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beowulf Essay Examples

1216 total results

The Relevancy of Beowulf in the 21st Century (580 words, 3 pages)

Old English Online The Relevancy of Beowulf in 2015When the modern reader first approaches Beowulf, they may not be overjoyed with what they find. The barrier to entry for some will probably be the format and style of the piece, both of which are likely to strike almost every new ... Read More

An Examination of the Idea of Heroism in the Character of Beowulf According to Ralph Waldo Emerson (1458 words, 5 pages)

The story of Beowulf is one of the first known written English scripts and thus provides a revolutionary glimpse into early European life. But despite its pure historical significance, its literary impact stands in the same class as the ancient epics such as The Odyssey. Its central figure, Beowulf, is ... Read More

A Comparison of the Depiction of Grendel in the Epic Poem Beowulf and the Book Grendel by John Gardner (765 words, 3 pages)

During the Anglo-Saxon time period, a horrific monster known as Grendel terrorized individuals. Grendel is very well-known in British Literature for his very barbaric and often terrifying behavior. In fact, there were stories created that depicted the encounters of Grendel in these time periods. The depiction of Grendel in the ... Read More

An Analysis of the Rules of Comitatus in Beowulf and America Today (884 words, 4 pages)

Comitatus In Beowulf, the Viking Era, and TodayBeowulf kept him helplessly locked in a handgrip... The monsters whole body was in pain, a tremendous wound appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split and the bone-lappings broke (55). This depiction of Beowulfs fight, a gory and vividly portrayed scene, shows that he ... Read More

The Societal Heroic Values and Ideals Based on Two Epic Heroes: Odysseus and Beowulf (1386 words, 6 pages)

IntroductionThe societal heroic values and ideals based on two epic heroesBasically, an epic hero could refer to the central figure on which the story revolves around hence, elaborating on the heroic values and character traits of given individuals within the society. The authors critically analyze the specific traits of various ... Read More

A Summary and Analysis of Lines 1251 and 2300 of Beowulf (537 words, 1 pages)

Lines 1251-2300SummaryA day after Beowulf rips Grendels arm off and kills him, he takes upon the challenge of killing Grendels mother. Before he does so, he talks to Unferth and he lends him a powerful sword entitled Hrunting, a sword that has been passed on for many generations. Beowulf was ... Read More

A Summary and Analysis of Lines 2300-3182 of Beowulf (554 words, 1 pages)

Lines 2300-3182SummaryIn the last third of Beowulf, the arrival of the dragon as the next villain that Beowulf fights is foreshadowed extensively. Furthermore, Beowulf is throned as king of the Geats and is described to be a great king whom people looked up to and revered. Then, the dragon is ... Read More

Military Experience Is Required to Be an Effective Leader as Shown in Beowulf and the Article about Dwight David Eisenhower (1159 words, 5 pages)

Hell on EarthSociety tends to differentiate warriors and leaders by placing leaders higher on the social pyramid than warriors, signifying that they are two completely different social classes. However, there is some gray area between the two groups. It is no coincidence that most of the world leaders throughout history ... Read More

An Analysis of the Depiction of Revenge in The Finn Episode and the Tragedy of Revenge in Beowulf, an Article by Martin Camargo (594 words, 2 pages)

The Finn Episode And The Tragedy Of Revenge In Beowulf AbstractCamargo, Martin. "The Finn Episode And The Tragedy Of Revenge In Beowulf." Studies In Philology 78.5 (1981) 120. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.In an article by Martin Camargo, The Finn Episode and the Tragedy of Revenge in Beowulf, ... Read More

The Central Theme of Revenge in the Epic of Beowulf (1880 words, 7 pages)

Blood began to boil and tensions began to rise. Eventually it happens to everybody whether it be a family member, friend, or random stranger, tensions rise because of misunderstood, or perhaps very well understood, actions. For most individuals, a primary reaction is to get even. There is a place for ... Read More

The Importance of Male Homosocial Bonds in Beowulf (1600 words, 5 pages)

Primates are social by nature, humans are no exception to this. The importance of these homosocial bonds are displayed throughout interactions in Beowulf. These male homosocial bonds in Beowulf are also known as comitatus and are created through several ways. They play important parts in the actions and adventures of ... Read More

An Analysis of the Value of Strength in the Epic of Beowulf (910 words, 3 pages)

The value strength is necessary to succeed and be victorious. In Burton Raffels translation of the epic poem, Beowulf, Beowulf achieves glory because of this attribute. He has many moments where he demonstrates this strength such as when he easily snaps off Grendels limb, and lifts up the sword that ... Read More

The Cultures Shown in Beowulf and Gilgamesh (1539 words, 5 pages)

Introduction Culture forms an essential part in the continuity and existence ofevery community. A peoples' culture forms the framework on which acommunity's values, beliefs, and hope are built on. As such, differentcommunities have come up with different means of passing on the culturalknowledge and information to future generations to ensure ... Read More

Beowulf’s Courage and Determination to Defeat the Dragon (250 words, 1 pages)

Having defeated two deplorable monsters with little to no help and resultantly been honored with treasures, gifts, and kingship, Beowulf is led to believe that he is the "chosen one" to lead and protect the Geats from their perceived evil. In this last fight, Beowulf is egotistical, tenacious, and determinedsome ... Read More

