Examples Of Reputation In Beowulf

When Beowulf rends his arm, Grendel runs away. This shows his cowardice since he runs instead of finishing the fight on the spot. For the Anglo-Saxons, death in battle was the most glorious type of death, Thus Grendel running away would have reenforced the quality of courage and made him a laughingstock in Anglo-Saxon society. When the battle itself begins, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel bare handed. His comrades, however stay to help him fight.

Jane Austin, an extremely talented British author, once claimed, “Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.” The bookshelves built today hold many brilliants works of old, new, foreign, and native, some even introducing debatable theories and ideas for their readers to contemplate, such as the possible existence of Beowulf’s pride and boasting in the great work, Beowulf. The question begins to form when Beowulf introduces himself to Hrothgar, describing to the troubled king, his reason for coming and the tales of his many successes and triumphs in battle. While many have deduced this seemingly boastful passage as conceit and arrogance, many have

Boasting, talking with excessive pride in oneself and one’s accomplishments, has drastically changed societally since not only Beowulf’s day but across many centuries. In Beowulf’s day, around the eleventh century, boasting was a societal norm and not considered morally frowned upon unless the boasts were lies. As seen in Beowulf, the characters, especially Beowulf, take pride in their accomplishments and feats by sharing them with the world to show their greatness and strength. Today, boasting is considered a weakness and many are scolded for praising themselves rather than others. The theme of the past few decades has been to build others up before yourself, to acknowledge others success before your own.

In the epic poem “Beowulf” the character Beowulf is the foundation for all of our modern heroes, but was he really a great hero? A hero is classified as a person who is admired for their bravery, achievements, or nobility. Although Beowulf displays all these qualities, there are several reasons he is not a hero, mainly him being egotistical and arrogant. This is why Beowulf is not a heroic person. Beowulf is often caught bragging about himself and his great accomplishments.

Boasting and self-possession were another common custom of the Anglo-Saxons. (“Anglo-Saxon Warfare Group”). Beowulf represents a quintessential Anglo-Saxon hero through his confident poise, his willingness for self-sacrifice, and his tenacity through near-impossible odds. Beowulf possessed the trait of self-assurance, almost to the point of hubris. Beowulf quickly rose through the ranks and was entrusted by King Hrothgar simply by asserting himself as the leader and savior of the Danes.

Beowulf cares greatly for his honor. When he is fighting Grendel, he decides to not use a weapon since Grendel has none. He doesn’t want anyone saying he won unfairly. When being spoken about his fighting it is said, “He, swiftly banished to mingle with monsters at mercy of foes…” (Part 2)

The continued honor shown in Beowulf’s character shines through when Beowulf never mentions that Unferth’s trusted sword was no match for Grendel’s mother. Beowulf could have simply boasted how the sword was useless and ineffective against the female beast, yet he was silent out of respect for Unferth. Finally, during Beowulf’s time as ruler (fifty winters), another beast arrives: a dragon. This time, Beowulf is much older and is in a much weaker state than when he first defeated Grendel and his mother. However, that does not deter Beowulf from going out and defending his kingdom.

Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.

However, in today’s society, boasting is usually viewed as self-centered or egotistical. It is viewed differently today than in Beowulf’s time because boasting has changed. Today, many people boast to talk highly about themselves or imply that they are more important than others. Despite

This affects Beowulf because his reputation is vital to him. Beowulf fires back with a reminder that Unferth killed his own kin. “[...] and the forthright Unferth, admired by all for his mind and courage, although under a cloud for killing his brothers, reclined near the king” (1164-1167). To prove himself, Beowulf informs the King Hrothgar of his new expedition, killing Grendel. “Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan, whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts.”

The epic poem Beowulf presents insights into the importance of boasting in Anglo-Saxon culture. On the eve of Beowulf's battle with Grendel, he has a scuffle with Unferth. Beowulf ends up using a notable skill, boasting, an important mechanism to assert prowess and triumphs. They can serve as a certification of reputation, bravery, and power, all values of Anglo-Saxon society. The exchange between Unferth and Beowulf exhibit the value of boasting in a society that values the truth.

This proves that he is strong and brave because no one else could kill Grendel let alone face him. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and without armor on. Other warriors could not even kill him with a sword and armor. “Beowulf’s intention to fight Grendel with only his strength proves that he carries the characteristics of a true hero”(Hailey).

In the poem Beowulf, the character Beowulf had a desire for fame and earthly rewards. From driving five great giants into chains and hunting and killing monsters out of the ocean one by one, Beowulf will often boast in himself about his greatest accomplishments. However, Beowulf’s boasting and thirst for fame contradicts with the Christians beliefs of pride and eternal reward. Christians believe that a man should humble himself and never boast in his own accomplishments but always boast in the power of the Almighty. Often in the poem Beowulf, Beowulf has boasted in himself and his own accomplishments.

In other words, the more fame you have, the better reputation. Beowulf gained fame by conquering Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon, which in turn gained him an outstanding reputation. Each member of Beowulf’s society wanted a good reputation in order for their fame to live on even after they pass. Beowulf achieved this goal as we can see in this quote from lines 281-284 “telling their sorrow, telling stories of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, praising him for heroic deeds, for a life as noble as his name.” Beowulf’s fellow soldiers mourned his passing, and believed their was no greater than

In Anglo-Saxon literature and Greek Mythology both Beowulf and Jason show similar and unique characteristics through their pride, which reflects the values of each of their cultures. The two characters share a similar characteristic through pride such as leadership; however, Beowulf from Anglo-Saxon literature with pride tends to be very boastful and is easily triggered to compete, while Jason from Greek mythology tends to be more self-centered about the accomplishments. Based on these actions and attitudes the characters reflect the values of each of their cultures because it shows how confidence and arrogance is viewed. In the story leadership is a similar characteristic shown by both characters through their pride.