Sturla Gunnarsson Essays

The two stories of Macbeth and Beowulf have different plot, but hold similar elements. The legend of Beowulf, set in 500 A.D., begins with an evil monster terrorizing the mead hall of Heorot. The monster, Grendel, attacks Heorot with desire for wickedness. For copious amount of years, Grendel slaughters the men by night, each night. Until a hero named Beowulf hears the Geats cries and comes to their rescue. Beowulf arrives and devises a plan to kill the beast at night when he comes to attack the

Heroes have always been a part of the human caricature. Although, these heroes have not always been categorized in a similar way. Ideas about heroism changed from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Middle English period by the hero becoming a man with characteristics other than being brave. First, as the reader can view in Beowulf, a hero is someone that is a well-spoken, stronger-than-life, and an invulnerable man. Demonstrated in lines 197-203, Beowulf (the hero of the Anglo-Saxon period) is

Beowulf is the longest surviving epic poem, which got translated to different languages hundreds of times. This masterpiece was originally written in Anglo-Saxon language, by an unknown author, somewhere between 8th and 11th centuries, in heroic style. It was written in England, even though the story takes place in Scandinavia. Beowulf is a story of friendship, heroism, support, and allegiance. This book is a faultless example of the hero’s journey, where the main character, an epic hero, Beowulf