Beowulf Essays and Term Papers
Last update: August 20, 2014-
Beowulf
Beowulf The book Beowulf has an unknown author who is believed to be Northumbrian. Burton Raffel translated Beowulf into poetic form, as written in the Elements of Literature. Beowulf, a strong warrior, has set out to defeat the monster that plagues Herot. The story of Beowulf was developed sometime in the sixth century, but was not written until later. Because of this the actual time of the story is also unknown. The majority of the
Rating:Essay Length: 393 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: November 27, 2009 -
Beowulf
The heroic epic poem, Beowulf, tells the story of a young warrior of a Germanic tribe called the Geats who travels to Denmark to help defeat two monsters and a dragon. It is during Beowulf’s adventures that the reader is able to understand the importance of belonging to a community where honor, courage and courtly behaviors and duties prevail. This heroic code and the idea of fate become a vital aspect in warrior societies as
Rating:Essay Length: 529 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: November 29, 2009 -
Heroism Main Theme in Beowulf
The main theme of Beowulf is heroism. This involves far more than physical courage. It also means that the warrior must fulfill his obligations to the group of which he is a key member. There is a clear-cut network of social duties depicted in the poem. The king has an obligation to behave with generosity. He must reward his thanes with valuable gifts for their defense of the tribe and their success in battle. This
Rating:Essay Length: 3,090 Words / 13 PagesSubmitted: November 30, 2009 -
Beowulf
Long ago, at the beginning of creation, two brothers, Cain and Abel lived peacefully, until Cain killed Abel, starting a blood-feud of kin-murder. This legacy of kin-murder was passed down through time, for the murder split the bloodline into two groups: Abel's, whose descendants were human, and Cain's, whose descendants were monstrous and sub-human. The poem Beowulf begins with this legacy of kin-murder and revenge. In Denmark, an evil monster, Grendel, who is ritually ravaging
Rating:Essay Length: 930 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: December 1, 2009 -
Beowulf and Sir Gawain as True Heroes
Literature often evolves over the course of time. But one common aspect of literature comes when a writer tries to define his hero though his writing. A universal definition of hero has come into existence, where a hero is defined as a person with heroic characteristics and courage, as well as someone who exhibits heroic conduct and behavior. While that may sound vague, it is easy to find examples of heroes throughout literature. In the
Rating:Essay Length: 1,920 Words / 8 PagesSubmitted: December 2, 2009 -
Beowulf
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." In other words, to be considered a hero, one must time and time again risk and ultimately sacrifice his or her life to a greater cause. In the epic poem Beowulf, the main character of Beowulf risks his life in his battles with Grendel and Grendel's mother, and ultimately sacrifices his life to the dragon for the good of
Rating:Essay Length: 771 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: December 4, 2009 -
Beowulf
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Beowulf who lived in a magical forest. He lived with all of the unicorns and elves in the village hidden in the forest. Beowulf was known throughout the village for his unique ability to turn anything to Skittles. One day he was summoned by the chief of the village. “Beo the Great Creator, we need you to travel to another village because they have a monster
Rating:Essay Length: 619 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: December 4, 2009 -
Beowulf
The heroic epic, Beowulf, is the greatest and longest lasting Anglo- Saxon poem known to man. It is thought, though it has not been confirmed, that Beowulf was composed as a whole around Eighth century AD. The author, still to this day, remains unknown, and the idea remains that perhaps the “author” of this poem was no more than an editor, or collector of others poems from over the centuries. After reading the poem it
Rating:Essay Length: 1,099 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: December 5, 2009 -
The Refinement of a Hero in “beowulf”
Beowulf is both a great warrior and king. These two aspects of the hero do not just come to Beowulf; Beowulf earns them himself. The development of the character into perfection is seen throughout the poem. Beowulf begins as a young warrior and develops into a heroic king who dies for his people. Through three major battles, Beowulf develops into the heroic king that fights to the end for his people. In the poem,
Rating:Essay Length: 1,859 Words / 8 PagesSubmitted: December 5, 2009 -
Beowulf
One evening last week, my girlfriend and I were getting into bed. Well, the passion starts to heat up, and she eventually says, "I don't feel like it, I just want you to hold me." I said, "WHAT??!! What was that?!" So she says the words that every boyfriend on the planet dreads to hear... "You're just not in touch with my emotional needs as a woman enough for me to satisfy your physical needs
Rating:Essay Length: 2,997 Words / 12 PagesSubmitted: December 6, 2009 -
Comparison Between Female Characters in Beowulf
Comparison between Female Characters in Beowulf Beowulf, the Old English epic tells the story of one brave hero and his battles against evil monsters. The poem deals with mostly masculine elements like fight descriptions, depictions of armor and long inspiring speeches. However, the women characters in the epic also have important roles and they are far from being superficial, as it may seem at first. There are several female figures in Beowulf; this paper will
Rating:Essay Length: 374 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: December 11, 2009 -
Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in Beowulf's Appeal
In Beowulf’s appeal to Unferth, Beowulf uses Pathos when referring to his swimming match against Brecca. Beowulf makes the audience feel sympathetic for him when he uses vivid descriptions and has an emotional tone when he tells them of how he had to fight off sea-monsters and extremely harsh conditions. He also admits that he made a “mistake” in his challenge with Brecca. This also adds to the empathy that the audience was already feeling
Rating:Essay Length: 466 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: December 11, 2009 -
Themes in Beowulf
Themes of Beowulf Reading Beowulf, there are many chances to interpret the characters and dialog. Loyalty, reputation, and generosity are three themes that are quite noticeable throughout the story. In the following paragraphs, you will read about the loyalty that Beowulf has for Hrothgar, the struggle for Beowulf to keep his reputation, and the generosity that was shown by Hrothgar and Wealhtheow. Loyalty is a major theme throughout Beowulf and is first seen when Beowulf
