Beowulf's External Strength vs. Internal Strength
External Strength vs. Inner Strength
Arm can be defined as "power, might, strength, and authority." However, it can also be defined as "a weapon" or "to provide whatever will add strength, force, or security." The epic poem Beowulf explores several interpretations of arms by tracing this motif and juxtaposing it against the motif of swords, to reveal that while power helps one achieve his goal; power is useful only when the beholder trusts his inner strength. The motif of swords symbolizes fallible power. In some battles, the sword produces victory and in others, it fails. On the other hand, the arm motif symbolizes inner strength. In each battle Beowulf fights, he is victorious only after relying on the strength of arms. Through these motifs, Beowulf challenges the reader to question if material objects possess power. Or is it inner strength that generates power?
Initially, the sword motif appears almost too obvious in symbolizing courage and power. When Beowulf arrives in Denmark to aide the Danes in fighting the terrible monster, Grendel, he discovers several men determined to "stem that horror with a sweep of their swords" (217). In this instance, the sword symbolizes courage. The sword gives them a sense of power that boosts their willingness to feud with Grendel. The way the poet uses alliteration with the words "stem, sweep, and swords" illuminates this idea. Repeating the first letter in these one-syllable words gives the reader the impression that the soldiers will sweep through quickly with their swords. However, those determined soldiers return to bloody mead-halls marked with Grendel's damage. Thus, the sword fails to pierce Grendel's core, suggesting that a sword's power is fallible. This idea echoes through the battle between Grendel and Beowulf when the sword fails Beowulf and his followers: "All of Beowulf's band had jumped from their beds, ancestral swords raised and ready, determined to protect their prince if they could. Their courage was
Arm can be defined as "power, might, strength, and authority." However, it can also be defined as "a weapon" or "to provide whatever will add strength, force, or security." The epic poem Beowulf explores several interpretations of arms by tracing this motif and juxtaposing it against the motif of swords, to reveal that while power helps one achieve his goal; power is useful only when the beholder trusts his inner strength. The motif of swords symbolizes fallible power. In some battles, the sword produces victory and in others, it fails. On the other hand, the arm motif symbolizes inner strength. In each battle Beowulf fights, he is victorious only after relying on the strength of arms. Through these motifs, Beowulf challenges the reader to question if material objects possess power. Or is it inner strength that generates power?
Initially, the sword motif appears almost too obvious in symbolizing courage and power. When Beowulf arrives in Denmark to aide the Danes in fighting the terrible monster, Grendel, he discovers several men determined to "stem that horror with a sweep of their swords" (217). In this instance, the sword symbolizes courage. The sword gives them a sense of power that boosts their willingness to feud with Grendel. The way the poet uses alliteration with the words "stem, sweep, and swords" illuminates this idea. Repeating the first letter in these one-syllable words gives the reader the impression that the soldiers will sweep through quickly with their swords. However, those determined soldiers return to bloody mead-halls marked with Grendel's damage. Thus, the sword fails to pierce Grendel's core, suggesting that a sword's power is fallible. This idea echoes through the battle between Grendel and Beowulf when the sword fails Beowulf and his followers: "All of Beowulf's band had jumped from their beds, ancestral swords raised and ready, determined to protect their prince if they could. Their courage was