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beowulf Essay Examples

1216 total results

The Theme of Death in the Poem Beowulf (638 words, 1 pages)

Ever since Cain killed his brother Abel, death and murder have been a part of human society. The man always killed the other man, physically or mentally, to gain something for himself, something that may be a tangible thing such as food or money, or intangible things such as power ... Read More

An Essay on Old Testament Allusions in Beowulf (1434 words, 3 pages)

Adam Bussey Dr Vivone English 4A, Period 5 24 April 2000 Old Testament Allusions in Beowulf Thesis The Beowulf poet incorporates Old Testament allusions in order to teach the Anglo-Saxon pagans about the new religion. I.Biblical Allusion A. The Definition of Allusion B. The Old Testament II.Descendant of Cain A. ... Read More

Beowulf’s Heroic Qualities (684 words, 2 pages)

The epic hero, Beowulf the Great, shows a lot of qualities of a born king. In this epic poem, Beowulf overcomes the fact that his father was exiled and becomes a great man. He gains the loyalty and devotion of his men and defends good from evil. He was portrayed ... Read More

The Final Battle in the Epic of Beowulf (519 words, 2 pages)

The epic poem Beowulf has many important scenes throughout the piece. I did a powerpoint of the last scene in Beowulf. The last scene is the battle with the dragon where Beowulf dies and Wiglaf kills the dragon and brings back the treasure for Beowulf to see before he dies. ... Read More

An Analysis of Beowulf’s Search for the Gold of King Hrothgar (542 words, 2 pages)

Criticizing Beowulf After building Herot, or really getting other men to build the great hall, Hrothgar the king and his servants or soldiers celebrated with a time of feasting. Not just a one-night feast. The nights following the build brought drinking and cheering and drinking and celebrating and drinking and ... Read More

The Importance of Loyalty and Rewards Between the King and His Warriors in Beowulf (935 words, 3 pages)

The Values That Bond a King and a Warrior The poem, Beowulf was written in the 8th century, therefore it reflects the values of that culture and time period. In Anglo-Saxon culture, battle is a way of life, a necessary function of the worthiest members of society. (xiv, Raffel). The ... Read More

The History and Influence of Beowulf, the Oldest Poem in Existence (539 words, 2 pages)

Beowulf was originally written down in the middle ages or somewhere between the 8th and 11th centuries, however, the story had been passed around by memory and mouth through generations many years prior. It is also known widely as the oldest poem in existence and one of the framework poems ... Read More

In Search of a Hero in Beowulf After the Twin Tower Attacks in America (699 words, 3 pages)

Beowulf Post 911In the classic story of the heroic Beowulf, the theme of heroism is prevalent all throughout. Beowulf is revered for his massive strength, defeating Grendel, his mother, and even a dragon. As Alison Gulley points out Beowulf has been many things. It has been filmed a number of ... Read More

The Characterization of Grendel as a Purely Evil Abomination in the Epic of Beowulf (618 words, 2 pages)

Characterization of GrendelIn the epic, Beowulf, the author uses a tone of horror and literary devices such as alliteration, asyndeton, allusion, and imagery to emphasize Grendels, dark and terrible beginnings as an offspring of monsters of Hell and his gruesome murders to characterize him as a purely evil abomination.Grendel is ... Read More

The Code of Honor, Courage, and the Dreadful Female Character in the World of Beowulf (730 words, 3 pages)

Glance of the Past BeowulfThe stories of yesteryear provide incredible insight to the cultures of the past. The renowned tale, Beowulf, entails the journey of a heroic figure and through the storyline presents aspects of the Danish people. Monsters, socially moral corruptions and the hero himself depict the fears and ... Read More

The Master-Servant Relationships in Homer’s The Iliad and Beowulf (1803 words, 6 pages)

Heroes are usually courageous men who are bestowed superhuman prowess in combat and granted exceptional abilities, the likes of which are only attainable by divine powers. However, more often than not, these heroes are subject to the will of their own emotions and faults which inevitably lead to their downfall. ... Read More

Joseph Campbell’s Standards of a True Hero in the Epic of Beowulf (650 words, 3 pages)