Rating:Essay Length: 1,016 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: December 11, 2009 -
Beowulf Creative Essay
When I sent my son out into Herot, the meadhall of Hrothgar, I knew he would shower a reign of terror upon all the land, and that is exactly what he did. Grendel terrorized Herot, just as I had so many years before. I was so proud of my son, and of myself that I could finally sit back and pass the torch to the next dominant sea monster. However, Grendel's end came before his
Rating:Essay Length: 739 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: December 12, 2009 -
Beowulf: Christian Vs Pagan Influence Term Paper
The European epic, Beowulf, was written sometime in the eighth century in England. This time period provides us with an idea for the mixture of Christian and pagan elements because of an English society that was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. Examples of Pagan and Christian traditions are presented all throughout literature. Many of the influences deal with what it going on in the world, when the piece is written. When
Rating:Essay Length: 1,646 Words / 7 PagesSubmitted: December 14, 2009 -
Beowulf
Beowulf As of today, the author of Beowulf has been an anonymous person. Even though some scholars believe that the poem may have been composed in the eight century A.D., and others suggest it was an earlier time, can be early as tenth century. This poem has not been dated exactly; all we know is that it was written in England. The only manuscript of the poem that survived was discovered in the sixteenth
Rating:Essay Length: 613 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: December 19, 2009 -
Beowulf - Profile of an Epic Hero
Epic Beowulf A hero, in the traditional sense of the word, is generally a protagonist in a story whose overwhelming power is the only which can defeat the evil of the day. In a classic example of this comes Beowulf, a novel adaptation of the epic Anglo-Saxon poem by Robert Nye. The main character and namesake of the story is Beowulf, an adventurous young hero. When he hears the tales of the monster Grendel that
Rating:Essay Length: 580 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: December 24, 2009 -
Beowulf Essay
Beowulf is a long narrative poem that features an epic hero named Beowulf. It reflects the values of the Anglo-Saxon culture. Beowulf adheres to the Anglo-Saxon values which are bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship. Beowulf had great hopes to return the favor to Hrothgar for helping his father during a deadly feud. He wants to enhance his reputation. Beowulf does this by showing bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship. He adheres to the Anglo-Saxon values and
Rating:Essay Length: 397 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: December 24, 2009 -
Beowulf
There was a huge influence of both paganism and christianity that can be noticed in Old English Poetry. To better understand these two values, let us explain what paganism and christianity mean. Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. As presented in New Thestament, Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God and the Messiah prophesied in The Old Testament. Christianity began in the 1st
Rating:Essay Length: 485 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: December 26, 2009 -
Beowulf
Throughout history, the ongoing battle between one’s pride and one’s fate remains undefeated. One’s pride distorts the distinguishable difference between reality and that of the imagination. Pride offers one the appearance of control over fate rather than allowing the essence of fate take its course. Poems such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf exemplify the continuous conflict of illusion verses reality and how one cannot have both pride and the ability to
Rating:Essay Length: 1,378 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: December 27, 2009 -
Beowulf
Beowulf is who some may consider to be strong and wise. Several youth look up to him and try to follow his example. He is admired by the community as a brave warrior who believes in the well-being of the community. In my opinion, this is all false! He is not a prince charming or some type of miraculous hero. Beowulf is a lazy person who prides himself on making a fool out of monsters
Rating:Essay Length: 593 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: December 28, 2009 -
Beowulf and Gilgamesh
Comparative English Essay Compare the Beowulf poet’s presentation of the battles with Grendel and his mother with the Gilgamesh poet’s depiction of Gilgamesh’ battles with Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven. Fame and glory have been the most admirable characteristics in the middle Ages and even before Christ in the ancient civilizations. The epics of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are stories of heroism and immortality gained through fame. The aim of the main characters, Beowulf and
Rating:Essay Length: 1,988 Words / 8 PagesSubmitted: December 29, 2009 -
Beowulf and Superman
Beowulf, an anonymous English epic, is an archaic poem written in the times of the Anglo-Saxon reign in England. It speaks of a mighty hero, Beowulf, who through his great courage, strength, and cunning is able to defeat evil and vicious monsters and save his people. Beowulf shows great power and resourcefulness, and in this way is similar to one of my heroes, Superman. Beowulf and Superman have many similarities and differences. Superman and Beowulf
Rating:Essay Length: 719 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: December 31, 2009 -
Beowulf - a Story
Beowulf Beowulf is a story that takes place in medieval Europe, the main part of the story is about a knight, Beowulf, that has to fight evil creatures such as a dragon. No one is exactly sure who wrote Beowulf, Paleographers believe from characteristics of the scribal hands that wrote the soul surviving text, that the manuscript was copied down in the late tenth century or early eleventh. This early copy of Beowulf is still
Rating:Essay Length: 1,372 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: December 31, 2009 -
Beowulf
More often than not a person’s actions are judged before any other attribute a person may possess. An example of this is the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf. Beowulf weighs Christian values against the forces of evil. One perceives the malevolent monster Grendel as wicked and the God-like hero Beowulf as the possessor of all things good to man kind. In deeper meaning Beowulf isn’t that God-like nor is Grendel that wicked. Both characters portray qualities of
Rating:Essay Length: 985 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: January 1, 2010