The Importance of Patriarchy in Beowulf

Beowulf is set in a time of male-dominance where the patriarchy controls all choices. The opening of This Epic is a family tree of Hrothgar's male lineage and how each man is strong and a good leader based on his father's characteristics. This already sets into the readers mind that anyone of this lineage will be a great warrior and leader. Thus, Beowulf's characteristics do not need to be explained in detail further deeper in the story, as the reader knows to expect a fearless warrior based on the description of his Father. All characters also know each other in relation to who their father is. The ancestors are important as a bond between the characters, as Beowulf would not have gone to Hrothgar's aid if it wasn't for the debt that Beowulf owes through his father.


Beowulf's strong ties to his lineage is also shown in the fact that he dies without any heirs. While Beowulf's death was a sacrifice to his people, the real pain comes from the fact that he cannot continue on the lineage of his family, and thus ending the heroic line. Because of Beowulf's strong ties to lineage, he is fully comfortable in his identity. He can be confidant in his abilities, as he tries to do as well as his fathers did before him. He grew up in a family that expected him to do great tasks with ease, and Beowulf always complies.


Beowulf is contrasted in Grendel, who descends from Cain. This creates a large gap between the two, as Beowulf was born from nobility and a heroic line, but Grendel comes from the biblical figure that not only murders, but murders in his own lineage. This creates a gap between the two, as Beowulf would see such a strong connection to his family, and loyalty for them, while Grendel is a demon set solely on destruction, even if it falls on his own brother.


Beowulf can be compared to Shield Sheafson, who was an orphan. Beowulf's own father died when he was young, and both characters thus had to become "men" from a very young age and were able to step up to the challenge, becoming great men later in life. Sheafson, however, represents the start to a great line, being an orphan he continued his family to greatness, while Beowulf is on the other end of the spectrum, ending a great lineage when he dies without an heir.

Superheroes and Disguised Villains in the Slaughterhouse

  

  When I started to read Beowulf  I was determined to NOT think about the guiding questions with which we were provided.  However, the question about superheroes stuck in my mind as I
read.  Why do we really enjoy superheroes? Why do we idolize them? Is a superhero automatically a good leader because he or she is a superhero? What is a superhero? At first meeting, Beowulf would not be my kind of superhero. Sure, many heroes are entitled to a certain amount of pompousness, but Beowulf lays it on thick. My first reaction is to automatically dislike him.  But is that the point? There must be a reason for his over-confidence. I think of my favorite superheroes.  Superman.  Batman.  Spiderman.  Iron Man.  The last one is the only “confident” superhero that comes to mind.  Most are humble, lay low.  Iron Man is much like Beowulf: throwing boasts around and such.  What is it about Beowulf (but not Iron Man) that irks me so?
            First of all, the only reason Beowulf comes to help the Danes is to satisfy his manly ego.  He comes to their aid, not to help an ally, but to prove he is superhuman.  It’s almost as though he thinks he is divine.   In one of the many “boasts” he makes he says, “Now I mean to be a match for Grendel, / settle the outcome in single combat” (425-426).  He’s surrounded by a bunch of wimps who throw around insults, really.  Of course he looks like God.  The king builds a magnificent mead-hall simply to get drunk and wallow in his misfortunes.  What I want to know is if Hrothgar has any better ideas than to send off his men to get mangled by Grendel.  Instead, he sits on his throne and cries about the mutilation of his kingdom.  And they STILL sing him praises.  When Beowulf defeats Grendel, the poem even says, “Yet there was no laying of blame on their lord, / the noble Hrothgar; he was a good king” (861-862).  WHY????  Does the status of the nobility really mean that a king is held in high regard no matter what? Even if he drinks and cries while his people are slaughtered.  Of course Beowulf is held in high regard. His statistics are impressive, I will admit.  But what do the Danes have as an example? A king who admits his brother would’ve made the better king. Is Grendel really the demon? Or is Hrothgar the one who belongs in hell for not defending his people?

