addition‚ some of their heroic acts border on their own selfish interests which leads to their downfall. Beowulf‚ on the other hand‚ comes across as a man of the people. His most famous heroic act is aimed at saving the common people from the beast‚ Grendel‚ who has wreaked havoc on them for a long time. Although he also seeks a reputation for himself‚ this is nevertheless not his main motivation for his heroic acts. An ideal hero is one who places his own life and reputation on the line for the sake
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true. Most logical paradoxes are known to be invalid arguments but are still valuable in promoting critical thinking. Wikipedia The major contrasting force in Beowulf is between light and dark it sets the tone in the entire book. The monster Grendel strikes at night taking the lives of the innocent and joyful. He physically embodies evil. When the sun goes down and the darkness fades in the people become terrified that they would be the next in the bloody assault that happens every night. "Darkness
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Since all that he does is protect and serve his people‚ Beowulf’s dedication to his community overshadows Unferth’s graces because Unferth lacks the substantial morals to be called a man. Although the independence of a man is a trait that is exemplified in all that Beowulf does in the epic‚ he also shows that the security and well-being of his people are of utmost importance to him. He does all he can in order to make sure his people are not going to be affected by any outside influence. For example
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In Beowulf‚ kings‚ heroes are pursuing to establish their reputations. Beowulf desires the personal glory‚ that is the main reason why he would like to go to Denmark to kill Grendel and its mother. Before the battle‚ Hrothgar said: “Never since I took up targe and sword have I at any instance to any man beside‚ thus handed over Heorot‚ as I here do to you.” (26) And after Beowulf won the battle‚ Hrothgar said to Beowulf that
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In both works‚ the authors of Beowulf and Tolkien also assigned their society’s negative traits to their stories’ villains. In Beowulf‚ Grendel was swamp-dwelling son of Cain‚ the exiled killer of Abel and father to all evil spirits (102 – 110). Grendel’s swampy home is easily accessible to the Anglo-Saxon audience as dark and dangerous. On top of this‚ Grendel’s home exists on the outside edges of King Heorot’s lands: not central but still inside (103). This location represents the marginalities
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Beowulf embodies his role as a hero seamlessly. At the opening of the poem you see Grendel wreaking havoc upon the Danes by killing those who choose to stay in Herot. Eventually Beowulf gets wind of the information and heads off to the monster. Upon his arrival he tells Hrothgar‚ king of the Geats‚ that he is there to rid them of this evil and will not take no for an answer. Beowulf goes on to defeat Grendel leaving Grendel’s furious mother to deal with. Even though Beowulf no longer has the need
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adventure‚ Beowulf travels to the Danes. There is a monster named Grendel and one night‚ he slaughtered thirty men. Since then‚ he has continuously caused problems for twelve years. People have tried to fight him and stop the evil creature from killing or causing more destruction but many have died trying. This
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motive of primitive thinking is to be scared of ravaging and dangerous animals that can possibly take your life. With this in mind‚ Grendel and his mother are said to “dwell apart among wolves on the hills” (95; 1357-1359). Grendel’s figure causes uncertainty among the people of Heorot because they are unsure if he is inhuman or not. Beowulf has to show that Grendel can be conquered after causing so much chaos in their home
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Although Beowulf is under no obligation to do so‚ he demonstrates his loyalty to Hrothgar by willingly fighting to the death in order to defend the Danes against the evil monster Grendel. Winning victoriously‚ Beowulf proudly displays Grendel’s shoulder and arm by hanging it from Heorot’s rafters for everyone to see. This trophy with "Every nail‚ claw-scale and spur‚ every spike and welt... like barbed steel‚" (lines 983-986) symbolizes the evil that has threatened the harmony of Hrothgar’s retainers
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fulfills his obligations to the warrior’s heroic code and then transcends into a King who loyally protects his Kingdom. Beowulf’s transformation is shown through a progression of three increasingly more difficult conflicts he must overcome- first with Grendel‚ then Grendel’s mother and finally against the mighty dragon. These three events are seen "as the three agons in the hero ’s life"(Chickering 64). Through these adverse events Beowulf will change from brave young warrior to noble King. This paper
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