Essay about ‘BEOWULF’

Written by Stefanny Alarcón / Poetry and Theater / Group 15

The epic Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, takes place in a society where valor and bravery is

measured through noble yet violent actions. Morality in Beowulf is heavily influenced by

Paganism. Pagan beliefs maintain that courageous acts with righteous motivations attain

glory and valor. These acts define a person as a hero, even if they are defeated. In moral

standards, a person willing to sacrifice his or herself Although Beowulf is slain by the dragon

at the end of the poem, he is still considered a hero by pagan and modern standards, and is

not a failure in any regard due to his willingness to sacrifice himself for others.. As the

poem’s main personality, Beowulf displays exceptional boldness and extraordinary strength

whenever confronted by fierce enemies. Additionally, he takes pride in his glorious actions

that have earned him great fame throughout the poem.

We can easily recognize in the epic the great heroic values of a society, such as the

commitment to honor the responsibilities of a leader, whilst at the same time disregarding

the safety of his warriors in an effort to defeat a dangerous foe. For instance, Beowulf

allows Grendel to kill some of the warriors in an effort to surprise Grendel when he reaches

for Beowulf. Beowulf also sets aside prudence when he pursues and fights with Grendel’s

mother. Basing on the heroic nature of the poem, one would have expected Beowulf to put

the safety of his men before anything else. On the contrary, Beowulf’s intent to defeat the

monster supersedes his concern for lives of his men. Clearly, Beowulf focuses more on

what is expected of a hero from his people than he does for personal safety or the safety of

those who serve under him.

This poem offers two perspectives of the key character. On the one side is a heroic Beowulf

who is very brave in battle and leads his people to victory. The hero aspect in Beowulf

begins for the main character at a young age, when he boldly participates in defending his

kingdom by fighting two ferocious monsters. As the poem concludes, Beowulf is seen as a

seasoned king who is viewed by his people as a veteran guardian. As a result of his heroic

leadership, the Gaelic people enjoy profound peace as well as prosperity. Correspondingly,

when a dragon threatens the security of the Gaelic people, the elderly king uses his heroic

bravery to fight it alone. As is typical in any kingdom led by a heroic individual, the death

of Beowulf is followed by the eventual destruction of the Gaelic people.

On the other hand, the poem presents very few features of Beowulf as a regular human

being. It is obvious that the poet has chosen to largely ignore Beowulf’s human aspects, and

instead, depicts him as a superhuman hero. This is illustrated in the poet’s preference to

concentrate on the exceptional exploits undertaken by Beowulf, typically the killing of

brutal monsters. Because of this deliberate omission, the reader grasps a very minimal

understanding of Beowulf’s daily activity and the way he relates with his closest associates.

Similarly, the reader is only able to get a substantially sketchy picture of what Beowulf’s

true feelings are. The reason for this is because the purpose of the epic poem is to illustrate

to its people the characteristics they are to emulate in their own lives.

However, considering that Beowulf’s heroism does not shield him from occurrences

common to human beings, such as suffering, ageing, and death, it would have been better if

the poet offered a picture of the human side of this apparently brave warrior, as well.