When This Blog First At Heaven's Command Arose From Out The Ultramarine Internet

I think it is important to consider the attitudes of the people in the poem as well as their motivations. The characters regard God's will with the upmost regard and respect. On page 31, Beowulf claims, "Fate goes ever as fate must." Like many people in the poem, he believes that whatever happens is by God's will and he does not feel that mistakes are made. On page 27, the Hrothgar says that "His goodness guided him here to the West-Danes, to defend us from Gremdel. Hrothgar strikes me as a weak leader because he doesn't defend his people and wants around for a "miracle" to happen. His people endure ten years of massacre and sacrifice until Beowulf shows up, which shows me that if he hadn't, they'd still be suffering. He hides behind his title and doesn't really do anything about it. As a king, I think he should have offered to fight Grendel and protect his people, but instead he relies on a warrior from Geats to fight his battle. I suppose he feel this battle is out of his hands, and the outcome is beyond his being.

Beowulf is pretty confident in himself because he says on page 31 that he will not fight with weapons because Grndel doesn't use any. I think this move also reflects his belief in divine power because he feels that God will provide him a shield from this treacherous monster. The point I am getting at is that faith especially blind faith is important in this text. Hrothgar's people suffer because they know the pain in temporary. I can testify that faith is a great pacifier to hold close during dark times, and this is what the characters in the poem depend on.

I think this story shows that faith is deeply intertwined with the thought of heroism. People blindly put their lives in the hands of heroes to save them. People need something to believe in because it gives them security and something to look forward to. Without the reassurance that we'll be saved, life is a big scary place that I don't think many of us would like to experience alone. We must have faith to life and whether we believe in God or not, I think it helps to believe in something or someone because it eases the heart. This is the story about the hero Beowulf which occurred because he had faith that he could beat Grendel, which sent him across the sea for battle. 

Start of Term with Beowulf, Hrothgar, Scary Men with Harps, and Cats

I kind of wanted to start off talking about the clips that Dr. MB posted for us to watch/listen to. I love the reading that Seamus Heaney did. He just has a really comforting reading voice; it's nice to listen to. The fact that the reading is also in Modern English doesn't hurt either. The second reading, the one is Old English that is then explained in Modern English is very helpful for starting to get the idea of how it was meant to sound in the original. The explanation was also helpful to understand the meaning of certain words. Then there was the video of the performance, with the man and whatever the heck that instrument was?  That was kind of scary. The subtitles helped at least a bit with context but man was I confused for a bit. I really did enjoy the music on that harp thing? What’s that actually called? The facial expressions were what actually killed me. It was hard to take him too seriously. I’m actually impressed he did it without breaking out into fits of laughter.

Moving on from that, the rest of this blog post may be somewhat disjointed and hodge-podge-y and I’m sorry for that. I think “whale-road” is probably my new favourite way to say ocean or sea. How cool is that? Whale-road. It’s not inaccurate I just wonder why whales get the honour and not sharks or fish or eels. Is it because whales were the biggest thing seen in the ocean and all these guys in the story were on mad power-trips? 

Tangent aside, I do like the idea of the leading questions. For starters, what makes a good leader? In my opinion, and I think also in this time, a good leader protects his/her people (but for the sake of this antiquated, sexist because it has no other options story, let’s just stick with male pronouns for rulers/leaders/warriors/etc.). I’m sure there are many other factors that make a good leader but I think the focus should always been on the people. If you don’t keep them safe then you have no one to rule. So what’s the point? Hrothgar (in my opinion) failed quite impressively as a ruler. He may have done some fairly decent stuff in his younger years but he just gave up. Even the most basic of issues, he knows his hall gets attacked every night and still he lets men sleep there, naked and unarmed, while he goes off to the safety of his own chambers with his wife. He doesn’t even have the decency to warn the guys that they’ll 100% for-sure get slaughtered if they stay there. But hey, whatever, I’m sure Grendel loves the treat.

