...Beowulf’s Heroic Pride Pride is “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievement, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.” In Beowulf, his excessive pride causes him to go into risky situations, and ultimately is the reason for his death. In biblical history, pride was what led to Satan’s corruption and banishment from heaven. Satan thought he could rival God and then to his demise realized too late that he could not. As a result, the future of humanity learned to sin, and since then, pride is thought of as the deadliest sin because of the effect on humans. A man’s pride will rise when he becomes successful. Although he has major accomplishments, and almost always backs up his pride with actions,...
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...In Tolkien’s book The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Isildur committed the sin of ofermod, or excessive pride. Instead of casting the ring into Orodruin’s fire (which is place the ring originated from) to destroy the ring, he kept the ring for himself as compensation (“man-price”) because he lost his family in the battle. He disregarded any council he received about destroying ring and the power it contained. Since Isildur did not heed any of the warnings, his pride eventually caused his demise, but that is not the only consequence it caused. By keeping the ring, Isildur put the whole Middle Kingdom in grave danger. Now, it is up to the group of travelers (Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, and Aragorn) to destroy the ring and clean up the mess Isildur created because he kept the ring as a “treasure”....
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...Throughout the story of Beowulf, external battles like the one of Beowulf versus Grendel, not only reflects a sense courage and pride, but also reflects the internal battle of human tendencies Beowulf struggles with throughout the poem. The internal battle between Beowulf and himself reflects every other human being, showing that everyone can be like Beowulf in the way that he is courageous and proud, while some people possess the tendencies of Grendel such as, betrayal, cowardice, and fear. In the beginning, Beowulf’s sole purpose was to gain glory and pride within the Anglo-Saxon community. In order to maintain his glory, Beowulf travels to Herot to destroy Grendel. There are significant differences between Grendel and Beowulf. Beowulf represents courage, strength, and pride. As an Anglo-Saxon warrior, battling during day and with warning is everything a fighter needs to be; whereas Grendel comes at night, and without warning in order to kill the men. As Grendel approaches the Herot Hall once again, in lines 368-371 “All of Beowulf’s band had jumped from their beds, ancestral swords raised and ready, determined to protect their prince if they could…” The purpose of this line was to prove that Anglo-Saxon men are not “wimps” and instead stand up for their Lord and are willing to lose their lives for him. Also, it yet again points out the differences between Beowulf and Grendel. Just as Grendel sees Beowulf, “Grendel’s one though was to run from Beowulf, flee back to his marsh...
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...Pride, Beowulf's Most Cherished Possession 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...
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...unsuccessful downfall in his life. Beowulf was not able to put his internal struggles to an end. Instead, these struggles brought him to his inglorious end. Greed is one of the unpropitious qualities that Beowulf possessed and battled internally throughout the course of his life.Beowulf avarice for fame is the principal factor that drove him from Geatland to Daneland in a time when no one,not even the Danes’ great lord, was able to defeat a terrifying fiend named Grendel. When he met with Hrothgar, Beowulf even stated that his lord Higlac might think less of him if he was afraid to fight the monster and “hid behind some broad linden shield“.Beowulf’s greed for gaining glory instigated Beowulf to go on a second battle with Grendel’s mother.Hrothgar said that after Beowulf defeats Grendel’s mother, he will be rewarded with “heaped-up ancient treasure” for the battle he wins.Without giving a second thought, Beowulf agreed that he will fight .The same greed also provoked him to fight the horrendous dragon. He did not want to lose his fame and for this reason, he knew he had to go in a battle with the dragon in order to maintain his glory as a king. Pride was another detrimental quality Beowulf struggled with that predominated different periods in his life.Beowulf’s overconfidence was first evident in an event that Unferth,Hrothgar’s courtier, recalls. After Beowulf enters Herot Hall and flaunts about his great achievements, Unferth referred to Beowulf as “the same boastful fool...
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...Essay 1 In the story Beowulf, He was A hero of the geats who came to help Hrothgar, king of Danes and his people from being attacked by an evil monster named Grendel, and his conniving mother. Beowulf slays both of the monsters with ease. Throughout the story, Beowulf displays many attributes of a hero. One quality that Beowulf possesses is unnatural strength. For example, the texts says “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder.” (273). Beowulf had pulled off the arm of Grendel with his bare hands, and sent him off running for his life, and in the Beowulf movie he rips out the heart of the dragon with his bare hands. This shows that Beowulf...
