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,
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Acceptance Essays
