...Inner evil is something that everyone struggles with. Are the things I do evil? Does what I do make me evil? Can evil be misread? All of those are questions asked but the answer has yet to be found. Just because someone doesn't give a homeless person money, are they evil? When a good person kills an un-innocent person, are they evil or did they do it for a good reason? These are just things that people struggles with on a daily basis. Can you recognise that good maybe evil, or will it remain evil is evil and good is good? In Beowulf, all across the land people were talking about a horrible beast who, at night, rises from the depths of hell to kill innocent men while they lay in slumber. In lines 19-22 Grendel is described as, “murderous creatures…”...
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...The Evil in the World (The three kinds of Evil in the story Beowulf) Have you ever felt the evil in the world? Have you ever been in a situation where you know it doesn’t feel right? The evil in the world can cause many things for people, such as fear, hurt, and most of all stress. Evil is evil, and that makes people, fear the world around them. In many different aspects there is evil all around us. When someone decides to start doing drugs, or binge drinking it is called evil. All of that stuff takes over your life, and it can change people’s perspective on life. In the story Beowulf, this hero is fighting three types of evil, they are all different but in some way they are all the same. The evil in the story is something...
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...In the Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf, by an unknown author, “wergild,"(man price) is used throughout the story to illustrate the battles and deaths that take place. Commonly in the story, after a death, a wergild is demanded by a family member or friend of someone who was killed. The man price is owed by the one who caused the death. Wergild is crucial part of the Beowulf, allowing the story to progress on with it’s victories and loses of the epic hero himself, Beowulf. One of the first wergilds in the story is owed after Edgetheo killed a member of the Wulfing tribe. He would have had to face retribution if he did not pay his wergild. Edgetheo had to give something that was valuable enough to compensate for the man’s death. However, he did...
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...Is Beowulf An Epic Hero? Beowulf, an epic hero came from Geats to the rescue of Hrothgar. The Mighty king of Danes whose kingdom was getting ruined by an evil monster, Grendel. Beowulf eventually defeats Grendel by cutting his head off. He shows his strength and brut by killing grendel with his bare hands. However, beowulf ends up meeting grendels mother. They fight in her underwater lair. Beowulf amazingly holds his breath for one whole day. Grendels mother was on a war path to seek revenge which ended for her by beowulf finding a sword giants once used and slays her. He stabs her in the neck. After beowulfs victory he returns home to Geats, 50 years pass. Beowulf finds himself in one last battle.There is an evil dragon that threatens to destroy the people Beowulf was sworn to protect. Beowulf fails at first.. He finds a lone servant , Wiglaf to help him battle the dragon. Wiglaf gets the dragon into the cave and kills it. Beowulf gets...
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...good and evil. He spends much of his years attempting to discover, and even fight his destiny. Grendel starts out the same as all humans, innocent and curious. He spent his childhood alone, his mother being the only creature that would keep him company. Grendel repeatedly tries to communicate with the humans, but consistently failed. As he becomes older and wiser, he starts to realize that he will not ever be able to get the Shieldings to see eye to eye with him. They will always see him as a disgusting, terrible monster. Eventually, Grendel is able to embrace this and fulfill his destiny as the Destroyer and Wrecker of Kings. At first, Grendel is a young, naïve creature, exploring the world around him just as young creatures do. He is not yet aware of his evil destiny; he is just lonely. Upon his first interaction with the Shieldings, Grendel is stuck in a tree, dying. The men discover him, and decide that he is hungry for pig. They are unsure if he is friendly or not: “‘Pig!’ I tried to yell. It scared them… the king snatched an ax from the man beside him and, without any warning, he hurled it at me” (113). The humans attacked until Grendel’s mother saved him, and Grendel came to a horrible realization ”The world resists me and I resist the world… That’s all there is…I exist, nothing else” (115). At this point, Grendel is starting to view the world very differently, and is discovering how the other creatures on Earth view him. He now understands how dangerous...
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...and His Greatest Enemy Beowulf is an epic poem created by the the ancient Anglo-Saxons of Britain. For a poem to be an epic, it has six requirements: long and narrative, involves a long journey for the hero, the hero must overcome obstacles, long prideful speeches, the poem takes place over a long period of time, and the hero reflects the culture from which he comes. The poem was recited as early as the sixth century when stories were passed along orally by scops who were traveling storytellers. Since stories were passed on orally, the authors of many Anglo-Saxon poems are unknown. Beowulf was passed on orally for centuries until the eleventh century, it was finally written down by scholars. Since then the story about the mighty Beowulf has become a polyglot epic poem translated by hundreds of people such as Burton Raffel who translated the poem into modern day English. The poem grew from past traditions such as the monsters, loyalty to the chief, and the decent to unknown regions of the earth were familiar element of Celtic and Scandinavian folk tales. By combining different traditions and later adding Christian ideas into one story, scops created a cultural reference point for Anglo-Saxons to learn from. Since there are various traditions blended into Beowulf, there are underlying themes such as heritage, pride, respect, gifting, good versus evil, strength, and customs. A major theme of the poem is pride. One can believe that the pride of Beowulf led him to his own downfall...