Joseph Campbell was an American writer who developed a criteria for what it means to be a true hero. Beowulf is a story about a hero. It was the first english epic to be written. It takes place in Denmark and an imaginary place called Geatland. It reflects the way ... Read More

Christian Ethics and the Values of Being a Hero in the Epic of Beowulf (629 words, 2 pages)

Heroic values and Christian ethics A major theme in Beowulf is being a hero and providing shelter forall the people as a hero of the nation, and most of all as a king to thepeople. One of the most important things that are taken in the whole poemcan be put ... Read More

The Idea of Immortality for Christian and Pagan Religion in the Epic of Beowulf (947 words, 3 pages)

Pagan ImmoralityIn the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, translated by Charles W. Kennedy, religious beliefs and ideals from various groups combine to create the story of an epic hero. During this time period, immortality and life after death were the most important achievements to those of Christian and Pagan religion. Because ... Read More

The Idea of Larger Than Life Quality in the Hero Beowulf (649 words, 2 pages)

Beowulfs Larger Than Life QualityAs a hero, Beowulf exemplifies the concept of having a larger than life quality. He is shown on his journey to clearly be the hero to others, standing out amongst the rest with his might, or size, or whatever it may be. Everything about him exudes ... Read More

Why God and Beowulf are Heroes (675 words, 2 pages)

BeowulfHero EssayWhat makes a hero? Many heroes are known for their bravery and achievements. In the Old English days, Beowulf was known as their hero. My personal hero is God. The heroic characteristics that are shared between these two people are bravery, power, and fame. Beowulf was brave to confront ... Read More

Heroism and Courage in Anglo-Saxon in Beowulf (889 words, 3 pages)

Heroism and CourageIn Beowulf lines 530-606, the author uses literary devices to characterize heroism in Anglo-Saxon culture. Specifically, Beowulf characterizes an Anglo-Saxon hero as someone who will always fight for their people, even if it results in their own death. In the passage the author characterizes the courage of the ... Read More

The Danish Perceptions of Monstrosity Depicted through the Character of Grendel in Beowulf, an Old English Epic Poem (756 words, 2 pages)

This is Not a Monster from Monsters Inc.We all are afraid of something. Despite the Danish men putting on brave faces during battle, they too had fears. Most namely monsters named Grendel. He essentially terrorized them for twelve years until Beowulf came along and was able to stop him. But ... Read More

The Characters Who are Worthy of Sympathy in the Epic of Beowulf (1094 words, 3 pages)

Worthy of Sympathy Beowulf contains many interesting characters. Each character is very complex and can be looked at through several different angles. The three main characters Grendel, Beowulf, and Grendels mother, each deserve a certain amount of sympathy. After examining the epic, Grendels mother is the character who deserves the ... Read More

The Battles of Beowulf Against Grendel (1027 words, 3 pages)

Beowulfs Battles Based off his battles against the dragon, Grendel and Grendels mother, one can see how Beowulf is a great example of an ideal hero, as opposed to the misconception that he is self-centered. Beowulf is down to earth, brave and selfless. We are shown as readers he possesses ... Read More

A Comparison of the Characters and Heroic Actions of Hercules and Beowulf (1575 words, 6 pages)

Beowulf vs HerculesThe origin of the two heroes Beowulf and Hercules is stated to be associated with divine heroes. They were honored and royal servants of their country and communities they lead their communities to heroic events and battles. In majority of their stories the two warriors usually have a ... Read More

Comparing the Similarities and Differences in the Qualities and Characteristics Between Beowulf in the Epic of Beowulf and Rama in The Ramayana (1374 words, 4 pages)

Heroes can be defined in a variety of different ways. Many have completely different qualities and characteristics that lead them to their fame and glory, but they all have factors that link them together in no matter what culture or time period they reigned. In the heroic epics Beowulf and ... Read More

The Better Hero Between Beowulf in Beowulf and Satan in Paradise Lost (2078 words, 7 pages)