So I’m sorry for the rambling, disjointed, slightly strange blog post, and for the ensuing cat photo that’s not related to what I wrote in the slightest but is related to Beowulf. Or really rather Grendel. 

Pro-Grendel!

Now that I've gotten that out of the way...

This is roughly the third time or so that I've read Beowulf, or at least parts of it. This being said, I've always found Beowulf to be a very strong and admirable tragic hero. This time however, just reading the first section makes me feel differently. His overly-pompous character aligns perfectly with "Rule Brittania."

As acknowledged, he approaches without any warning and immediately begins to promote himself and how "awesome" he is and his accomplishments are. Awesome appears more than once. Additionally, as soon as Unferth claims that "sheer vanity" (509) drove Beowulf's swimming triumph, Beowulf becomes extremely defensive and continues on to not only boast about what "really happened," but to tear apart Unferth in cold-blooded detail which makes Beowulf extremely unattractive and not in any way admirable. He even goes to claim that Unferth will "suffer damnation in the depths of Hell" (589.)

As for Grendel, I'm very pro-Grendel. The text uses words such as "banished" (105) and "outcasts" (107) which infer that Grendel once possessed the land on which the mead-hall now occupies. More than likely, he is simply grumpy with the fact that his home has been taken over and turned into a folly drunken wonderland for the Danes. This makes Grendel's terror situational rather than "malignant by nature" (137.)

Now I come to acknowledge a possible tragic flaw for Beowulf: reliance on physical ability. His strength is clear and his awareness of it even more so, as seen by his willingness to battle Grendel with his hands alone. Because of this, he relies on his strength to solve problems while overlooking the need to seek out underlying issues. Beowulf claims that without him, Hrothgar will "live with grief for as long as his hall/ stands at the horizon, on its high ground" (283-285.) Ironically, Beowulf is unintentionally but exactly right. If the mead-hall were not to be standing there on Grendel's homeland, it is likely that all would be well in the world of the Danes.

On a fun little side-note!

Line 481 claims that "seasoned fighters got flushed with beer" and THEN they discovered this new found confidence to take on the beast and protect Heorot! Sounds like an early warning of the effects of alcohol on judgement if you ask me.

Beowulf, the Epic Slayer of Many (namely 3) Monsters

Contrary to popular belief that not even the bravest hero and strongest fighter can win every battle, eventually death does claim all. In the epic poem “Beowulf,” the main character Beowulf (you can tell he’s an important character because he shares the same name as the epic) somehow survives and eventually wins every battle he fights. Even when he fights the dragon in the end of the epic he still manages to defeat the dragon before he dies (189).

Beowulf is clearly the stereotypical “perfect” hero. He fights bravely, rises through the ranks, and even becomes king, before dying after defeating his final adversary. Before he is claimed by death Beowulf wins nearly every battle he fights. I suppose it would not be much of a story if Grendel were to murder Beowulf the first time they meet, though it would make for an interesting plot twist.

While reading “Beowulf” I kept going back to one particular quote, which I believe really sums up the epic as a whole.

            “do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge

in mourning. For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for

our end. Let whoever can win glory before death.”

-Beowulf, Son of Ecgtheow

ll. 1384-1388 (97)

This quote reminds Beowulf and his companions of the reality of death and its inevitability. The quote foreshadows Beowulf’s impending death in battle as well as his character traits of strength and bravery.

Beowulf is almost brave to a fault which is another reason why he fits the model of the “perfect” hero. Even the most perfect hero has a character trait or is put in a situation that brings out what seems to be the hero’s only weakness. For Beowulf that weakness is hubris or excessive pride. Beowulf’s excessive pride ultimately leads to his death. Because of Beowulf’s old age he rightly should have stayed out of the fight or at least stayed toward the back of the fight instead of taking the dragon head on (173). However, due to Beowulf’s pride he refuses to give up. He keeps fighting and goes after the dragon. His prideful need to defeat every monster he can causes his death. As a warrior Beowulf just does not know when to give up. It is a combination of his hubris and his hero’s complex that ultimately cause his demise.

