Beowulf Quote Discussion
Megan Lai
English 10H
DiSalvo
17th September, 2014
HCTA: Beowulf
Theme: Wisdom is a more valuable weapon than physical strength.
Quote 1: And that night Grendel came again, so set / On murder that no crime could ever be enough, / No savage assault quench his lust / For evil. Then each warrior tried / To escape him, searched for rest in different / Beds, as far from Herot as they could find, / Seeing how Grendel hunted when they slept. / Distance was safety; the only survivors / Were those who fled him. Hate had triumphed. (Beowulf 49-58) The night after the day of Grendel’s first attack, some of Hrothgar’s warriors fled Herot’s halls. The wisest fled-knowing that if they sought refuge someplace away from Herot, Grendel would not be able to reach them and kill them. Using the metaphor “Distance was safety” (Beowulf 57), Hrothgar describes the correlation between survival and those who had the wisdom and foresight to flee Herot before the next nightfall. With Hrothgar declaring that “Hate had triumphed” (Beowulf 58), Hate is employed as a synonym for Grendel. Even though Grendel was one of the main antagonists throughout the story, he had his own version of wisdom-albeit not a good one. He was wise enough to know that if he repeatedly struck Herot by night, he would instill fear in the warriors inhabiting the mead hall. By utilizing the literary devices of metaphor and synonym, Grendel is characterized by Hrothgar as an evil entity and a force to be reckoned with. In this scenario, the wisdom to flee Herot proved to be a more valuable weapon than physical strength-as the only person who could defeat Grendel-who was Beowulf, was not yet introduced into the plot. Attempts to defeat him prior to Beowulf’s were proven to be fruitless.
Quote 2: That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, / Knew at once that nowhere on earth / Had he met a man whose hands were harder; / His mind was flooded with fear- but nothing / Could take his talons and
English 10H
DiSalvo
17th September, 2014
HCTA: Beowulf
Theme: Wisdom is a more valuable weapon than physical strength.
Quote 1: And that night Grendel came again, so set / On murder that no crime could ever be enough, / No savage assault quench his lust / For evil. Then each warrior tried / To escape him, searched for rest in different / Beds, as far from Herot as they could find, / Seeing how Grendel hunted when they slept. / Distance was safety; the only survivors / Were those who fled him. Hate had triumphed. (Beowulf 49-58) The night after the day of Grendel’s first attack, some of Hrothgar’s warriors fled Herot’s halls. The wisest fled-knowing that if they sought refuge someplace away from Herot, Grendel would not be able to reach them and kill them. Using the metaphor “Distance was safety” (Beowulf 57), Hrothgar describes the correlation between survival and those who had the wisdom and foresight to flee Herot before the next nightfall. With Hrothgar declaring that “Hate had triumphed” (Beowulf 58), Hate is employed as a synonym for Grendel. Even though Grendel was one of the main antagonists throughout the story, he had his own version of wisdom-albeit not a good one. He was wise enough to know that if he repeatedly struck Herot by night, he would instill fear in the warriors inhabiting the mead hall. By utilizing the literary devices of metaphor and synonym, Grendel is characterized by Hrothgar as an evil entity and a force to be reckoned with. In this scenario, the wisdom to flee Herot proved to be a more valuable weapon than physical strength-as the only person who could defeat Grendel-who was Beowulf, was not yet introduced into the plot. Attempts to defeat him prior to Beowulf’s were proven to be fruitless.
Quote 2: That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, / Knew at once that nowhere on earth / Had he met a man whose hands were harder; / His mind was flooded with fear- but nothing / Could take his talons and
Cited: Beowulf. Language of Literature: British Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston: McDougal Little, 2000. 33-60. Print.