Beowulf vs. Satan The Better HeroBoth Satan in Paradise Lost and Beowulf in Beowulf demonstrate the qualities of a hero. The beginning of John Miltons Paradise Lost starts off with Satan having just been cast out of Heaven. God has created a Paradise called Eden in which he creates two ... Read More

Humanity’s Inclination Towards Literature as Evidence in the Epic of Beowulf (876 words, 3 pages)

Beowulf Final PaperWithin and WithoutThere are some things about humans that will always be true. We will always like ice cream and always adore puppies. However, on a more serious note, we will always tell stories. There are plenty of factors which influence our normal inclination towards literature. Since the ... Read More

A Comparison of the Similarities and Differences in Brain and Brawn Between Beowulf and Ulysses (1090 words, 3 pages)

Brain v.s. BrawnOftentimes people seem to be waiting until eternity for someone to save them from their misfortune, but what if you could be your own epic hero? How would your epic be told? Before there was superman and even before there was Hercules the most notable epic heroes were ... Read More

The Mistreatment and Isolation of Grendel in the Epic of Beowulf (1086 words, 5 pages)

The Real VictimThroughout the epic poem, Beowulf, the author uses several literary devices to enhance the appeal of Grendel versus Beowulf by challenging the classification of hero or victim. Based on appearances, Grendel is a hideous beast while Beowulf is a handsome and strong warrior. With that society flocks towards ... Read More

The Concept of Character Preservation in the Epic of Beowulf (610 words, 2 pages)

Already called a hero to the people of Heorot, Beowulf had nothing to prove when he ventured to kill the beast that was Grendels mother. He simply was a hero. However, the story behind Beowulf is to describe his progression through life and the development of him as not only ... Read More

A Short Summary of Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon Poem (658 words, 2 pages)

The Beastly BeowulfBeowulf is one of the greatest heroes of Geats. He comes to the rescue of the Danish, upon hearing that Grendel is to strike them. Grendel is described as a grim spirit, mighty stalker of the marches he lived for a long time in the land of giants. ... Read More

The Effects of Culture in the Character’s Actions in the Iliad and Beowulf (1101 words, 5 pages)

Culture Explains EverythingIn epics such as the Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles, and Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, the main character is a paragon of a hero that holds an important position in the culture of the epic. As such, the culture affects its epic, even as the epic affects ... Read More

Religion and Religious Beliefs in Beowulf (832 words, 4 pages)

Beowulf Religions of the TimeBeowulf is an Anglo-Saxon poem dating back to about 1000 A.D. At this time, Christianity was growing across many different countries, Europe in particular. Pagan beliefs were still around during this time period as well, so the expansion of Christian and Pagan beliefs began to influence ... Read More

Published: Friday 25th of January 2013

Tips for Writing Your Beowulf Essay

Who doesn’t love watching a great monster movie? There’s nothing more exciting than watching the climatic and gruesome battle between the story’s hero and the evil enemy. The majority of all the Hollywood blockbusters in theaters today are based on this good vs. evil dynamic. But this isn’t something new. There have been stories written in this genre for thousands of years, and one of the most famous of those is Beowulf. There is a chance that sometime during your educational journey you will be assigned to read and write an essay on this topic. If you're used to experiencing the battles on screen, then reading an epic poem translated from Old English may require some patience. Once you’ve mustered up enough enthusiasm to actually sit down and read the epic poem, you’ll be glad you did. Beowulf is actually a very interesting and fun story. It may not pack the same punch an action movie has, but you will enjoy it. If you've read the story but still have a hard time writing an essay about it, no need to worry. We will go over some tips and examples that will make writing your paper easier. Now let's get started!

