The Illest Motherf**ker Alive: Beowulf as an Old English Kanye West

Why is it considered a bad thing to make sure people are aware of your influence and achievements? In Beowulf, the majority of people have no problem with Beowulf flexing his muscles constantly. Beowulf seems cocky, full of himself, braggadocious, and other words to describe the same thing, but his achievements seem to completely justify his actions as far as the Danes are concerned. Yet somehow, an overwhelming majority of our class saw this to be a bad thing.

If Beowulf were placed in modern times, he would be Kanye West. Just stop and consider the implications I just made. Did you sigh at the name Kanye West? To the majority of people (including my parents), even hearing his name conjures up the same feelings we feel towards Beowulf as he continues to boast about his accomplishments. While Kanye never killed nine sea monsters (574-575) or slayed Grendel (817-819), his influence on hip-hop is undeniable, and he will let you know.

So why does this bother us? Does this boastfulness symbolize a lack of true confidence in one’s self due to a need to constantly remind people of one’s achievements? No one wants to be told, “I’m better than you” by anyone else, even if it’s completely true. Beowulf swam for DAYS, and killed NINE sea monsters. Kanye West released “The College Dropout” in 2004 and completely revolutionized modern hip-hop, paving the way for future rappers like Drake, Childish Gambino and countless others.

At face value, an Old English white Geat has almost nothing in common with a modern American black rapper. However, their personalities are fairly identical. Beowulf and Kanye both take on the world by themselves. Beowulf is one of the greatest warriors to ever live and Kanye is one of the greatest rappers to ever live. Both of them will let you know this. For Beowulf, this is justified because otherwise people may spread misinformation, such as Unferth’s incorrect version of Beowulf’s swimming contest (506-524). Though he sounded like a jackass, Beowulf was merely correcting Unferth’s incorrect assessment of the contest in order to uphold his name. The same tends to be true for Kanye West, as almost every show he’s ever put on features a long 15-20 minute “rant” about whatever is troubling him at the moment. When I personally saw him live, his “rant” was about how he wanted to get into fashion designing, but the companies he was working with only wanted him to be a face, rather than a contributor. He wanted to fight this in order to fulfill his dreams, yet most people simply write off his impassioned speech as just another rant.

In the end, it seems that, though they are different, Beowulf and Kanye West’s boastfulness and cockiness are vital parts of their characters, as they have gigantic legacies to live up to. Though we may dismiss it as an ego trip, it seems important to realize that sometimes people do need to hype themselves up to accomplish great things, such as slaying a dragon or releasing “Yeezus.” A humble man likely could not do either, and thus, the humble man would not receive that same critical acclaim.

  

Comrades in Arms: Two Monsters Trying to Drink at the Pub

I have always been one to sympathize with an outcast character.  It’s something that comes naturally to me and most people. Every time I read Beowulf, I notice how the monster Grendel, in his loneliness and rage, reminds me of another infamous monster: Frankenstein. It is a stretch, considering the two are involved in very different situations. Yet, their personalities are very similar in regards to how humans treat them and how they react in return.

Both creatures are cursed the day they are created. Frankenstein is a freak of nature, something inhuman and terrifying. Grendel is a disfigured man, scary to behold and disgusting. Their physical appearance is monster-like and their personalities are evil, distinguishing them from normal human beings. Both Grendel and Frankenstein share feelings of loneliness, fear and hurt because people shunned them from the beginning.

On page 57, lines 849-851, the imagery presented as Grendel runs from the fight with Beowulf, reminds me of Frankenstein when it says, “With his death upon him, he had dived deep / into his marsh-den, drowned out his life / and his heathen soul: hell claimed him there.”

These lines in particular remind me of Frankenstein, when he hid away and became a solitary creature. After he tried to befriend a human family and failed, he ran away into the wilderness to live out a lonely existence. Grendel does the same thing. The villagers forget him, until he begins to attack people. By that time, his existence is known through bloodshed and hatred. No one wants to befriend him.

They do not stop to think why Grendel is attacking them. None of the villagers consider that Grendel just wants to be accepted and welcomed. He is a poor creature, looking for the chance to be normal. Unfortunately, like Frankenstein, Grendel will never be because of his physical appearance. Immediately, when a person does not look the same as everyone else, they are thought of as different. Grendel nor Frankenstein had a chance to make friendships because of their appearance.

While Grendel and Frankenstein are separated by centuries, they are comrades of loneliness and misunderstanding. Shut out from the human world, both struggled to find peace and sympathy. They are complementary characters who evoke similar emotions from the reader. But I do wonder, are there any other villainous/ outcast literary characters that remind our class of Grendel?

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.