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...Epic Poem of Beowulf show the brutality and shear power of the great warrior Beowulf. The battles are individually significant but are also equally connected in many ways. The arrival of Beowulf from his home tribe of the Geats in the tribe of the Danes is due to a cry for help from the king of the Danes, Hrothgar. This great king has done everything in his power to defeat the beast named Grendel who ravages there mead hall at night. The second battle is between Beowulf and Grendel’s bloodthirsty mother who is out for revenge. The epic poem of Beowulf ends with the final battle between Beowulf and the Dragon who lives in the remains of a forgotten tribe. These battles will show the attributes of courage, sacrifice, leadership and honor displayed through Beowulf’s actions. The first battle takes place between a beast named Grendel and Beowulf in a quick but gruesome battle in the mead hall. The mead hall is the central meeting places of tribes during this time period. The mead hall that this battle takes place in, the mead hall of the tribe of the Danes, is the greatest mead hall of the time. Named Heorot, it was grander and more magnificent than any other. It is a sacred place to the tribe of the Danes, a place of celebration and sanctuary. Grendel made it a place of death and with the strength of killing 30 men, Grendel is a force of destruction. The king of the Danes, the Great King Hrothgar, has tried to defeat the beast but his forces were unsuccessful. Beowulf hears of Grendel...
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...Beowulf quiz master Pg. 36 - 71 Teacher document coordinated with Beowulf student document. Student document may be altered to fit teacher needs. 1. One reason that the Danes have such a difficult time fighting Grendel is that |a. |the Danes’ warriors are too old | |b. |Grendel hunts only when it is full dark | |c. |Grendel does not fight according to men’s rules | |d. |the warriors do not have enough gold for swords | ANS: C STA: AZ.AZGLA.RLA.R.03.12.2.2.PO1 | AZ.AZGLA.RLA.R.03.12.2.2.PO2 2. Which universal theme do lines 79–85 of this epic suggest? |a. |Mankind’s enemy will always continue his crimes by killing. | |b. |Evil is bloodthirsty, and it constantly tries to conquer kings. | |c. |The existence of evil and good occur simultaneously. | |d. |Evil is part of the darkness, but goodness exists in the light. | ANS: C 3. Why do the swords of Beowulf’s men fail to harm Grendel? |a. |The men...
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...great heroes from the early classic to medieval periods are Beowulf, Achilles, and Sir Gawain. The paper will look at the similarities and differences of literary heroes in order to discover how heroes changed over time. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are romantic heroes full of bravery, loyalty, humility, courage, and virtue. Beowulf and Sir Gawain were both involved in battles of great magnitude and admired for their super human strength. Both of them battle with the intent to bring honor to the King: Sir Gawain to honor King Arthur and Beowulf to honor Hrothgar. The battles they fight are against good and evil, “Grendel is a shepherd of evil” and the Green Knight represents pre- Christian tribal paganism. The custom of the time period was to keep their word and honor the one who helped them rise to knighthood. Beowulf kept his word as seen in the poem as he returns from the adventures and presents all his gifts to Hygelac as a sign of loyalty (line 2145). Sir Gawain keeps his word with Lord Bertilak, by agreeing to exchange their winnings at the end of each day (Sir Gawain 1105-1113). Beowulf and Sir Gawain differ as heroes in several ways. First, Sir Gawain is an Arthurian Hero and as such holds to a Christian faith while Beowulf holds to the pagan history of Britain. Sir Gawain draws strength from his devotion to Christ and the five social graces of generosity, brotherly love, chastity, courtesie, and piety. Beowulf believes in fate: “Fate...
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...struggle- that between good and evil. He spends much of his years attempting to discover, and even fight his destiny. Grendel starts out the same as all humans, innocent and curious. He spent his childhood alone, his mother being the only creature that would keep him company. Grendel repeatedly tries to communicate with the humans. As he becomes older and wiser, he starts to realize that he won’t ever be able to get the Scyldings to see eye to eye with him. They would always see him as a disgusting, terrible monster. Eventually, Grendel is able to embrace this and fulfill his destiny as the Destroyer and Wrecker of Kings. At first, Grendel is a young, naïve creature, exploring the world around him just as young things do. He is not yet aware of his evil destiny; he is just lonely. During his first interaction with the Scyldings, Grendel is stuck in a tree, dying. The men discover him, and decide that he is hungry for pig. They are unsure if he is friendly or not: “‘Pig!’ I tried to yell. It scared them… the king snatched an ax from the man beside him and, without any warning, he hurled it at me” (27). The humans attacked until Grendel’s mother saved him, and Grendel came to a horrible realization “‘The world resists me and I resist the world… That’s all there is…I exist, nothing else’” (28). At this point, Grendel is starting to view the world very differently, and is discovering how the other creatures on Earth view him. He now understands how dangerous the humans are, but has...
