The Fate Of The Fate In Beowulf

“You are, so to speak, the brute existent by which they learn to define themselves” (Gardner 73). Solomon notes that fate is fixed, no matter what, it cannot change. Secondly, Beowulf is a depiction of the “New Christ” so has to be a war hero. Historically, the Christian faith had predicted that the Messiah was to be a war hero. The fight is given detail in the poem by “But Beowulf grappled and gripped him hard, / Struggled up on his elbow the shepherd of sins…”

Since the beginning of time, people have debated about whether we make our own choices or if we live out a predetermined life. In literary works, the idea of fate being the reason for a character’s actions leads to empathy toward him/her. Free-will, however, makes the character responsible for his/her actions. In many literary cases, fate seems to be the reason for everything. In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel is a murderous monster that terrorizes the people of Herot.

The following quote: “This monster himself, our mighty king, fight this battle alone and unaided.” shows how other men portray Beowulf. The result of heroism in both Beowulf and Antigone result in death. Each of these stories shows the reason for a God or multiple God’s. Although the readers primarily focus on the bravery portrayed in each of these texts the readers do not focus on the evil.

Beowulf had more than one character archetype, the second one being a mentor. His ability to be valued, and showing his men what to accomplish to become somewhat like him is shown throughout the whole poem, as written “ The Geats stayed, sat sadly, watching, imagining they saw their lord but not believing they would ever see him again” ( L. 559-561). His men have been mentored by Beowulf for a long time, typically they’ve grown to think like him. Knowing how their leader is, they don’t give up on him nor put themselves into the situation of believing that Beowulf could have perished. Of course, Beowulf mentored them well into thinking and letting them know that the fight never is over.

While Beowulf can be seen as a hero and his selfless choice of departing after the dragon, he unnecessarily let his people exposed to danger from the other tribes. The visual image seems to interpret that Beowulf left as a misguided hero displaying inevitable fate. Despite Beowulf displaying his good and bad values that has caused him to rise and fall, the unknown poet and those who have helped shape the poem conveyed it to have meaning in their natural modern world that even to this day has connection to ours.

Beowulf is a classic tale of a hero who undergoes certain trials and tribulations and proves his bravery. However when one glances under the surface, it is clear that the story is about so much more. Over the course of the poem Beowulf has to learn to balance two opposing sides of his personality-his monstrous, angry, berserker-like side with more restrained and civilized character. In Germanic culture in general, a dichotomy lies between the reverence of famous berserkers, who when enraged become the most fearsome of warriors, and the values of self-restraint placed on people, specifically in the feasting setting. Beowulf is all about the navigation of that tight line of cultural tension between the two options.

If we just trust God, he has the best plan for our lives. We can accept or reject God’s plan. Our lives are full of choices. The choices we make determine our fate. Beowulf’s choices to fight the battles and risk his life determined his fate.

He relied for help on the Lord of All, on His care and favour. So he overcame the foe, brought down the hell-brute. ”(1269-1274). This shows how Beowulf was not going to give up until all evil was gone away from his kingdom and people. As bad as any evil is, the good will always defeat it.

The theme most evident throughout our selection from the Exeter Book, Beowulf , and The Man of Law 's Tale from The Canterbury Tales, is wyrd: or a concept from Anglo-Saxon culture and society and correlate to fate and one 's personal destiny. Wyrd plays a large role in all of these literary pieces, because they’re in part descended from Anglo-Saxon literature, and is an ancestor to modern British literature. Theses stories helped preserve and channel the beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon culture. Throughout the Anglo-Saxon Culture the theme of fate, or known as wyrd, is heavily prevalent, and can be expressed as one 's personal journey. Beowulf is an epic poem, that takes place in modern day Denmark and Sweden, around the sixth century.

Fate is often described as the will or principle by which things in general are believed to come to be . The question of fate has been pondered over for ages , with the epic poem, Beowulf, raising questions on the concept of fate versus free will. The epic raises the question in the form of the complex,yet dynamic character Grendel. Although it seems at certain points that Grendel acts on free will ,he is in fact led entirely by fate. The idea of fate leading Grendel’s life is made entirely from the fact that he was born a monster and an unfortunate descendant of Cain.

From the beginning of time humanity has looked for a hero. In an epic a hero is someone who is a great warrior but also has a fatal flaw. An example of an epic hero is Beowulf. Today a hero would be someone who could save a nation not with brute strength but with intelligence.

His prediction is proven accurate and he proves through action that his power through divine inspiration can provide respite. Beowulf also proves his ability to provide respite when he defeats the sea monsters and makes it so that the “sailors would be safe (ll. 564).” Beowulf showcased his ability to provide a temporary peace in his victories against Grendel and his mother and during his final victory against the dragon. Without his deep connection to God and destiny, Beowulf would not have been able to be the flicker of light to the world that he

He is a man from Higlac, a follower and the strongest of the Geats, greater and stronger than anyone in the world. Beowulf represents the salvation that Hrothgar’s kingdom needs to stop the suffering under the hands of Grendel that has been affecting them for twelves winters. Beowulf believes that without his help they wont be able to win the battle against evil, and that the king shouldnt refuse his help. The courage and experience that he has fighting monsters dont let him dout he will win the battle against the monster. Beowulf belives that it is his duty to kill Grendel to save Hrothgar’s people, in addition it would help with his reputation of being the greatest fighter of them all.

Typically, today in modern Judeo-Christian culture, one god determines the fate of human beings, yet in Danish culture there are no gods who are interested enough in the events of man enough to try to control their destiny (“Beowulf's Pagan and Christian Elements.”) In this epic, Beowulf includes several direct references to fate, which can also be known as Wyrd. An example would be “Wyrd often saves an undoomed hero as long as his courage is good,” which implies the fact that if a man’s courage holds out, he has a hope of winning through since Wyrd will often work to help such a man, as long as he is not doomed; conversely if a man is doomed then not even his courage can help him stand against ‘the course of events.’ (Wyrd: The Role of Fate) This can be seen during the fight with Grendel, when it was said “But fate, that night, intended Grendel to gnaw the broken bones of his last human supper,” meaning that no matter what Beowulf did, he was meant to beat Grendel.

Epics are stories about heroic feats that usually illustrate society’s idealistic qualities such as bravery and loyalty. The poem Beowulf has outlasted the trials of time and has become a classic epic. Considering the story Beowulf was originally told orally, no one today knows the primordial author. Whoever the author was, he would demonstrate the idealistic warrior in these primitive times through his writings. Not only does he reveal the ideals of society, but he also shows complex topics such as the passing away of society and loyalty of friends.