Thus, Beowulf replies to Unferth's challenge by giving this time his own account of his sea experiences and the way in which he had defeated all the monsters. First of all, in both texts Beowulf begins by returning the mockery and telling Unferth that he has only spoken thus because he was under the influence of the drinks he had that night. At this point, there is a very important element that is mentioned only in Heaney's version of the episode: Beowulf declares he has been kept safe against all odds because of the golden armor he was wearing: "My armor helped me hold out/my hard ringed chain mail, hand forged and linked, / a fine close fitting filigree of gold / kept me safe when some ocean creature pulled me to the bottom."(Heaney) as it is well-known, at the times when the legend was written, the golden armor was a sign that a hero was a chosen being, protected by divine forces. In Gardner's text, the implication is similar, since Beowulf remarks that fate itself preserved him from perishing, but there is no mention of the symbolic golden armor.
The main point of the fragment comes at the end, when Beowulf makes a definite impression on the audience with his speech. Thus, if Unferth attempted to make Beowulf seem only a boastful character, it is clear now that the hero is in fact a chosen person, whose actions have been guided by a superior force. Thus, Beowulf states that he may seem indeed boastful, but that he in fact only tells the truth and that his feats are truly extraordinary. In Heaney's translation, Beowulf draws the attention of the audience that the very madness he has been accused of by Unferth is the sign of the undaunted courage of the hero who knows that fate has already marked him and that he is on a sacred mission to do good and save the men from evil:
Often, for undaunted courage, / fate spares the man it has not already marked. However it occurred, my sword had killed / nine sea monsters....
And all that would remain would be their brothers to mourn them, inconsolable. The anxiety expressed by this poem is acutely felt and accurately represents the norms of the era. During this era, if someone was killed by someone else, the family of the slain person would have to kill the murderers in order to avenge the death of their beloved. Thus, it makes perfect sense that the poem goes
Grendel And After that it's Elephants All the Way Done Wagner's Grendel is one of the most finely crafted pieces of postmodern fiction because it performs both of the functions with which postmodern literature is tasked. First, it is a work of literature that shines on its own, that offers a significant reward to the reader regardless of whether or not the reader is familiar with literary traditions. Second, the work addresses,
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
Nevertheless, he is resolute in his decision to face the dragon in order to continue on towards his attainment of the paradoxical heroic ideal, even if he recognizes that this ideal may be the cause of unwarranted pain and suffering, and thus tells his men that "this fight is not yours, / nor is it up to any man except me / to measure his strength against the monster
A hero's failure in the face of adversity is more common in the Japanese struggle, perhaps because the author had to make the narrative conform to history, at least in some of its elements. Also, rather than show how the good works of the hero support all good people, even people who are not immediate members of Beowulf's kingdom, "Heike" is a military struggle of 'us vs. them' although
Beowulf's story is being told by Christian tribes. He finds nature on his side because God is on his side - and he works within Gods will. He does not fight gods or nature, but rather only fights irrevocably evil demons. He is associated with a pious culture which is not humanistic, and in which science and other such forms of hubris are not encouraged. Beowulf is a truly
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now