Feedback Form

Get immediate access to thousands of

 high quality papers and essays.
Mega Essays Home  |   Questions?  |   Acceptable Use  |   Customer Care  |   Site Search
    Enter Essay Topic:

   

    Subjects:
Acceptance Essays
Arts
Custom Papers
English
Foreign
History
Miscellaneous
Movies
Music
Novels
People
Politics
Religion
Science
Sports
Technology

    Login:
Member Login
Join Now!
Click here to Join Now!
by: Credit Card
Click here to Join Now!
by: Online Check
Click here to Join Now!
by: Phone 1-900

Beowulf

In Beowulf, the hero from which this poem takes its name fights battle after battle; proving his heroism and ridding his people of the evil which disrupts their lives by physically battling it. Three specific encounters of this sort occur in the poem: Beowulf's battle with Grendel, with Grendel's mother, and with the dragon. In each battle, it seems as if Beowulf has a slightly different motivation for fighting, although the reasons why this change of motivation happens are left somewhat unclear. There are several possible reasons: perhaps Beowulf's hubris is a part of it, or maybe material rewards such as treasure affect his motivations. It may be that the cause for which he fights changes. Also, it is possible that Beowulf begins to realize his impact when he fights, and, in this way, gains a perspective on the situation. It appears that Beowulf's motivation for being a hero and battling evil are a combination of both selfish and selfless reasons. In Beowulf's first confrontation, which is against Grendel, it appears that Grendel is challenge to face both physically and as a way of proving Beowulf's heroism to Hrothgar and his kingdom. It is very essential that Beowulf proves himself to Hrothg


"'Now hurry, dear Wiglaf, rummage the hoard under the grey rock, for the dragon sleeps, riddled with wounds, robbed of his treasure. Beowulf first implies that God is a motivation to him in this fight. Beowulf is willing to give his life for the Geats, but he does keep material rewards and fame in mind in the possibility that he should survive. Beowulf does fight for the people, but proving his worth to himself is always high on his agenda. One cannot be sure if being compared to Christ by future generations was among Beowulf's hopes, but this does help to improve his status as a hero. He continues on in this way, talking of his exploits so that Hrothgar and the people of Geatland might see that he truly has the courage to destroy the plague that is Grendel. Here, in Heorot, I shall either work a deed of great daring, or lay down my life," (ll. Be as quick as you can so that I may see the age-old store of gold, and examine all the priceless, shimmering stones; once I have set eyes on such a store, it will be more easy for me to die, to abandon the life and land that have so long been mine,'" (ll. Finally, even though Beowulf could be considered a martyr, he wants to make sure those who live after him remember him as a martyr, and thus extend the fame he has worked so hard to build after his death. Therefore, even though Beowulf may secretly really be doing it for the treasure, he makes it appear through his boasts that his intentions are purely altruistic. In line 2535, Beowulf speaks of "gaining the gold" in his battle (it appears that he is speaking of tangible gold in this speech). Thus, material rewards could be a great factor in why Beowulf chooses to fight again: the more he battles, the richer he gets. Beowulf is a selfless hero to everyone else but himself: he cares for the people of Geatland, but in a way, they are merely a part of Beowulf's wish to be remembered as a martyr by future generations.

Common topics in this essay:
Geatland Unferth, Grendel Grendel's, Finally Beowulf, Lord Hrothgar, Motivation Beowulf, Wealtheow Hrothgar, material rewards, grendel's mother, beowulf's fighting, beowulf speaks, future generations, people beowulf's, hrothgar people, reasons beowulf's, noble noble, people geatland,

See the rest of the paper. Join Now!

Approximate Word count = 1401
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Already a member? Click here

More Essays on Beowulf


Student Papers:
A Critical Essay on a Text Critical of the United States The ... 1280 words
National Honor Society Essay 291 words
National Honor Society Entrance Essay 953 words
NHS Acceptance Essay 1303 words
College Essay/Goals 450 words
Admissions Essay Huck Finn 893 words

Professional Papers:
Beowulf1083 words
Beowulf2070 words
Beowulf1301 words
Chaucher ampamp Beowulf1017 words
Grendel ampamp Beowulf578 words
The Hero of Beowulf559 words

Click here to Join Now!
by: Credit Card
Click here to Join Now!
by: Online Check
Click here to Join Now!
by: Phone 1-900



CREDIT CARD
ONLINE CHECK
JOIN BY PHONE



Get immediate access to over 100,000
high quality term papers and essays!!!

Webmasters make $$$!



All papers are for research and references purposes only!
Copyright (c) 2001-2009 Mega Essays LLC
All rights reserved. DMCA HMS