The Christian Elements in Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem (1778 words, 11 pages)

The epic poem Beowulf is one of the earliest examples of English literature. Originally written in Old English, the story has been translated and passed on for generations. The fundamental story line of the poem follows an Anglo-Saxon hero named Beowulf, who is responsible for saving his town from multiple ... Read More

The Story of Beowulf in Chapter 7 of Asma’s On Monsters (685 words, 2 pages)

Asmas On Monster Ch. 7 Reflection Human spirituality has created a need to destroy monsters. Through Asmas discussion of Beowulf in his book, On Monsters, a paradigm shift is expressed through the prevalence of Christianity that shows the destruction of monsters comes from viewing them as misunderstood as opposed to ... Read More

An Analysis of the Characterization of Beowulf in the Play “Beowulf” (533 words, 2 pages)

Characterization of BeowulfI believe that Beowulf is a selfless brave hero who seeks to always do the right thing often risking his own life to do it. He fought multiple beasts with his pure strength with no regards for his own safety to protect people in danger. He rules over ... Read More

The Nature of Grendel in the Epic Poem of Beowulf (992 words, 3 pages)

The Nature of GrendelBeowulf and Grendel by John Gardner depict Grendel in vastly different ways. In Beowulf, Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches among the banished monsters (102). We were not able to see much of Grendel except in the very beginning and during its ... Read More

The Use of Violence as a Means of Vanquishing One’s Enemies in the Poem Beowulf (671 words, 3 pages)

Violence In BeowulfThe Beowulf author sees violence as an essential means for asserting dominance and claiming victory over one's foes in seizing life from them. While the violence carried out by evil individuals is considered problematic, violence on the part of the hero, Beowulf, is glorified and depicted as righteous.Death ... Read More

The Personal Confrontations in Beowulf That Are Essential in the Progress of the Narrative (968 words, 4 pages)

Battles of BeowulfThroughout Beowulf, the hero must prove himself by conquering a number of monsters which imperil the order of the Anglo-Saxon world. The poet uses Beowulf's battles with Grendel's mother and the dragon to emphasize values and traditions of Anglo-Saxon culture, providing an effective template for the warrior and ... Read More

A Comparison of the Idea of Heroism in the Characters of Beowulf and Sir Gawain (959 words, 3 pages)

The idea of heroism is very prevalent in both Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by Burton Raffel. Although it is true that being a hero is based on performing heroic deeds, the personality of an individual ultimately determines whether or not a ... Read More

The Depiction of Christ in the Poem Beowulf (437 words, 2 pages)

In the Poem Beowulf, he is given a exceptionally hard task to accomplish but he is able to do what no other man was about do. In this poem Beowulf is showed as a Christ figure. Christianity was able to change the poem so that Beowulf was depicted as a ... Read More

The Demonstration of Immorality in the Book “Beowulf” (754 words, 3 pages)

Immortality is a classic treasure for the fools and villains of many ancient tales. All of these characters tend to have one quality in common not accepting their own mortality. This concept of mortality is emphasized by all the major characters in the book Beowulf regardless of whether or not ... Read More

The Courage of Beowulf (728 words, 2 pages)

As Socrates said, He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy. Beowulf showcases great courage throughout this epic poem that is crucial to his success and earns him his fame and pride. He does these courageous acts ... Read More

Christian Symbolism in the Epic Beowulf (1108 words, 4 pages)

Christian symbolism is found numerous times within the poem Beowulf. The poet of Beowulf utilizes the Christian religion to symbolize the elements of good and evil. Beowulf is the oldest and longest known English epic poem. Its manuscripts date back to around the seventh century to as late as the ... Read More

An Analysis of the Old English Poem, Beowulf (796 words, 4 pages)

Many popular works of literature are translated onto the screen in forms of television programs or full-feature films. The entertainment industry often re-imagines, re-writes, and even completely re-tells these popular works so that they may be easily translated to a visual format. This re-formatting is also the case with Beowulf, ... Read More

A Comparison Between the Poem Beowulf and the Movie Beowulf and Grendel (866 words, 4 pages)

Beowulf comparison essay The movie Beowulf and Grendel, though a movie, gives an accurate representation of the way life could have actually happened. The epic poem Beowulf was extremely different from the movie but followed about the same plot line. There were many differences between the poem and the movie, ... Read More

Beowulf and the Quest for Fame in the Modern Society (501 words, 2 pages)

Beowulf and Modern SocietyIn our modern society of America everyone wants to be known. Fame, regardless of how its achieved, is an American value, and it seems that it is becoming a competition. It is taken to such extremes to where people will deliberately get into fights, harm themselves or ... Read More

The Thoughts of T.S. Eliot on How the Two Literary Works Beowulf and Tintern Abbey Were Written by the Authors (483 words, 2 pages)

Final Exam Each of the many different works of art we have read this semester were written in different genres, form, and points of view. T.S. Eliot proposes that every great author writes according to two main principles, whether they know it or not. Eliot believes that every writer incorporates ... Read More

How the Arthurian Known Represents a Characterization of Nordic in the Story of Beowulf (1106 words, 2 pages)

How does the Arthurian knight (a general type of which Gawain is a specific example) represent a Christianization of the Nordic, pagan hero figure (of which Beowulf is a specific example)? Well written answers will refer to details from the literature and draw connections between these details and larger cultural ... 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.