] and the forthright Unferth, admired by all for his mind and courage, although under a cloud for killing his brothers, reclined near the king” (1164-1167). To prove himself, Beowulf informs the King Hrothgar of his new expedition, killing Grendel. “Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan, whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts.”

Superman’s Song, written as a eulogy, expresses more than respect for a fallen Superhero; it voices Robert’s grief, thereby creating pathos, at the passing of a great man: “And sometimes I despair the world will never see another man like him.” Roberts expresses not only his own “despair” but the “world's” despair of having lost Superman. Honest men are rare. Rarer yet are men of virtue, men of integrity, and men of compassion. Superman was such a man.

Beowulf from Beowulf has very few things about him that are not chivalrous. His character exemplifies the Germanic hero and the Anglo-Saxon ideal of being strong, fearless, bold and loyal. One example of Beowulf being a chivalrous warrior is his bravery and courage. The evil demon Grendel has been terrorizing Herot for the past 12 years, so Beowulf wants to try and defeat him. When he arrives in Denmark Wulfgar greets him by saying “My lord, the great king of the Danes, commands me to tell you that he knows of your noble birth and that having come bravely and are welcome.”

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. In conclusion, Beowulf would be considered a great warrior, but not a hero. Although Beowulf accomplished many heroic deeds he never did any of them for the right reasons. Therefore, Beowulf is not a hero, but only a warrior who values renown and rewards.

They both were seeking for something that was greater than themselves, something that would help them but both wanted something different. Beowulf looked for the best interest in his people and went to other nations to aid them in defeat of monsters or other terrors harming them. He was looking for fame and glory and did so by helping others and although this seems selfless in the end it was all to benefit himself. While beowulf helped others in his search for fame gilgamesh was only concerned with himself. In his journey gilgamesh grows bored with his life and decided to go and fight the monster humbaba, who was sent by the gods to watch over the cedar forests.

He and I faced similar conflicts and ended up with similar outcomes. The wickedness of someone’s gossip or opinion is quite a challenge to deal with, but

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin once said, “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it”. If there is one man who has the experience to verify this statement, it is the monster-slayer Beowulf. In his lifetime, living in Geatland, Scandinavia, meant being judged as an individual primarily by past deeds and the family tree. Though Beowulf’s reputation had carried him through life on the model of the ideal hero, he came close to losing it all when he accepted a proposition from Grendel’s mother. Early in the film, there is already evidence that Beowulf’s reputation precedes him.

There is an old saying by Edmund Burke is that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. This is true however in both of the cases of heroism and valor in the face of evil and danger good men did something. In Umpqua a 10-year Army veteran stalled a crazed gunman from getting into classrooms immediately and doing what he planned to do. This shows that when evil rises to cause damage to innocence a few good men will rise to stop evil no matter the cost. Chris Mintz allowed a multitude of innocent civilians time to run to safety at the expense of his own.