ipl-logo

Why Is Unferth Important In Beowulf

486 Words2 Pages

In the book Beowulf, Unferth speaks of Beowulf and begins to speak bad of his name. He does this due to his unlike toward Beowulf. He brings back an event that involves Beowulf’s failure in a bet he had made. This makes BEowulf weary of unferth. Unferth accuses Beowulf of fraud and unheroic. This sets a tone of anger in Unferth’s choice of words. On how he makes beowulf look bad in the crowed that he knows is come to know him well. In lines 418-420 in Beowulf Unferth speaks of Beowulf, “ Unferth who sat at the feet of the lord of the scyldings unlocked his thoughts with these unfriendly words -for the journey of Beowulf.” In the wife's tale there is a setting of betrayal and is set by the fact that she is explaining how the man she loved

Show More
Related

  • Wealhtheow's Role In Beowulf

    648 Words  | 3 Pages

    While reading Beowulf, one might think that Wealhtheow’s role in Beowulf is insignificant, or that she is merely an extension of Hrothgar, the Danish king. But after studying her character, the queen of the Danes clearly holds a far more powerful role than at a first glance. Her speeches are brief, but full of meaning and authority, and her astute counsel is often relied upon by Hrothgar. While she plays only a small role in Beowulf, Wealhtheow demonstrates that women played an integral part in medieval culture. Wealhtheow’s wisdom and respect is apparent in her role as the cup-bearer.

    Read More

  • Archetypal Hero Quest In Beowulf

    1002 Words  | 5 Pages

    Beowulf explained how Unferth was wrong and claimed that Unferth should not make such accusations when he killed his own family. Beowulf overcame his shadow, and later on Unferth becomes a

    Read More

  • Masculine Ideals In Beowulf

    650 Words  | 3 Pages

    He outright rejects feminine traits ergo, his character propagates ideals to the audience. In addition, the ability to sacrifice one’s life is tied directly to masculinity. When Grendel’s mother is seeking revenge for her son and needs to be killed, Unferth does not portray manly will. Thus, he is described as “not man enough/ to face the turmoil of a fight… and to risk his life”(1468-70). Through contrasting Beowulf’s readiness to kill Grendel’s mom and Unferth’s lack thereof, manliness is even more yearned for.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Honor In Beowulf

    805 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Hobbit And Beowulf

    904 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Beowulf, Unferth tries to rile up Beowulf, viewing him as not as glorious as the stories claim, but once he kills Grendel and begins his hunt for Grendel’s mother, he realizes his words were wrong. He tries to apologize by lending Beowulf his own sword, Hrunting. Beowulf gladly accepts the sword and even states “‘to that far-famed man I bequeath my own / sharp-honed, wave-sheened wonder-blade. / With Hrunting I shall gain glory or die’” (1489-1491).

    Read More

  • Why Is Beowulf Considered A Hero

    300 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story Beowulf they make Beowulf out to be the hero. I believe that he is the hero because of his way that he presents himself when he gets to as his crewmen walked off the boat and they looked bad in clothes Beowulf looked very nice and very manly other than his crewmen looked bad and also he was a hero because he was the only one to come to and help the town. Defeating the monsters which was mother dragon and the last reason that he was considered a hero because after all the monsters he killed he decided to give all of the gold and supplies that he won from the battle with the monsters to all the people in herot and also he was reconized as a hero because he let God decide his Faith during the battle with the monsters.

    Read More

  • Women In Beowulf And The Wife Of Bath's Tale

    1333 Words  | 6 Pages

    First of all, despite the fact that men are highly emphasized in Beowulf, women are highly absent in the story. Even within the first couple of sentences, the style and wording create an atmosphere in which

    Read More

  • Importance Of Boasting In Beowulf

    618 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf tells Unferth that his misrepresentation and ‘quick tongue’ “Won’t help your [Unferth] soul; you’ll suffer hell’s fires(589), linking Unferth’s lying of what Beowulf did with christian sin. Another form christianity leaked into Beowulf is when Beowulf retaliates against Unferth and states that Unferth killed his brother. In terms of christianity, Unferth commits a mortal sin, which is the highest degree of sinning when he breaks one of the ten commandments. Christianity is shown through the poets writing, especially in the scene with Unferth and Beowulf. The exchange with Unferth reveals the importance of heroic deeds, and the need to defend oneself against attacks on these deeds.

    Read More

  • Why Is Beowulf A Hero

    948 Words  | 4 Pages

    A hero does not fight for fame and glory but for the greater good. A hero is someone who goes through adversity to help others in desperate times. A hero fights evil, and defends people. Beowulf should be considered a hero because he is a strong, brave warrior who defended his people and slayed evil monsters. Beowulf proves himself to be a strong, brave warrior by killing Grendel the monster.

    Read More

  • Wergild In Beowulf

    566 Words  | 3 Pages

    The bitter feud continued until Hrothgar avenged Hathlaf’s death when he “sent ancient treasures through the ocean’s furrows to the Wulfings” The most notorious perpetrator of wergild was Unferth, who is told by Beowulf that he will “suffer hell’s fires.” The Anglo Saxons also strongly believed in the idea of comitatus, or loyalty to the king. This idea was so

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Wife's Story By Ursula K. Leguin

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Wife’s Story Ursula K. Leguin is a short story describing a wife retrospective of her husband who she thought of as a loving and caring father and husband a somewhat perfect person always gentle. Yet he had a fatal flaw that led to his death that the wife failed to recognize until it was too late. Throughout the story, the wife recounts important events that led to his deaths events that should have been clues to aid her to recognize the flaw within her husband. In the story, Leguin shows us how the wife’s perception was deceiving her. She was looking at her husband but couldn’t see him for whom he really was.

    Read More

  • The Hero's Journey In Beowulf '

    338 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf is the main hero in the poem, and he travels to the land of the Danes to help King Hrothgar get rid of the monster Grendel. After having slain Grendel, there is still a huge crisis present. Grendel’s mother comes to the Hall of Heorot to avenge the death of her kinsmen by killing Aeschere. Aeschere is one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisors, and his loss bear’s heavy on Hrothgar’s heart. In the culture displayed in Beowulf, the bonds of friendship and kinsmanship are very important to the characters.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Flaws In Beowulf

    1220 Words  | 5 Pages

    Despite Unferth’s challenge and jealousy towards Beowulf, his actions help Beowulf admit his flaws amidst his greatness. Beowulf first encounters Unferth, one of Hrothgar’s courtiers, when he goes to the Danes to help King Hrothgar fight Grendel.

    Read More

  • Beowulf: The Perfect Hero

    1372 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Perfect Hero In every heroic tale, there lies a theme of balance in values. Every hero is said to possess a fatal flaw; whether they overcome this flaw or let it define who they are is up to them. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is not particularly hard for the reader to point out their perceived flaws of our hero: arrogance, pride, egotism. Yet, Beowulf stands tall in the poem as the perfect hero, adored and praised by all.

    Read More

  • The Wife's Lament And Beowulf Comparison

    467 Words  | 2 Pages

    n both the excerpt about Unferth from Beowulf and the poem “The Wife’s Lament”, the themes of betrayal and anger are shown within the stories; however, they are expressed differently. To begin with, Unferth shows his anger towards Beowulf by attempting to embarrass him in front of all the men, including King Hrothgar. For example, Unferth states “No one, neither friend nor foe, could keep you from your sad journey, when you swam out to sea… Breca outslayed you, he was stronger” (427-435). Unferth is trying to say that Beowulf is weak and can’t compete with anyone or anything.

    Read More

More about Why Is Unferth Important In Beowulf

Open Document