What is a hero? Who are the heroes in Beowulf??? Well according to the oxford dictionary a hero can have
several definitions. It is ”a person, typically a man, who is admired for their
courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities and/or the chief male
character in a book, play, or film, who is typically identified with good
qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize.”
Although Beowulf
was more than likely written before this definition came out, it really describes
Beowulf. HE is the main character who is admired and known far and wide for his
achievements, bravery, and strength. Beowulf’s first achievement in the epic
poem is his defeat of Grendel. He rips off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands. “Sinews
split and the bone-lappings burst…Grendel was driven under the fen-banks,
fatally hurt, to his desolate lair. His days were numbered.” ll 816-820. This
heroic man then had to defeat Grendel’s mother, which was not as easy a task as
it was Grendel. Beowulf’s last and final task was defeating the dragon. He has
saved his land from a dragon, which was destroying buildings and setting things
on fire. Is Beowulf a hero for killing all of these monsters????
Grendel is a descendent of Cain. Cain was punished by God
for killing his brother. Grendel does kill men every night from Heorot Hall, is
this what makes him evil? One way to look at Grendel is to see him as a three
year old who is throwing a temper tantrum. He first starts to attack Hrothgar
Hall because it is built and made way too much noise for his liking. The reader
does not know exactly what Grendel is or how old his kind can live up to. The
poem states, “Spurned and joyless, he journeyed on ahead and arrived at the bawn.
The iron-braced door turned on its hinge when his hands touched it. Then his
rage boiled over, he ripped open the mouth of the building, maddening for blood”
ll 720-724. Grendel sounds like someone who is mad and holding a grudge. He is
an outcast, who probably just wants someone to understand him. He had to have
been eating something before Heorot Hall was built. Has anyone tried to talk to
Grendel???
Grendel’s mother is also seen as a monster in the poem.
Is she really? Or is she just doing what any other mother would do??? Beowulf
does state that it is better to seek vengeance than to give into mourning. What
mother wouldn’t want to fight for her child? Grendel’s mother only kills ONE
person. A life for a life. That is all. Is that not fair in their day? I think
so. Beowulf has to GO to her lair and seek her out and kill her.
Towards the end of the poem, Beowulf defeats the dragon.
The dragon is upset because a man stole a chalice from in front of his sleeping
face. It is not the fact that the dragon has a huge treasure, it is the
principal. People have destroyed dragons and chased them to live in caves and
such. The dragon kept to himself for a long time and did not bother anyone.
Until some random person comes into his “house” and steals. Who wouldn’t be
mad? I would. The dragon did not even kill anyone. He only set things on fire.
He is not a murderer like Grendel and his mother. In this situation, I feel
horrible for the fate of the dragon. However, he is seen like a monster and
Beowulf is seen as the “hero.”
While there is no doubt that Beowulf us a "hero" by definition, who sees Beowulf as an ideal hero in their own mind? Is Beowulf a hero to be "admired" or looked up to? Beowulf is seen as a hero to the common man, and is never described as a good king. This allows for the tale of Beowulf to be relatable to the common man. Beowulf is made to be a great hero, but his physical characteristics aren't a focus, which adds to the ability for any man to place himself in Beowulf's shoes. He is an archetype for a hero of Nordic times. Thus, Grendel could only be described as Beowulf's opposite as well as the villain of the story. Grendel is supposed to represent an ideal evil, and the dipliction of his mother only adds insult to him as an ideal villain. The dragon, on the other hand is not human in nature, and this is then a description of man vs nature. It is human nature to not feel as bad for the dragon, because he is not human, and thus perhaps doesn't understand human culture the way humans (Such as Grendel) should.
ReplyDeleteBeowulf is known for doing what pretty much any hero would do. Simply put, he defeats monsters, defends his people, and saves the day. Beowulf, as the definition used above stated, accomplishes outstanding achievements, is admired for his courage, and is clearly the main character of this epic poem. While, Beowulf may be driven by more than just his wish to keep the Danes safe from Grendel, he does do what no one else was able to do (which is to kill Grendel), therefore no matter his reason for helping the Danes he does earn the title of "hero."
ReplyDeleteAs for the monsters of the epic, Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the Dragon are not completely to blame for the damage that they caused, at least not until understanding their reasons for doing so. Grendel was an outcast because he was different and on top of that he had to live in a swamp, I think that is enough to make anyone upset. While that does not justify his actions, it at least allows for some sympathy. Grendel's mother is mourning over the death of her son and her only companion. Without Grendel, his mother has basically nothing, except for her own life, which Beowulf takes away from her after she seeks vengeance on Herot Hall. The dragon probably deserves the least amount of sympathy. The dragon had a ton of gold to begin with so when one person took one golden goblet the dragon should have punished the thief and the thief alone, instead of setting the homes of people who never wronged him on fire. I think out of everything that his what made him a monster and not a misunderstood creature.