Ideas to Help You Get Started

Anytime you want to earn a passing grade for literary analysis, you will need a plan. This may sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many students start an essay with no focus or clear thesis in mind and just wing it. This very rarely works, and you'll end up spending extra time rewriting it. To help you get focused on your paper, we've come up with a few fresh ideas:

1. Analyze Beowulf as an Epic Poem

An epic poem is a long poem in which the hero of the story goes on a great adventure or journey and usually battles other forces including nature, man or beast. In the story of Beowulf, the hero battles a supernatural monster. Your Beowulf essay can be about the key components in the story that makes it an epic poem:

A lengthy story told in the form of a poem. Anybody that has read Beowulf can agree that at over 3,000 alliterative lines, it is definitely not a short poem.
The Hero. The majority of epic poems feature a hero that has performed heroic deeds during an adventure or event that is significant to a nation or culture. Beowulf battles and beats the monster Grendel, who has been attacking the king of the Danes.
The nemesis. Epic poems also feature an antagonist that the hero must battle. In Beowulf, the antagonist is Grendel and then Grendel’s mother, both of which are supernatural beings seen as a monster.
Compare to other well-known epic poems. One of the best ways to show why Beowulf should be considered an epic poem is by comparing and contrasting the story to other famous epic poems like Homer’s Odyssey or Virgil’s Aeneid. How are they alike? How are they different? What components do they share that makes them epic poems?

2. Compare Beowulf to other Interpretations

Beowulf is often considered as one of the most important surviving works of Old English literature. It is no surprise that there have been many different interpretations done in several different styles, including graphic novels, films, video games, and plays. If you are planning to write a compare and contrast paper about Beowulf, then you will need to use at least two different interpretations. If the length and depth of your essay are longer or deeper than normal, you may even have to use more interpretations. To make writing a compare and contrast paper, you should first establish a few key points that you can compare to the different formats. Here are a few that might help you out:

How are the main characters of Beowulf and Grendel portrayed in the movie or graphic novel compared to the original poem? How are they alike and how are they different?
What differences in the storylines can be seen in the other interpretations? Why do you think these changes were made and how does it affect the overall story?
What visual interpretations were used for the characters or scenes? How do they add to the story?

3. Why Point of View is Important

The point of view a story is told from can make a big difference on how it is perceived. Beowulf is a poem that is narrated from a third person standpoint. Although you are told how the characters are feeling and what they are thinking, you are still reading it from an objective viewpoint. What if the story was told from a different point of view? Would the story be the same if it were told from Grendel’s perspective or Beowulf’s perspective? How would the story change and what information would be left out if the point of view were changed? These are interesting factors that you can examine and maybe even help you see the story in a different light. You can also write about how important the point of view is for the story-telling and how it can totally change the reader's perception of the characters.

4. Theme

The theme is the recurring idea that pervades a piece of literature or work of art. Most great stories usually feature a number of themes. Beowulf also contains several different themes and trying to write on all of them can lead to a messy essay. The best thing to do if you decide to write about a theme is to choose one that really sticks out for you and dissect it. When writing a literary analysis, it's important that you provide enough evidence to back up your position. You can add specific examples, dialogue, and scenes that support the thesis of your essay. If you're having a problem deciding on which theme to write about, here are some choices:

Loyalty: The story's hero, Beowulf, often puts his life at risk for the king, country and his men. His men also risk their lives fighting for the hero. Later, Beowulf is rewarded for his loyalty by being named king, which shows loyalty from the people he saved.
Good vs. Bad: This is a theme that is very common in epic poems, and this is no exception. Beowulf represents the good in the world as he fights to protect the people of the land. Grendel and its mother represent the bad in the world and want to destroy and cause pain in the world. It's a classic theme that can be explored in many ways.
Identity: Throughout the story, you will find that the one thing that almost all the characters have in common is their desire to prove themselves and create their own identity. Whether it's through fights, bragging or contest, the characters are often trying to best one another.

5. Symbolism

You will often find a lot of symbolism in literature. For example, there are many objects that you’ll find in stories that represent something else. The color black often represents death or evil and fire can represent passion, pain or anger. Beowulf also contains a lot of symbolism in the story, and this may be a good topic to write about. However, you can't pick out every little thing and write about it, so choose a few things that are key to the story. Consider these examples:

The cave: The cave is where the monster Grendel and its mother live. It is dark and away from the rest of the world. The cave can represent the seclusion they must live in because they are different. Could this also be their reason for being evil?
The mead hall: In the story, this is where all the soldiers gathered to eat, drink and brag. It is very much like a club or social gathering. This represents community and togetherness.