Here is a Beowulf related cat picture:

                                        

Grendel's Mother a "Monster"... by who's standards?

            In both Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf and the original Old English text, one thing is clear: the author’s focus on the different character’s motivation. In the instance of Grendel’s mother and Beowulf, the motivation is not only compelling but also quite parallel and ironic. The poem quickly allows you to understand Beowulf, and the type of person that he is, his extensive history as a noble warrior, and his rumored ability to hold “the strength of thirty in his grip of each hand” (27). In the instance of Grendel’s mother, though, the same notable picture is not painted. Referred to as a “monstrous hell-bride, brooded on her wrongs”, Grendel’s mother is not even given a formal name but is instead “branded (as) an outlaw” (89). Two characters which seem to be far from comparable fight for the same purpose in the battle which leads to Grendel’s mother’s death: that purpose being revenge for someone of whom they love. Although Beowulf is appearing for the sake of Hrothgar, he is also motivated also by his honor which can only be preserved by representing Hrothgars motive. Grendel’s mother wished to avenge death as well, but instead that of her son. As the two fought, it is apparent that this monster which is Grendel’s mother still possesses natural emotions of a human. Often in this setting, people would refer to those with born with physical disabilities as monsters. That being said, is Grendel’s mother really a monster at all, behind her bulky physic, or can she be compared to a simple mother, wishing for justice? Through my readings, I cannot help but come to the conclusion that Grendel’s mother’s intentions were that of a mother, who deserves justice. Being exiled to such a place for many years could have caused her to build up the emotions which Grendel could not control, but she had stayed away from Heorot for all of those years never indulging in her sons natural desires for revenge.

 By the times standards, would Beowulf’s brute strength constitute him as a monster, for he is different than the many others who have attempted to eliminate the ogre’s and failed?  

Are You Calling Me Crazy?

At first glance of reading Beowulf in old English, I wondered how our language could’ve changed so much over time and if maybe the way we think about things and handle situations has changed too. Conveniently, Beowulf has sentences written in the margins summarizing the modern English into a rather unsophisticated level of reading, such as that for a fifth grade reading assignment. Although the text has now been broken down twice for us, the messages in the story are still controversial. On page 97, Beowulf says, “It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.” This may be a simple concept to understand but many people, including myself would argue this isn’t true. In one of my favorite books “The Fault In Our Stars,” the main character Augustus Waters says, “pain is meant to be felt.” Like Augustus, I think it is okay to express when you are in pain, to come to terms with it, and for an allotted amount of time it is okay to be sad. Beowulf seems to be suggesting that rather than the Geats or Danes being upset, they should seek avenge on Grendel’s mother since she and her son have caused so much pain on the people. But what good would this do? Grendel is a perfect example of a modern day sociopath. This monster doesn’t feel guilty about anything he does or anyone he causes pain to, because he simply doesn’t have the ability to feel. Grendel is said to be “malignant by nature, (he) never showed remorse” (11) and Beowulf explains that if Grendel were to kill him, then Grendel would be “gloating with my raw corpse and feeding on it alone” (31). Although this text has been broken down for us numerous times and hundreds of years have passed since the story was originated, the messages are still clear and the situations are very much relevant to today’s society. There are still people today who are unable to feel emotions properly, but there are still many people with the morals that they should not inflict pain onto someone else because they wouldn’t want someone to do that to them. So if this is true, why does Beowulf seek to kill both Grendel and his mother? Was it really necessary for him to cut off Grendel’s mother’s head after killing her or was that simply for his own pleasure? If that ‘s the case, that he did it for his own gain, then perhaps I’ve been reading the story all wrong; perhaps Beowulf is the crazy one.