Beowulf what makes it an epic

He has become the father of his people the image of a great and worthy king. And at last he dies for the sake of his subjects, and wins an undying fame. The moral triumph is attained and fate, not Beowulf, is really conquered in the contest. This is the purifi cation ofthe soul, and the ever-recurring theme of many epics.

All these characteristics show that Beowulf has a stronger claim to be an epic. Though there is some lack of characteristics, indeed those characteristics are lesser in significance. Therefore we can safely say that Beowulf is not only a milestone in the history of English literature but it is actually a true great epic and it occupies an important position in the realm of world literature.

Beowulf as an epic Beowulf credited with being a quintessential piece of epic. He is shown in this instance as strong and mighty, as well as upstanding, upholding civility and championing good over evil. Beowulf as both a character and a literary work shows this code in action. Some of the most Anglo-Saxon values, as illustrated by Beowulf, include bravery, truth, honor, loyalty and duty, hospitality and perseverance.

Their values uphold the warrior aristocracy, including loyalty and the high value placed on kinship. His ideals that are reflected in the speech is that he wished he could have had children to pass it on but he did not.

Beowulf introduces himself and requests to speak to the king. He invites the Geats to sit and enjoy a feast in Heorot with the Danish warriors. Breca defeated Beowulf in what, by consensus, is described as a swimming match. Unferth is boastful, just as Beowulf is, but unlike Beowulf Unferth lacks the moral courage to back up his boasts and unlike Beowulf Unferth never does anything to stand against Grendel.

He says that Unferth is drunk and obviously knows nothing about the competition. Continuing, Beowulf explains that he won the contest despite the heavy attack by sea-monsters. Beowulf is a heroic poem, considered the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic.

It deals with events of the early 6th century CE and is believed to have been composed between and Beowulf is an epic poem that is both one of the most important works in English literature, and a great adventure story. While it is set in Scandinavia in the early sixth century, the poem was composed in England somewhere between the seventh and the end of the tenth century. Beowulf credited with being a quintessential piece of epic.

An epic is a long and highly stylized narrative poem on a grand scale about the deeds of warriors and heroes.

Beowulf also contains an epic hero. The title of the poem has been named after our epic hero, Beowulf. One of the central themes of Beowulf, embodied by its title character, is loyalty. Beowulf comes to the assistance of the Danes Scyldings for complicated reasons.

Beowulf is the title of the earliest existing Anglo-Saxon epic. Beowulf returns home after these battles to become king of his people.

Although Beowulf is successful in defeating the dragon, he is mortally wounded in the battle. The description of both the magic as well as the trip into and out of an underworld are common aspects of epic poems.

Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Show More. Read More. Words: - Pages: 3. Words: - Pages: 6. Evil So it is only natural that conflict would arise between the virtuous hero and the dangerous villains that around him. Words: - Pages: 4. Beowulf ': Hero Of The Year' As depicted in the excerpt from Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, the qualities found in Beowulf that were most admired by his society include courage, personal valor, and his boastfulness.

Words: - Pages: 5. Beowulf Hero Analysis Because of his strength presenting him to be larger than life, and all the outstanding selfless characteristics Beowulf has, the epic heroism stands out.

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