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...In the epic poem, Beowulf external conflicts are easy to recognize as they are Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. As his human tendencies they are pride, greed, and betrayal. He essentially fails to show his internal conflicts as he thinks his power was given to him by god. By him being able to face his external conflicts, he’s able to realize his internal conflicts. To begin with, Beowulf is a brave soldier that is not afraid of anything. He comes across a situation that is being taking place in the Danes. A tremendous monster terrorizing the Danes for twelve years has got his attention. Beowulf’s arrival in the Dane’s is celebrated and greeted by King Hrothgar. At the mead-hall, Beowulf talks about how he will defeat Grendel head-on...
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...once said “Beowulf is the story of a dual ordeal: an external battle with vicious opponents and an internal battle with human tendencies of pride, greed, cowardice, betrayal, and self- concern”. This quote means that along with apparent physical conflicts between demons and foes, Beowulf also faces conflicts within himself with his character traits. This quote is very accurate because Beowulf confronts physical opposition with Grendel, Grendel's mother and the dragon but, also he faces internal battles with pride, greed, cowardice, betrayal, and self- concern with his self image and men he relied on. There are many external battles throughout this epic where Beowulf fends off an enemy. Beowulf is first faced with Grendel, a horrible monster terrorizing Herot. He battles and kills Grendel for King Hrothgar. After Grendel's death, Beowulf is faced with another external struggle with Grendel's mother whom he also defeats. Then after this battle he is King of Geatland for 50 years where he is eventually faced with another challenge with the dragon. Lastly he defeats the external conflict of the dragon by killing it, his men were though and did not follow their leader into the battle leaving Beowulf more unlikely to succeed. In the end he loses his life in the struggle. All of these conflicts further prove how part of the dual ordeal of Beowulf is external conflicts between Beowulf and an anti- hero or his trusted men. Conflicts also aroused internally between Beowulf and himself...
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...Beowulf Part 1 * Grendel is introduced -murderous;evil;fiend;demon -In pain -Compared to the Devil * Why is Grendel evil? * He is a monster * Descendant form Cain * Grendel wants to feel loved by a higher power but cannot because Cains curse is on him -Grendel kills because of his misery and misery always enjoys company THEME: Light Vs. Darkness Hrothgar= Light Grendel= Darkness(Evil) * We see that Hrothgars men are happy and loyal Part 2 * Grendel slaughters 30 men in their sleep; he is ruthless * Grendel continues to kill for the next 12 winters * Hrothgar cannot be touched by Grendel -The Kings’ thrown is divine therefore Grendel will not touch it; it’s a boundary * Hrothgar does not care about his men * Hrothgar is selfish and a coward * He will not ask for help because of his pride * Men that volunteer to fight Grendel are doing it only for the glory Part 3 * Beowulf is introduced as an epic hero * Hrothgar did not seek help because of his pride; he is too proud * Characteristics that prove Beowulf is an epic hero: -loved by the Geats -going on a quest -mightiest men -strong -bitter and fresh -risking death Part 4 * Wulfgar request that Beowulf remove all weapons before entering onto the premises; he wants to leave these men defenseless to keep Hrothgar’ safe; Anglo Saxon Code of Conduct * Beowulf is not a fool so some men drop their weapons to follow him into Herot while the...
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...Beowulf vs. Achilles “They were combat causalities, brave men and women who risked their lives to safeguard our freedom. And they paid for our liberty with their lives” (Cannon). So many people die for the freedoms that the American person values. As society grows and becomes different the true heroes are becoming less recognized. What modern day people would say about today's heroes would be far from the brave, and courageous war soldiers. A very long time ago, there were two brave and courageous warriors, Beowulf of Denmark and Achilles of Greece. These two individuals reached the highest expectations and excelled at successfully leading their people in battle. Both amazing leaders and determined fighters, but they came from different backgrounds,...
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...Something worth fighting for: (Motivations of Beowulf in the epic poem, Beowulf) Heroes fight for something. From classic literature to new releases in the cinema, conflict is explained, and the protagonist fights for something. It can be for personal honor, a duty, or even to protect a girl or his family. Sometimes the motivation of the hero aren’t so honorable. Pride, revenge, and other things can drive a character to fight. Regardless, motivation exists for a conflict in any story. From a psychological aspect, one could argue that there isn’t a single motivation for any action. The beauty of literature and art, however, is the clarification of elements such as motive, where they are often boiled down to one or two prime influences on action....
