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 exactly along this route. However, by doing so it again expresses both the anxiety of the era and the dichotomous views of good and evil. For Grendel's mother comes to avenge his death and she is described as "Devil-shaped woman, her woe ever minded,/Who was held to inhabit the horrible waters…His mother moreover/Eager and gloomy was anxious to go on/Her mournful mission, mindful of vengeance/for the death of her son." In this instance, one can see that the anxiety and fear has perhaps even been intensified to a higher degree because Grendel's mother is described as one who is not simply thirsty for blood and destruction as her son was, but is someone who is almost completely otherworldly: she is demonic and devilish.
Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother still reflects the stark dichotomous thinking of the ear towards good and evil. The two struggle. Just when all looks bleak for Beowulf: God arranges for his escape. "And had God most holy not awarded the victory,/All-knowing Lord; easily did heaven's/Ruler most righteous arrange it with justice; / Uprose he erect ready for battle." This is a clear instance of good winning (if only temporarily, in this instance) over evil because of the benevolent help of a higher power. In this poem, good triumphs over evil because this was the thought construct...
Beowulf What does it mean to be good in the world described in Beowulf? The way that good is described in the world of Beowulf, is as an individual who is: masculine, fearless and strong. The main character (i.e. Beowulf) is the classical depiction of this person. As he will continually, fight and slay the dragon that has been terrorizing the Danes. The way that he acts and carries himself throughout the
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
In this context, Beowulf is indeed the preserver of order against the darkness and anarchy brought by the violent, evil forces: "The circle of light that is human life is constantly under attack by the powers of Chaos and darkness, and the hero fends them off as well as he can, purging Heorot and Grendel's mere, fighting monsters in the waters, harrowing Hell in order that God's light may
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
Because of its importance to the Anglo-Saxons, and especially because of its ability to transform the Anglo-Saxon society from a pagan to a Christian culture, the contemporary era is in aw of the mere power of Beowulf. Thus, Beowulf is a literary masterpiece on many counts. From its timeless depiction of the struggle of good vs. evil and comic book-like characters who take the world by storm to its symbolism
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
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