Beowulf Essay, Research Paper

Beowulf was considered by many people throughout the verse form to be a distinguished, baronial leader. After his celebrated conflict with Grendel, he became known as a hero who helped a troubled, incapacitated king out. It isn & # 8217 ; t until the terminal of the verse form that we see any unfavorable judgment about Beowulf at all. However, there are certain times in the verse form where Beowulf does non look to stand as a theoretical account of the heroic virtuousness. There are times where his purposes did non look so heroic ; alternatively, they seemed shoal, non filled with so much value or regard. Beowulf may hold deserved more unfavorable judgment than he really received.

For many facets of the word, it can be considered true that Beowulf was a hero. His first feeling on people left them filled with awe and regard, entirely by his visual aspect. His amazing strength and combat ability left no uncertainty in anyone & # 8217 ; s mind that he was no ordinary soldier. He was a adult male unlike any other. His finding was really seeable. These are all the qualities of a hero that Beowulf did possess. However, there are other features of Beowulf that overlook these epic qualities and give another position on Beowulf.

There are two cases where he states clearly that he will decease contending or come out alive. However, a statement like that can be taken two different ways. If it is non taken as a declaration made by merely a hero, it can be taken as something said by a soldier excessively proud to walk off from a battle the also-ran. Beowulf would instead decease than be a known as person who was defeated. He wanted to be known as the best of the best. He did non desire to populate allowing it be known that there was another individual or being who was better than he was.

Beowulf & # 8217 ; s greatest inducement to even get down to contend any conflict was for the celebrity that he would have coming out of it alive. He was ever really concerned that his ain name, the name of his people, and the name of his male monarch would be known far and broad. He wanted to be recognized for his amazing strength and combat ability. Besides the fact that Beowulf owed Hrothgar a battle because

of his male parent, Beowulf’s chief motive to assist Hrothgar was non wholly because he was a sort, thoughtful individual. It may be true that Beowulf did desire to assist Hrothgar win back his hall and power because he genuinely felt bad for this hapless, powerless male monarch. However, the chief ground that Beowulf wanted to contend in a conflict with the man-eating monster, Grendel, was to demo that he was truly a adult male among all work forces. There had been coevalss of Hrothgar’s work forces who had been killed because they could non get the better of this monster. If Beowulf could crush him, so he could turn out that he was a better soldier and combatant than all of the work forces who had tried before him to assist Hrothgar.

When Beowulf fought his concluding opposition, he did non give much thought to the people and the land that he would be go forthing behind. He did non believe of the effects that his actions would hold. And Beowulf did sense that his decease was coming. In his address to his thanes, he set the tone that said he knew what he was up against ; that he was old and this would be a difficult conflict to win. He seemed to give adequate idea into the conflict that he was armed with the proper war-gear and that he had thanes with him to assist him if the demand arose. He thought about the wealths and the hoarded wealth that he was put on the lining his life for. However, he did non believe much about the people that lived under his opinion.

If he was genuinely a heroic male monarch, he would hold realized that the best manner for him to win this conflict, would be to direct more able soldiers to contend and to do certain that his well being was kept safe. This manner, he would be able to go on to govern the Geat people strongly for many more old ages. He did non hold to come in into the conflict. There were work forces who would hold been willing to contend in his topographic point. However, Beowulf still wanted to turn out that he was able to contend in conflicts as he one time had. He wanted to demo his people that he was a male monarch who had worked for the name and celebrity that he now held. The fact that Beowulf wanted to contend against the firedrake himself shows that this last battle was more selfish and greedy than it was baronial and honest.