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...support from Macedonian Army and eliminated his enemies to become king and leader of the Corinthian League. Alexander the Great is a hero because, like Beowulf, he was brave enough to conquer many lands, founded many cities, and he was considered one of the best military leaders. Alexander was as Alexander III then later he got the title Alexander the Great. He was born in Pella, the capital of Macedonia. His father got assassinated in 336 BC and that caused Alexander to inherit a powerful yet uneasy kingdom. He ended up receiving the support of the Macedonian Army, and he took out his enemies to become the king/leader of the Corinthian League. Alexander had passed away at the age of 32, just 14 years after becoming the King. Beowulf comes from the...
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...shall we! As a professor at Oxford, Tolkien, while grading papers, one of the students left this phrase on a blank page of his answer book. "In a hole in the ground there lives a hobbit (Tolkien Society, 2002.)" Curiosity got the best of Tolkien as he set out to discover what a hobbit was. Answers to his discoveries were revealed in stories he told his children, stories he embellished and those stories manifested themselves into the book called the Hobbit and eventually The Lord of Rings. The Lord of the Rings stories were inspired by many myths but none more prevalent than the Germanic poem called Beowulf. Tolkien explained to his editors that "Beowulf is among my most valued sources (Colbert page 21). Many similarities exist between Beowulf and the Lord of the Rings. For example, the hellish Orcs in the LOTR come from orcneas. This word was also used for monsters in Beowulf (Colbert page 22). Another example is the setting. LOTR displays large mead halls, where "Tolkien expert Thomas Shippey notes, the Elf Legolas (one of my favorite characters, I might add) describes Meduseld (the...
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...Dominic Bowen Beowulf Archetype Hero essay Within the tale of “Beowulf” four character traits can be found which define the Anglo Saxon Hero. The first is loyalty, as demonstrated by the relationship between Lord and thane. According to page 23 of the “Beowulf” introduction, “a relationship based less on subordination of one man’s will to another than on mutual trust and respect.” The second and third characteristics are strength and courage. The importance of these specific traits to the Anglo-Saxon people is clearly presented during the reciting of Sigemund’s tale within Heorot. As the song states, “He was adventurer most famous, far and wide through the nations, for deed of courage – he had prospered from that before, the protector of warriors – after the war-making of Heremod had come to an end, his strength and his courage” (38). The final piece which comprises the Anglo-Saxon hero is the notion of fame. The only afterlife a warrior could ever aspire to have was immortality through fame. One again this is explained by the introduction to the story, “Beowulf’s chief reward is pagan immortality the memory in the minds of later generations of a hero’s heroic actions” (24-25). By understanding what defines a hero it is a simple matter to comprehend why Beowulf is considered by some to be the greatest of all. He posses unfaltering loyalty to his king and allies, and save for his final battle his thanes show the same devotion to him. His strength is unparalleled, as he is...
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...Within the tale of “Beowulf” four character traits can be found which define the Anglo Saxon Hero. The first is loyalty, as demonstrated by the relationship between Lord and thane. According to page 23 of the “Beowulf” introduction, “a relationship based less on subordination of one man’s will to another than on mutual trust and respect.” The second and third characteristics are strength and courage. The importance of these specific traits to the Anglo-Saxon people is clearly presented during the reciting of Sigemund’s tale within Heorot. As the song states, “He was adventurer most famous, far and wide through the nations, for deed of courage – he had prospered from that before, the protector of warriors – after the war-making of Heremod had come to an end, his strength and his courage” (38). The final piece which comprises the Anglo-Saxon hero is the notion of fame. The only after life a warrior could ever aspire to have was immortality through fame. One again this is explained by the introduction to the story, “Beowulf’s chief reward is pagan immortality the memory in the minds of later generations of a hero’s heroic actions” (24-25). By understanding what defines a hero it is a simple matter to comprehend why Beowulf is considered by some to be the greatest of all. He posses unfaltering loyalty to his king and allies, and save for his final battle his thanes show the same devotion to him. His strength is unparalleled, as he is able to defeat each of his opponents and perform...
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...have always had an educative role. In the literary works of fiction, authors use diverse images and symbols in order to trigger a particular reaction from the audience. Some authors, however, use traditional images in new contexts challenging the audience's perception of those iconic characters. Authors often argue that characters can have different meanings and symbolism in different cultures and different times. The best example of these new meanings is seen through the writing about iconic monsters in different time periods. From the analysis’ of Beowulf and Grendel: The Truth Behind England’s Oldest Legend by John Grigsby and Grendel by John Gardner, the character of Grendel in both books is the symbolic meaning of how society is afraid of the unknown. When people are confronted with an unfamiliar circumstance, it is human nature to twist the unknown into something frightening and unacceptable....
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