Subject Of Beowulf Essay, Research Paper

Subject of Beowulf Ever since Cain killed his brother Abel, decease and slaying have been a portion of human society. The adult male ever killed the other adult male, physically or mentally, to derive something for himself, something that may be a touchable things such as nutrient or money, or intangible things such as power or pride. Throughout the British heroic poem verse form Beowulf, there are many violent deaths and deceases. Grendel ( a gigantic, bear-like monster ) kills Danish thanes, Beowulf & # 8211 ; Hygelac & # 8217 ; s ( King of the Geats ) nephew & # 8211 ; putting to deaths Grendel and his female parent. Besides Beowulf kills a firedrake and gets killed by the firedrake. The most of import subject of the great heroic poem verse form Beowulf is & # 8216 ; death. & # 8217 ; By the decease of the enemy, characters in the verse form earn pride and self-respect. The verse form is about a hero from the land of the Geats to assist the land of Danes. Danes have a topographic point called Heorot, & # 8216 ; a immense mead-hall, a house greater than work forces on Earth of all time heard of ( 53 ) & # 8217 ; , and one dark without warning, Grendel attacks the hall, because of his green-eyed monster of human society. Grendel is a descendent of Cain, a line of descent which has long borne marauding monsters, trolls, hobs, and giants & # 8211 ; all of which were banished from human society. He envies the family and felicity he sees ; he hates populating the fens, excluded from the company of work forces ; therefore, he stalks the Moors, covetous of the pleasance of world. Hrothgar, the King of Danes, is old and physically unable to revenge the deceases of his thanes. When Beowulf hears about Hrothgar & # 8217 ; s state of affairs, he decides to assist him by contending with Grendel. First he fights with Grendel in the Heorot when he attacks the hall. Beowulf cracks one of the Grendel & # 8217 ; s weaponries free of its socket, rending tendons and rupturing musculuss. Grendel runs off and Beowulf follows his bloody trail but does non happen the dead organic structure of Grendel. Heorot is rebuilt and redecorated taking all the Markss of Grendel & # 8217 ; s onslaught. King Hrothgar thanks Beowulf for killing Grendel. One dark, Grendel & # 8217 ; s female parent onslaughts Heorot and takes one of Hrothgar & # 8217 ; s thanes. Beowulf goes to the Grendel & # 8217 ; s female parent & # 8217 ; s place & # 8211 ; a boiling, bloody pool & # 8211 ; and kills her. He brings Grendel & # 8217 ; s caput ( found

in the pool) and a sword to the Danes. King Hrothgar thanks and awards Beowulf with gold and jewelry, and Beowulf goes back to the Geats. Years pass, and one of the Geats steals an ornamented cup from the hoard of a dragon who has peacefully but zealously, protected his vast treasure for three hundred years. The dragon seeks vengeance, marauding the countryside and spewing fire, burning everything before him, including Beowulf’s home, the throne of Geats. Beowulf decides to fight the dragon. Filled with righteous and heroic anger, Beowulf goes to the dragon’s cave. He kills the dragon and gets killed by the dragon. “he seized his whole neck between bitter fangs: blood covered him, Beowulf’s life- blood, let in streams. Then I heard how the earl alongside the King in the hour of need made known the valour, boldness and strength that were bred in him. His hand burned as he helped his kinsman, but the brave soldier in his splendid armour ignored the head and hit the attacker somewhat below it, so that the sword went in, flashing-hilted”(136) When the dragon emerges from his cave, Beowulf tries to fend off the dragon’s scorching breath but his shield is only a little protection. He strikes the dragon with his sword but he miscalculates and fails to pierce the dragon’s vital innards and spews such intense flame that Beowulf winces at the searing heat. The dragon coils and strikes, sinking his fangs into Beowulf’s neck. Beowulf is spattered with his own blood, but he continues to fight with the dragon. Beowulf pulls out a razor-sharp dagger and delivers the death blow, ripping open the dragon’s entrails with the assistance of Wiglaf, ‘the son of Weoxstan, a Waymunding and a kinsman of Beowulf (Index).’Throughout the poem, there are many bloody deaths of thanes, monsters, and courageous hero. Death occurs to all the living creatures. But there are many different ways of death such as death by accident, by sickness, and by others. When Beowulf dies, it is an heroic death which we cannot see in the modern human society. The most important theme of the story would be ‘heroic death.’ The death of the hero, who revenges the sadness of his people.