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Beowulf and Treasure
In the epic poem Beowulf, the hero is one born to wealth and raised to wealth. This position, rather than making him weak, has allowed Beowulf to become respected in his community as a man of generosity and, because of his skills as a warrior, immense courage. To this extent, the reader sees Beowulf engaging in acts of bravery and of generosity towards his fellow men. Contrast this to the more evil characters, both the monsters Grendel and his mother and the monstrous humans that Beowulf encounters. Those who are ungenerous are invariably the wicked characters, both lacking kindness towards fellow men and the heroic bravery of a Beowulf. Money and treasure are shown in the poem as markers of respect and of decency. Those who give it are treated heroically, as is evidenced at Beowulf's funeral. Those who hoard it are shown to be wicked. In this way, the author uses valuable goods to show which characters are heroic and which ones are villains.
In the prologue, in discussing Shild's son, the author writes, "A young prince must be prudent like that, / giving freely while his father lives / so that afterward in age when fighting starts / steadfast companions will stand by him" (20-23). The people of Denmark have their ruler...
The prince is named next ruler through a band of gold. When the ring is given, the people accept their ruler. In Denmark, warriors are revered. "Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people everywhere" (24-25). In this society, acts of bravery are rewarded with valuable treasures. Therefore, quite literally men build their wealth by acts of courage. The wealthiest are thus the most brave of the warriors. When King Shild dies, his funeral ship is overlaid with riches. "Far-fetched treasures / were piled upon him, and precious gear" (36-37). The people's respect is earned through the giving of wealth and the respect for that man is shown through the return of that wealth.
The monster Grendel is an example of villainy illustrated through treasure and riches. Every night he goes to the hall of Heorot and slaughters and destroys whatever is in sight. When he takes over Heorot, from the humans and begins killing them all, there is one place within the hall that he cannot go. "The throne itself, the treasure-seat, / he was kept from approaching; he was the Lord's outcast" (168-169). As the men honored their King with treasure, so too the throne is a tribute in honor to God, giving him treasure. There…
The tale would not be told at a single event, but it would be narrated with one event from the hero's life at a time. Also, the singer had to recount the story of the hero as it was and he was usually a very educated man with great knowledge of history and of poetry. (Snell, M) It is believed that the Angles and the Scandinavians kept in touch and
He is not afraid to battle Grendel and his mother; in fact, he seems to welcome the challenge. This is important to the story because it helps back up the poet's tales of bravery and courage, and helps show that Beowulf is indeed an epic hero. A hero has to be brave in battle, and understanding off the battlefield, and Beowulf is both. He is not afraid to rise
Those with issues to overcome are always more heroic. Hector also becomes a hero when, after at first running from Achilles, he eventually stands up to him and dies a heroic death. The Iliad is primarily a war epic. In your opinion, is the Iliad condemnation of the it could easily be argued that the Illiad glorifies war, as much of the poem is spent portraying the warriors as brave
Beowulf On the surface, the poem Beowulf seems to be a simple tale of a brave hero who triumphs over three monsters and engages in several other battles in order to preserve what is "just" and right. A more thorough reading, however, reveals that the epic poem is filled with events that symbolize historical and social conditions that prevailed during the European reign of the Scandinavians in the seventh century to
The story of Beowulf includes a professional bard who accompanies himself on a harp and sings or chants traditional lays, who improvises a song about Beowulf's victory. Perhaps the Bard embellished the real story a little to flatter the great man. The king may not have been fighting a dragon, actually it may have been a bear that had been killing off people in his kingdom. When Beowulf kills Grendel
When Grendel is slain, a triumphant and bloody ritual is made of his body that is anything but respectful in tone. "It was a task for four to hoist Grendel's head on a spear and bear it under strain to the bright hall." (113) Beowulf tells the tale of Grendel's slaying to the court both as a tale of good vs. evil, and as a spectacle of his military