Examples Of Trophiess In Beowulf

When meeting Hrothgar, Beowulf boasted about his achievements in killing other monsters. He bragged of his battles, of how he would “rise from the darkness … Dripping with [his] enemies’ blood” (Beowulf 418-419). He also claimed he would need no weapon to kill the beast, only his hands were necessary (438-440). When he faced the beast, Beowulf showed courage and strength and was able to defeat Grendel.

In the story Beowulf, there are so many examples on why winning is more common. The story Beowulf, the character Beowulf is about winning, achievement, and death. One of the examples that Beowulf is all about winning was when he stated “I swam in the blackness of night, haunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned”(Burton Raffel) This is one piece of evidence that shows winning because, “killing them off one by one”(Burton Raffel) is proving that winning the war.

Although these two heroes are from different time periods, their strengths in battle are equivalent to one another. For instance, Beowulf shows his strength by fighting for the Danish people. He kills Grendel by detaching his arm. “He twisted in pain, and the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped, muscle and bone split.” (497-498).

As it is written on lines 91 and 92, Beowulf was “The strongest of the Geats‒greater / and stronger than anyone anywhere in the world.” The writer of this story paints a very good picture of just how much stronger Beowulf is than everyone else with this one quote. Similarly, after he kills Grendel’s mother, he takes Grendel’s head and carries it with one hand out of the water. When he hands it to the rest of his men, it is so heavy that they start “staggering under the weight of Grendel’s skull, / Too heavy for fewer than four of them to handle” (564-65). This quote is yet another example of the superhuman strength that Beowulf has.

Beowulf’s Motivations (An Understanding of the motivations of Beowulf to Fight the Three Monsters) Every human being has a certain code with which they follow, most are outlined by the Anglo-Saxon, better known as Viking, code. This code itself was depicted through the epic poem known as, “Beowulf,” and more importantly, Beowulf’s motivations. His first motivation for fighting Grendel, is because he believes it is his duty to fight the monster. Secondly, Beowulf believes that fighting Grendel’s mother would help him in receive glory.

Heroes need weapons to defeat their enemies, and it is no different for the hero Beowulf in the epic poem Beowulf. Beowulf uses all sorts of weapons throughout his many battles with monsters. Each weapon that he uses there is attached a cultural significance. There is a cultural significance attached to each weapon that he uses, ultimately aiding him in his survival and his killing of the beats. As he grows older, he needs to wear more armor and fight with stronger weapons to be able to kill his enemies.

Beowulf sets sail with fourteen of the Geats to battle Grendel. Grendel is so powerful that mere steel cannot injure him. Despite knowing this, Beowulf still chooses to fight him. Not with a sword and a shield, but with his bare hands. “ My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linen shield: my hands alone shall fight for me,” (166-174).

How does Beowulf’s faith and confidence change as these battles unfold and what might these changes signify? In each battle with Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon, Beowulf had shown different strength, motivation and goals. Beowulf’s faith and confidence changes when he fights these three characters and these signify changes means Beowulf is getting old which means he didn’t have the same strength as he had during the fight with Grendel. In the battle with Grendel, Beowulf’s strength is so strong that Grendel has a hard time fighting him.

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.

Glory is the prime motivation for Beowulf in his story. Beowulf wants to be remembered for the great deeds he has done in his lifetime, like Hrothgar. Hrothgar, the king has earned his glory in his youth. “To Hrothgar was given such glory of war, such honor of combat, that all his kin obeyed him gladly…” (Part 1) Hrothgar is now old and unable to protect his kingdom, and Beowulf decides that he will step in and help because of the glory it will give him.

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.

The thought going through most children 's minds is, "why try if I know I am going to get a trophy anyway."   A trophy is always secured in their mind.   Trophies today have a whole new meaning. They do not symbolize a victory or achievement; they are merely reminders of childhood. Betty Berdan, a junior in high school says, "When awards are handed out like candy to every child who participates, they diminish in value.

Beowulf had done the unthinkable—he had killed a demon that no warrior of Denmark could have done. This opened several new doors for Beowulf, including one that promised of honor, glory, and riches. Beowulf had achieved his goal of fame, a goal which had created a poem of a hero that birthed and shaped a story to be told even years later. Furthermore, Beowulf’s fame was set in stone by Hrothgar, the king who owed Beowulf his everything, including his thanks. After giving Beowulf the speech to further glorify his prominence, Hrothgar declares, “Glory is now yours/

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).

Beowulf went through so much to prove he was worthy enough to protect their kingdom and defeat Grendel. The story Beowulf was a great story to read and a great movie to watch; however, the battles were very eye catching and had a lot of extravagant and heroic doings of Beowulf. The first scenario that I’m going to discuss in the movie and story of Beowulf is The Battle with Grendel. In the movie Grendel attacked Beowulf in the Heriot while everyone was dancing and singing.