Beowulf Essay

Traits such as courage and bravery are attributes that all heroes possess, whatever time period they might be in. Nonetheless, the idea of a hero has been skewed in order to tailor the cultures of their time. The epic poem Beowulf is a perfect example of this occurrence. Many of the traits that Beowulf is endowed with would be considered less ideal in our modern perception of a “quintessential hero.” The traits graced to Beowulf, disparate from modern ideals of heroes, are fundamental to our better understanding of their traditional beliefs and cultures. Through use of literary devices, Beowulf is written so as to embody the ideals of God, fate, and human actions, otherwise referred to as the “greater forces.”

The epic poem is littered with literary techniques to further exemplify Beowulf’s ideal characteristics and the actions acted upon by him. Alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds, is commonly used throughout the whole novel. The phrase “dragging the dead men home to his den” is an example of alliteration that causes the poem to flow smoothly and allows the reader to detect an emphasize on the event occurring. Epithets, like “god-cursed Grendel” and “ring-giving lord,” are utilized to present a portrait of a certain character in the poem by highlighting their most prominent characteristics. In this case, Grendel--the main antagonist--is “cursed” by a God (hey, remember the greater forces?) and so, is turned into the monster that he is portrayed as. One of the most common literary techniques, typically identified in many Anglo-Saxon works, is kennings. Some noticeable examples of kennings include, “whale-road” and “sea-wood” to refer to the words “sea” and “ship.” The use of kennings is to include creative words in place of nouns so as to humour readers and to add to the archaic diction of the poem. Plenty of symbolisms can also be picked out of the poem, a majority of them metaphors of the sea. Grendel’s mother, a monster living in a cave filled with a bloody lake, symbolizes that of the Anglo-Saxon’s seafaring customs. The “bloody lake” is a metaphor of the often dark and dangerous body of waters that the Anglo-Saxons journeyed through.

 

The modern perception of a “quintessential hero” is completely different from the way Beowulf was perceived as the ideal hero in the Anglo-Saxon poem. Modern heroes aren’t “stronger than a demon,” nor are they “faster than a sea monster!” Many “contemporary heroes”--like Razia Jan--lack the inhuman strength (both physical and mental) of Beowulf. Razia Jan, a woman that single-handedly built an education center for females in Afghanistan, acts according to the welfare of others. Contrary to the aforementioned statement, Beowulf acts in a “selfish” manner. He acts brash, often times resulting to the deaths of his men (Grendel’s fight anyone?), and is someone that has ambition. Modern heroes are given the brand “heroes” because they’ve done something selfless, often times giving something back to the community. In Beowulf, reputation and prestige pretty much trumps benevolence. Beowulf acted the way he acted so as to increase his reputation; he wanted people to aspire to him and the only way to do that was to basically become their “ideal hero” (beat up some monster). Our contemporary perception of a “modern hero” has become a much more humble thing.

Small changes might have occurred to better fit the “ideal hero” of the modern society, but the big picture still remains similar to what it used to be. The hero, whether they be thousands of years old or heroes of today, still has that spark--the courage and bravery--that characterizes them. A leap has been made; anyone can be a hero whether they be full of faults or close to perfection. Modern society has created the label “hero” to fit the average joe, instead of the unrealistic portrayal of an obsolete hero.