Beowulf essay - hi guys PDF

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Sofia Mendez Mr. Munoz English 4 Honors 21 October 2020

Topics in beowulf -

Bravery

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Loyalty

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Ambition

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reputation /honor

Beowulf, an epic poem written by an anonymous author with the purpose of showcasing and solidifying the ideal qualities a person should possess, follows the main character of the same name in his own Hero’s Journey, in which these attributes, ambition being one of them, are juxtaposed through Beowulf’s call to adventure, temptation, and death and rebirth stages. The epic also seeks to aid the transition from Paganism into Christianity through the many biblical references and comparisons it presents, atributting Beowulf’s success as a hero to both his exemplary traits and the Christian God’s protection. Beowulf is an exposition of the God-given human spirit that manifests itself in our hero through his passion and ambition.

Beowulf first demonstrates his ambition and fearlessness in his call to adventure. After finding out about what Hrothgar and his people were going through, he “quickly commanded a boat fitted out, / Proclaiming that he’d go to that famous king” (lines 113-114). Hearing about the terrible things Grendel was doing to them, and being aware of how undefeatable he seemed, as no sword could penetrate his skin, Beowulf made the decision to help them almost immediately, showing his lack of regard for danger and his own desire to prove himself once again. This fearlessness of his could translate into an ultimate placing of his trust in God, as once he reaches Denmark he says: “my hands / Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life / Against the monster. God must decide / Who will be given to death’s cold grip” (lines 172-175). From the very beginning, the reader is told that the outcome of Beowulf’s fight with Grendel will be decided by God’s will; this is the start of the sub-narrative that this hero’s exemplary traits and achievements

always draw back to the christian God....