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...Gilgamesh vs Beowulf: Joseph Campbell once said, "When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness." Gilgamesh and Beowulf have a great power to release their strengths when needed. Therefore both Gilgamesh and Beowulf are examples of an epic hero due to battles they fight within themselves and seeking accomplishments in life; however, Beowulf is a better example because he is selfless. Gilgamesh has had many battles to make him think he is the best. A major battle Gilgamesh has had was against himself. Gilgamesh hid his battle so abundantly that not a single person realized his toughest battle. That battle was him not believing he is mortal, “Only Gods are immortal anyway” (58.2). These two heroes have fought tremendous battles, but nobody sees their biggest battle that they have because it is within themselves; even though, Beowulf too had many battles in his life, but his battle made him the best. Beowulf had a major battle within himself as well as Gilgamesh did. Beowulf’s battle was to prove that he was great, he was doubted by Unferth. Unferth told Beowulf “You’ve been lucky in your battles, Beowulf, but I think your luck may change if you challenge Grendel” (27.258-259). With Unferth doubting him, Beowulf knew that this is the time to prove that he is worthy enough by helping the Danes out. Beowulf responds greatly by saying “I fought that beast’s last battle, left...
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...Beowulf is actually one of my favorite poems. He exercises strength, skills and some help from the Gods and Goddesses to prevail a number of events of deadly and evil adversaries. Beowulf‘s righteousness, bravery and fearlessness in combat distinguishes him as a great epic hero. By Beowulf battling with his antagonist, he deliberately positions the field of battle and supplied Grendel with an honest shot of triumphing. Being relentless and bold is a challenging task to be burdened with. Bravery is indispensible to any hero, whether it is an epic hero or modern day hero. Beowulf is able to establish no shortage of this; this is seemingly apparent with the fighting of him and Grendel with no weapon is one of many occurrences to show his bravery. This is where the similarities and comparison of the heroes of the Iliad’s and Aeneid comes in, they all share the same characteristics of being courageous and brave. His bravery and heroism is demonstrated in this quote, “Indifferent to death, does death not lie and the root of all fear? Do we not shrink from darkness, from poison, from gunfire, because we fear death.” Beowulf goes into battle fearlessness, with the utmost self assurance in him. An important aspect of every epic hero is the competence to overcome and carry on, bravery, courageousness, self-sacrificing, relentless and boldness in war or battle. These are the bona fide qualities that a hero must maintain. The story of Beowulf is a great one indeed. Beowulf, like other epic...
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...Epic Hero An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Beowulf is an epic hero who has an extraordinary amount of great strength. His character in the epic poem shows all of the characteristics that he needs to be an epic hero. The main characteristics of Beowulf are his personality, his great strength and his heroic code. The personality trait that Beowulf contributes to being an epic hero is his humility. This supports him being an epic hero because it shows his humbleness when it comes to how great other people thought he was. He didn't take pride in being the strong and noble person he was. For instance, when Beowulf goes to battle with Grendel, he says he will win if it is God’s will. Here, Beowulf shows how he is not overconfident about himself and he shows how he is trusting in what ever happens, if he wins or loses, that that will be the right thing to happen. Another example of his humbleness and modesty is when Beowulf goes to Herot and approaches the king, Hrothgar, with deep respect. This shows how Beowulf does not have pride in himself. Something an epic hero wouldn't have either. The second characteristic that Beowulf proves to have to be an epic hero is his physical strength. In lines 380-384, it shows how much actual strength Beowulf possesses. Another example would be when he goes into battle with Grendel’s mother. Here, he proves his extraordinary strength when he decides to throw...
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...Beowulf dates back to the 8th and early 11th century, being the oldest surviving epic poem in Angelo-Saxton literature. The existence of this poem has made a big impression for quite some time now. In the poem Beowulf showed qualities of heroism, pride, strength and boastfulness, when fighting the monsters and running his great kingdom of the Danes. Did Beowulf have the characteristics and qualities of a true epic hero? Beowulfs character traits did in fact represent what a true epic hero really is. One Beowulf’s qualities he did best were brag, he would brag to people about great accomplishments he made on his scary and dangerous journeys. People of his time thought that bragging was a trait that showed his true heroism. Beowulf would boast to Unferth about his great swimming competition with Breca, where they swam out to see and stayed there for five nights. He would brag about the nine, one-eyed, sea monsters that he slayed. When Beowulf killed Grendal and his mother he would boast to king Hygelac and the people of the Danes about how he did it and how challenging it was. When Beowulf was king he would brag about how no other kingdom or man would ever try and kill him or fight him. It was normal in Anglo- Saxton time for great hero’s to brag about their accomplishments, it showed a great amount of pride and success. Beowulf showed no sign of fear even when he was about to do something that was extremely dangerous. Beowulf was always the bravest man since he thought that...
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